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The key is your preparation. If your practice has been solid, it will hold together in a lesson. If not, it will fall apart like wet tissues. It is a cry for help to your teacher, because every fault will be exposed. When you learn to deal with every angle, every problem, and with sufficient repetition to lock it in place, you will be secure. It takes time and lots of effort and lots and lots of thinking.
We tested this when I was in Tanglewood, and among the ten of us, if you had drilled thoroughly, you had to repractice at least three times before your lesson, preferably five times or more, for it to be faultless. As a rule, we found that it took at least ten correct repetitions to secure anything. Seven to get it right, and three or more times again to lock it in place. Anything less was insecure. Three times was the absolute minimum, even just to stay where you were and not lose ground. I suspect you play through pieces as you please, and only work on spots that give you trouble. (Like everyone naturally does.) That results in trouble spots that move from day to day, week to week, and nothing is secure. A castle cannot be built on shifting sand. It’s very simple if you can boil it all down clearly enough, and that’s the hard part.
It is not so hard to play them naturally, just be sure to spend about ten minutes a day playing glissandi at all different dynamics so your callouses can handle it. You can change angle of your finger for slightly different tone or impact. I think almost anything would be preferable than to use picks, speaking from the listening point of view. Especially if you are amplified. You can also use your 4th and 5th fingers when 2 and 3 are tired.
I don’t recommend doing this at all, but in an emergency, be sure the harp is well supported on both sides and held as still as possible. It would be better to brace it against the side of the van if possible. You don’t want the neck to be vibrating.
You don’t have to study it until college, but you should be familiar with all the basics, identifying chords, reading music accurately, and you should get a general knowledge about music from books like music encyclopedias.
It would seem to me that the answer to movement of the harp’s component parts is to make all the external parts of the action ADJUSTABLE. Put multiple holes in the discs for the pins? Allow for different-sized discs. Make the adjustables truly adjustable, including the stationery nuts. Etcetera. Jim Buxton told me that the pedal springs could be at the top of the pedals instead of the bottom.
Why does the string need to be pinched? Could not a “thumb” push out against the string, and its pad could be moved up or down as needed? The newer levers do something like that.
Could not a thin metal strip run underside the center strip to reinforce it without impacting the sound? Titanium or aluminum or something?
I prefer Pirastro nylon strings, and I use Bow brand gut strings and wire strings )silver/copper). You can buy them from many sources, depending on where you are, because the shipping cost will change depending on your location.
I don’t think it was ever published in a printed form. If it is in the Schirmer catalog, then you may be able to rent a copy or get an archival copy made. Let me know, please, if you find one. Otherwise, only a couple of harpists may have copies.
I recently purchased a Dr. Beat metronome that can play cross-rhythms, and it extremely helpful. I think it might make learning cross-rhythms much easier.
One important method is to focus on reading ahead, to always be at least one beat ahead of what you are playing. The best practice is to have your teacher or a friend slide a piece of paper across your music as you are playing, and it will force your eye to move faster, and your brain to short-term memorize faster. One can get hung up on notation, but you have to read the meaning. See what kind of chord it is, is it a c major or a minor? Then you can play the right notes even if they are not exactly what is written. There are books for sight-singing that you can use for reading practice. Do a lot of it, and it will get better.
Nivea used to have a conditioning oil that helped. Now, the best thing would seem to be bag balm. Fill your fingertips with it, then wash off the surface. Take a little break, sand the surface a bit, and avoid glisses/fluxes and lots of loud playing until you skin recovers. If the callous has separated from the skin underneath, it will gradually come to the surface and come off. Then you will be uncomfortable for a while. You have to be always conscious of your skin condition when playing. I avoid doing dishes before playing.
Cracked it in two weeks? With a metronome? If you are used to 5/8, perhaps that is feasible. It lays in the hand for the most part, but playing with feeling does take some time. But if you really did, then tackle his “La del alba Seria”. Let me know how you do with that one.
