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My first goal was to fix my technique – I was lucky enough to have a mom that started playing the harp as an adult, so when I got interested in playing, I borrowed her travel harp (about the size of the Sharpsicle) and started playing on my own, because I already knew how to play piano and it translates pretty easily. 6 months later, I loved it enough to get my own harp, and I went to Sylvia’s store to try some out. She saw me play and said “get some lessons right NOW!”
because your technique is wrong and you’ll never learn to play anything more than beginning pieces if you don’t fix it”.She was totally right – I found a teacher, fixed my technique and my playing just took off! I didn’t even need to take very many lessons – I think I only took about 10 or 15 lessons – but it made all the difference in the world.
(now the big difference here is that I already knew how to play piano and could read music and play right and left hands together already, so you’ll probably need more lessons, but be sure to move slowly until your technique is right. You’ll never regret it!)
Hey Tony, I’m so excited for you!
I think putting your experiences online here would be valuable, because it would give the rest of us some helpful input to people who hear us play and want a harp, but are immediately put off by the price.
I can see he is a bit coy after hearing some of the comments on the thread, but I was glad to hear his dulcet tones offscreen, and catch a glimpse of his noble forehead at the end – alas that I am already married!
Well, I live in Arizona, USA, so I guess I won’t be dropping by to see you perform
Thanks for the book references – that sounds like a good idea!
Looking forward to seeing MCM,
— Sharon
Hi Deb – that’s an interesting observation, I never thought of it that way before. I think you’re right – the right hand is faster in folk. I think I’m somewhere in the middle, because my teacher gave me sheet-music pieces to learn that had a fairly complex left hand, and I liked that and arrange pieces that way now. But my right hand is definitely faster than my left, and I like it that way – I like to put in lots of little grace notes and embellishments in the right hand.
i was fortunate enough to once take a group class with Grainne Hambly, and she taught us some cool little embellishments for the right hand. I love that quick little triple hit she does in her pieces (not a true pluck – it’s just hitting the same string quickly with three fingers in succession).
Anyway, thanks for your input, and I’m glad you found a style that really suits you.
Adam, thanks for replying
You sound like how I’d like to play some day! Realistically, though, I’ll never be able to have the kind of training that you do, or put in the hours that you do, so I’ll just have to do my best and enjoy hearing people like you!Where do you perform, btw? and do I search your name for your CDs?
Your tips are helpful, except it made me wonder – how do you decide what key to do a piece in? (you said to not do two songs in the same key back to back). Is it just kind of a feeling that a certain piece would be nice in a certain key based on your experience?
Although I play what I call “piano” style (not just chords in the left hand) for the pieces that I play and arrange, my mom played only to accompany herself singing and couldn’t manage the piano style. However, she had a good teacher who taught her many ways to vary chords in the left hand, and her arrangements sound nice. I think I’ll get some ideas from her, and then get that “fake” book.
Thanks again! and I look forward to seeing more of Minimally Clothed Man
— Sharon
Hey Adam (and anyone else) – if you get a minute, could you respond to my thread in the Amateur Harpist forum called “How many pieces can you play right off the bat?”
I’m trying to get some input from other harpists on this …
Thanks
(if you can)–Sharon
Do those pieces that you recommend have the Celtic “feel” to them? Although I like classical music (Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, etc.), I don’t care for classical music for harp. I just like the Celtic-type pieces – love those Dorian and Mixolydian scales! I’m used to re-arranging things to fit on 26-string – do you think those pieces would be re-arrangeable, or would the integrity of the piece be just too compromised?
That’s a good idea to get something a little below the level I usually play at – I’m rusty at sightreading, and that should help. Plus if I really like the piece, I always re-arrange it anyway! and it’s easy to make simple pieces more beautiful and complex. But until I have energy to do that, I can just play the simpler arrangements and enjoy the variety.
OK, thanks – that’s what I was wondering. It seemed like about 10 or so “piano pieces” (pieces that have actual stuff in the left hand AND the right hand, not just chords in the left) was getting to my limit, and sometimes, it just seemed like … well, not enough – even though I love the harp, sometimes it was getting just a tad boring. It finally hit me that maybe having an easy sightread book with chords in the left hand might be the solution, so I wanted to hear from others. Thanks!
Any books you recommend?
Awww, I loved naked guy! Maybe changed his name to minimally-clothed guy, and come up with a different minimal outfit in every video!
A caveman thing (yes, that’s what I meant), then maybe the next time just a wide 70’s tie, then next time a vest with no shirt underneath, then – hmm, out of ideas, but I loved him! It was totally unexpected, and made the video stand out from other videos.(ps – I’m new here – can we edit our posts? I don’t see an edit button. I was trying to put italics on a word, but it didn’t work, so I wanted to edit out the italics tag. )
I just watched – very clever! I loved the naked guy, except I wish he was slightly more clothed – perhaps a bearskin or something? Anyway, very fun!
