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Philippa,
You have answered a question I didn’t know I had but was a problem I’m experiencing–the difficulty of reaching a point where the piece sounds good before fatigue sets in because the melodies are not interesting enough to inspire repetitive practice. My teacher told me early on to practice whichever piece I’m working in my daily session, twice, and then move on. This has helped. In the beginning it felt as if I would be with Twinkle Little Star forever! Since around Honey Bee, once I can play a piece reasonbly all the way through, even if it’s not at speed, we move on. I think it’s because I have my Grossi, which will eventually bring my technique up to speed. And I now have my beloved Bach to sustain me through days when the Suzuki pieces feel dull.
You mention Suzuki put hands together in the harp book. Did he personally adapt his selected pieces for all the other instruments that use them?
Balfour,
Thank you for this. You are so kiind to have taken the time time write it out for me. I am using G# for Ab. The tricky part for a beginner (as I am) is around the measures you describe where there are a few changes in quick succession. My teacher has helped with figuring out when to make them. Josh Layne, a Canadian harpist I follow on YT shows how to play it on a lever harp. He too plays it at a moderate speed. I’m learning it very slowly. It’s my reward for practicing the Suzuki tunes. There have been times when I couldn’t face practicing “Go Tell Aunt Rhody”–or whatever piece I’m working on now–one more time. Then I only practiced my Bach. When I told my teacher she said it is fine. Everything I’m learning in my Suzuki book right now is in the Bach. She added that one can never go wrong practicing Bach. I bought “Basically Bach” from here, and Midldred Dilling’s Thirty Little Classics, many of which I won’t be able to play on my lever harp but my teacher will help me to adapt the ones that can.
My fourth octove D string snapped in the middle of the night two nights ago. I used it as an opportunity to fix the peg which was sticking. I went on YT to find out how to do this and came across a video by Jacqueline Pollauf on replacing a lever harp. Watching it I realised why some of my levers are not holding the correct pitch when I sharpen the string.
I realise this conversation is fourteen years old but I wanted to answer this one question about famous musicians who started out with the Suzuki method. Not the harp but Hilary Hahn started out as a Suzuki student. She recently recorded a CD with a pianist to accompany the Suzuki books for violin
My current harp teacher who began playing when she was two also learned through Suzuki. Her greatest gift to students (to me) is that she is always encouraging and at the same time corrects my hand position and anything else I need to understand as we go along in a way that instructs without criticism.
I do listen to the music in my volume (No.1) because it’s a good way to absorb the pieces, and also because I find most of them uninspiring. By listening to someone fluent play them I feel encouraged that even dull music has something to say. However, I don’t rely on listening as the main way to learn and play. I could already read music though playing piano and guitar before taking up the harp and so I generally begin by “sight reading” and playing before listening to the piece online. In addition I use Grossi to practice technique.
