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This isn’t for the faint of heart but it works pretty well for me, and I have the worst finger skin cracks ever.
When the crack opens, I soak the offended finger in rubbing alcohol, then glue it closed with skin glue, available in most drug stores in the First Aid section.
Yes, it sure does hurt, but once done they heal faster, and I’d prefer the sting to long term fussing around with them.
Good Luck!
I have tenosynovitus (sp?) that extends from the tip of my thumb to my shoulder. Mine came from plump grandson lifting. It is said to impact on “good” harpists but since I’m basically a turkey plucker it doesn’t bother my playing too much.
Other activities, such as plugging in a coffee pot or opening a pickle jar, are excruciating.
My very capable chiro couldn’t help. If you ave this, you really need an orthopedist who specializes in hands/arms. Hope everyone finds relief!I actually had THREE eye surgeries to correct the vision problem that caused me to be unable to get the kind of glasses I needed, and ultimately none of them solved the problem.
I took a small harp with me to the ophthalmologist’s office but it turned out that in my case, the measurements didn’t make any difference.
Although the 3 surgeries had no impact on my playing I no longer need to wear anything but drugstore readers, so I’m at least in a better position that way. Hope you have better luck than I did!I think it’s fairly safe to say that ALL Thormahlen harps are pretty darn gorgeous.
I have a nylon strung Serenade that’s just a wonderful harp.
If you possibly can manage, get to a conference where you can play several and compare them.
My teacher has a Peak- I think the serial # is S30- and she has been very pleased with it and I was also very impressed when I saw it just the other day.
It is more compact than any others I’ve seen when folded, and not overly heavy, but still seems stable when it’s set up and has a very nice space for large orchestra folders and notebooks.
I’ll be buying one soon.I’ve said this here before- in fact I say it all the time.
Msic is going faster and faster and faster, to a point of absolute ridiculousness.
As musicians we’ve bought the myth that technique is God, and technique is demonstrated by the fastest fingers, the fastest voices, the fastest lips and tongues. If it’s reallyreallyreally REALLY FAST, IT’s good and right.
Well I’m not buying it.
I went to YouTube the other day in search of a charming little piece by Jan Berger called “It Is Good To Be Merry”.
I wanted to check a question in the harmony as I remembered it from singing it 117 years ago in college.
The 3 available versions were at about the same tempo, about 195 beats to the minute.
Forget the harmonic changes, I couldn’t even discern the words.
And I feel the same way about harp music. I’ll NEVER have speed. So I can’t play a slow piece sensitively and beautifully?
I DISAGREE. It’s wonderful to be able to play ALL of Tournier, but after 55 years of studying musical interpretation and taste, I’ll offer my baby Tournier with pride. And your piece as well, Brook.Totally unsolicited, but don’t you have a piece that works in this category Brook?
Having listened to it on YouTube, it certainly sounds like a beautifully reflective, meditative piece to me.Maybe five or six years ago there was a bit of a tussle here about composition for harp.
It involved individual POV’s about what is vulgar and what is not.
I haven’t seen anything about it recently, but I believe it would fall into the general topic of “politics”.I am a VERY old woman and have performed for some 60 or so years with NO discomfort until I started playing the harp.
Through several unusual and uncomfortable mishaps, I developed SEVERE performance stress as soon as I began to play in public.
Prior to this experience, I had taken Beta Blockers for an unrelated medical problem, and while taking them, realized that singing, which had never been a problem in front of an audience, became totally effortless while taking the medication.
After consulting a physician, I did a trial of a BB and found that it worked to keep extreme stress at bay.
I rarely use them because I always have a concern about dosage. I think for a young, aspiring soloist, it is much better to alter one’s personal philosophy to create a more comfortable approach to playing. As an absolute last resort, and with input of a physician, I think having the information about YOUR response to having this as part of your defense against playing stress plan can be useful.I had a very beautiful Avee and loved it. I very reluctantly sold it because the buyer loved it so much.
They are not a high tension harp, but my wonderful teacher, who could pull a truck with her fingers if she needed to, could play it comfortably. Her pedal harp is a very large Salvi.
The Blevins company is wonderful to work with.
Call them and ask them about the string tension.
Have you read up on the new Dusty?You might want to take a look at the Lewis Creek Nightingale. I have one in Cherry that has a really lovely tone and isn’t too heavy.
There’s also a smaller model called (I think) the Jessie, and I’ve heard lots of nice things about them too.Since it appears no one has done it, any of you who have the chance to play with a trumpeter may want to give it a look.
With a little editing, it sounded great, and it’s a pretty versatile piece.
Please don’t delete ANY suggestions. From the many that I recognize, they all have a special place in our musical lives, and all are worthy of consideration.
