Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Carl, that’s exactly why Salzedo called it an aeolian flux, not a glissando, because it is not just a slide up and down. You have to sound each individual note clearly and evenly, and blend each note and shape and contour the whole. It is definitely not easy. That’s why Scintillation is much harder than it may look. It is also quite hard to make the change in dynamics and pedals in the middle of the passage, so I don’t think it is an easy out option at all. I do like the intricacy of the original, though, and have only performed it that way, so far.
I don’t think so, if only because the feminine association is so pervasive. And with 90% or more of the players being female, male harpists do need that masculine association for personal as well as esthetic reasons. It’s not a political statement. My teacher (female) used to tell all her pupils, you have to be able to play like a man. Why? Because you had to be tough, you had to have a tone that would blend in with male players on other instruments. Because without working toward that, many female players would never develop those qualities. It is also a different kind of expression of beauty. Male students need to learn it too. But, in truth, the harp is what you make of it.
There was a period when an insurrectionist character posted a lot of controversial statements and then his “wife” started stalking him on the site.
I suspect the harp is rather easy to learn with the right teacher. Too many do not do the most basic things: hold the hand in position so the student can feel how it should be, and feel the fingers going in and out in the right fashion. And then, constantly correcting deviations. If you don’t start it right in the beginning, you will have a hard time fixing it later on. Or someone else will. And give the students tools they can use. If their knuckles are weak, show them how to strengthen them on the harp (pushing them out against the lower string), holding a baton or pencil under the joint. How things are actually done. Don’t leave to accident, chance or habit.
There was a harpist in the Sousa band. It could be rolled around on a platform in a marching band. There are “portable” harps. There are not so many obstacles.
I don’t have the music at hand, but usually it is the beat that stays the same. It should be four to a measure in each bar. But, they might not have recorded it that way. Is there no notation over the barline? There should be, showing what is equal to what.
I was lucky to have a wise teacher, who did not believe a piece was done just because you had learned the notes. Put it away and come back to it. As many times as needed. And so I do.
I really don’t get it, either. Family Feud’s survey said that the harp was the audience’s favorite instrument, over piano and over organ (which was number two). Maybe it was a churchy crowd. Anyway, there is this huge gap. The only time I think it was bridged effectively was when Lyon & Healy teamed up with stores and teachers to offer troubador group classes. That got a big generation started. They are making the harps now, but that partnership with teachers doesn’t seem to be there, or the marketing. But, then, based on people’s comments about teaching, it is really hit or miss, depending on one’s area, personality or resources. Perhaps a census analyst could figure out the necessary factors. Programs in the schools help, but also in music schools. It is amazing how few music schools offer harp lessons. In my experience with at least three schools, they were remarkably uncooperative in catching inquiries, and would even turn people away after I had joined the faculty. It was a struggle to even get it listed in the pamphlets. We are constantly fighting that kind of marginal perception, particularly among musicians.
Maybe we can come up with a communal list of repertoire and the minimum amounts of time that conductors should assume for each piece. It will save them headaches, to be sure.
Okay, I see where it is located, you are far from those places. There is a harp teacher in Durango named Debi Martin. She may be able to help. You can also check with Lyon Healy west in Salt Lake City for a teacher in eastern Utah.
There is one in the Rockies, near Breckenridge, I think it is. That’s a good program for you. John Bernard runs it.
There are many good harp teachers in the Denver/Boulder area. You will be able to work out something. Someone would come out there if they can build up a class. If it is easier to get to Montana or Utah, there would be teachers there, too.
With many scores available as free downloads, you can give them a list of scores they can study. The Faure solos are good examples of what can be done with simple means, also the Saint-Saens Fantaisie, for starters. You can also give them a list of good parts and bad parts. But, being young composers, I don’t know if orchestra needs to be the focus. I am working on this material, and it is time-consuming. I think showing how we correct things is excellent, but that is too detailed for what you are doing. Other than basics, like chords with too many notes.
The errors I am seeing most these days in younger composers is, due to computers, overlapping notes between hands, re-playing notes too soon, and impossible reaches.
