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I always start tuning on Fb or Bb, because if you start on Cb, you end up at Bb still needing to do Fb, and you have to go through that nasty tritone. I also find Fs harder to tune than any other note. It seems to be an acoustic property of a harp. The problem with going by ear, for me, is that what sounds right is off, a little or a lot, so the tuner is more reliable, unfortunately. And I will progressively increase the stretch until it is obviously overdone, then have to pull it back.
There is a Society of Wedding Planners. If it is a national organization, then I suggest harpists approach each chapter to discuss standardized rates and hiring practices.
The Arnold has a very nice harp part that is not too easy. Rimsky-Korsakov and other Russian classic composers have many pieces worth learning, and some are not difficult.
Students minds are much more in an acquiring state of mind, learning all the time. That is much harder for an adult to get back into.
When I performed the Mozart, I wanted it no faster than 126, so I asked the conductor to look at his watch before starting, and use the second hand to establish 60, ergo 120 for a beat. It worked perfectly.
I think it is part of conducting. When I conduct something, it is very hard to feel the tempo in a normal way, and with adrenaline kicking in, one just wants to go fast, and feel it move.
It can be expensive. It means taking the harp apart to replace it. If it is bolted or screwed and glued instead, that is perhaps less expensive, but unsightly.
I tried it once again, and it does not work for me. Stretching up to five cents, that is okay, sometimes inevitable. Aside from all the acoustic properties of the harp, you also have to take into account the regulation and how stretching would affect the intonation.
In my experience, muscle memory is the one most reliable form of memory. If you have enough repetitions under your belt, it will carry you through all sorts of distractions. Mental memorization, ie. analysis, is part of the learning process, but not very reliable for me. Visual memory is more reliable. When I have a piece well learned, I can see an image of the page. I have not mastered literally reading the music from visual memory, but that would be a good trick. If you can start anywhere in the piece, working backwards as well as forwards, if you can say every pedal change, and say the notes as you play, I think that is enough. I don’t know if I’ve ever gone farther than that, technically speaking. Perhaps others can. But, really, the good old essence of it is getting it by heart, literally. If you can put your heart into every note, you’ve got it. Also, you have to practice performing it, and memorize the performing experience as well, and what can go wrong.
It is very important as you practice to learn your mistakes as well. Every time you make a mistake, you must stop and explore it, and figure out ways to recover from it. I am convinced that is why we make them. As for distractions, they need to be acknowledged, and then absorbed into the music.
