Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
This has driven me crazy, off and on, for the two and a half years I’ve been taking lessons. What has helped me is to practice easy pieces while looking only at the music, never at my hands or the strings.
There has been a lot of posting here about the complexity of this problem. We all know that the harp is unique in that all the other instruments in the music world can and should be played without looking at your hands, but while playing the harp it is sometimes essential to check distant intervals.
Memorizing the music isn’t the answer as you’ve already realized, and in fact, for me it’s a huge complication to play from memory, because I’ve found that I have several kinds of harp-memory such as kinesthetic memory, visual memory, and oral memory.
I’m looking forward to reading more suggestions from the experts, but for this beginner it’s force myself to read only and not to cheat!
My teacher has a trick for saving old strings but I can’t remember what it is. She rubs something on the strings when she feels a rough patch and they last longer. I’ll ask her at my next lesson if I can think of it.
I went to a workshop with a well known harpist a couple weeks ago, and she recommended the little bags that bowlers use to keep their hands dry. I think you could get them at any bowling alley.
Although I don’t have sweaty hands, I thought it was a great idea.
Hope it helps!
Found it- the composer is Edgar DeLange. I will try to get Mr. DeLange’s daughter’s info out of my broken computer, and if I do I will post it. In my communication with her, she said that she thought she could get copies but that it might take time.
As I recall she was pleased that people continued to be interested in her father’s work.
I got in touch with the composer’s daughter about a year ago and she said that if there was enough interest she’d try to provide sale copies.
Unfortunately I can’t access her contact information because it’s stuck in a broken computer. I’m finding that I have so much saved stuff in that computer I may have to break down and get the thing fixed.
The piece is called “Lost April”. I’m going to try to find the previous post with google, and if I do, I’ll post the heading of it. The piece has a current copyright but is not available for purchase except through that lady, so even though it is not in print it is not legally in public domain.
I bring a small momento for special reasons. I went to a workshop last weekend given by wonderful local professional teachers and performers. Since my teacher isn’t well known in this area, I took her a small gift on my lesson day to thank her for preparing me to work with these other wonderful people.
I’m sure my teacher would not expect or want a “tip”.
I bring a small momento for special reasons. I went to a workshop last weekend given by wonderful local professional teachers and performers. Since my teacher isn’t well known in this area, I took her a small gift on my lesson day to thank her for preparing me to work with these other wonderful people.
I’m sure my teacher would not expect or want a “tip”.
I googled the Greater Trenton Symphony and was really amazed at the roster of soloists they’ve had through the years.
Obviously Ms. Paret was a very distinguished harpist.
Does anyone know what restuarant she played for in NJ?
Ugh, how horrid. New Jersey has a uniform smoking law, no smoking anywhere except cigar bars, and it really is great.
I LOVE the smell of tobacco, but I’m totally allergic to it, so ten minutes in a smoky room and my eyes swell shut. I had some terrible experiences before the law was inacted- I’ve had smoke blown directly into my face, and when I began to choke and gag, the SMOKERS would be offended!
Once in a while you run across a student who is very type-A and needs to be convinced of h/h talent more than the average student. Once assured that they’re doing a great job they settle down and get back to work.
