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“Harpists can’t count, can’t sight read well and always play out of tune. I have heard this perception from quite a few other orchestra musician.”
I haven’t heard this from other orchestra musicians, but personally, I fit the first two categories. I like to think I’m pretty much in tune. However, we’re the only orchestra member who has 46 or 47 strings on our instrument, so any other orchestra player who says that is really obtuse.
Here are the ones from the other (same) post.
Sylvia ON JULY 15, 2015 AT 1:25 PM #189100
One perception of harpists that I encounter is that harpists play only classical music.
Also, that a harpist needs another instrumentalist to play the melody.
Another is a kind of disbelief that harpists (especially girls) would lug around such a heavy instrument.E
balfour-knight ON JULY 15, 2015 AT 3:48 PM #189105
You are correct, Sylvia. Our posts are going to two different places!I agree with Alyson…do it all in one shot so the harp isn’t left unattended.
I have a folding bench which I hang on the harp with a length of rope (tied in a circle…top goes over the harp column, and the other end of the rope circle goes under the legs of the bench so the bench hangs against the side of the harp. When I need a stand, I use a folding stand which I carry in a homemade cloth case with a cloth handle…which I hang over the other side of the harp. Of course, sound equipment is a second trip.
One glitch is that when I have to change from a fancy dress to harp moving clothes, I do it after everything is packed up and ready to go, but no one has ever been ambitious enough to move anything while I was gone.
As for doorstops…I have two kinds, and neither one usually works, so I look for one of those big ashtrays to move against the door (which are not heavy, tho they look it), a rug nearby to stuff up under it, etc., or prop some of my gear to hold it back. It’s amazing that sometimes I’ll be struggling with a door, and some jerk will walk right past me and not even offer to hold it, but that’s life in the harp world.
A quinceañera is a celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday.
http://www.quinceanera-boutique.com/quinceaneratradition.htmThe Catholic ceremony is a mass, and if the people are not Catholic, it is usually held in a church. Then there is a dinner-reception afterward. The Catholic ceremony is very much like a wedding mass, without the wedding.
I haven’t played very many, and I’ve had only two that were not in a Catholic church…one in a park, and one in a storefront church. I’m not sure I’d played any at the time I wrote my books. I played the storefront church a couple of weeks ago.
Almost all of my church weddings are Catholic, so the Schubert Ave Maria has to be there, and I often use the Canon in D for the bridal entrance march, especially now that a lot of the Catholic churches don’t want the traditional marches played.
For other events, I usually play a variety of music: classical, popular, and Mexican, so there’s something for everyone…unless the people ask for one kind only. I’ve had events where they wanted only Mexican (my favorite). I have one coming up where they want only classical (my un-favorite). As for anyone asking for something specific….requests are rare… although selections from Phantom of the Opera are sometimes mentioned.
I have to really search my memory to think of music that was requested.
Once at a birthday party, I got asked for Somewhere in Time. I didn’t know that what they meant was the Rachmaninoff, so I said I didn’t know it. As I went thru my list, I came to it and played it, and they rushed over…all smiles … and informed me that was IT. (I learned later that it plays thru the movie, but there is a actually a different song called Somewhere in Time.)
Back in the day, I played in a restaurant, and repeats of Somewhere my Love were requested so often I practically wore it out.I’ve NEVER been asked to play Stairway to Heaven, and I’ve been out working jobs since 1982. Repertoire depends on your location, your audience…. Most people are Hispanic here, and they probably wouldn’t even know the song. I don’t know it either.
Elizabeth’s right about getting lost, but it’s much easier these days with Google maps. You don’t have to depend on some dopey bride giving you directions from the south when you are coming in from the north, or get directions from them like… turn at 3rd stop light from the Burger King, etc.
Also, have two phone numbers…the main contact and a backup one …in case there is any delay, like wrecks on the Interstate where traffic is backed up or re-routed.
Another thing is to be sure the place will be open when you get there because you have to arrive early. Usually churches are, because the florist has to get in. I had one event center years ago that refused to open or let anyone in until time for the event to START. What a hassle. The next time I went there, they had wised up and let people in.
Expect the unexpected to happen. It probably will.
Here are a few I thought of:
Repertoire appropriate for the event and the audience.
Appropriate clothes.
Travel. How long to get there, set up, change clothes (if necessary), tune, etc.
A good dolly and easily portable bench.
Sound equipment. Is there a system available, or do you need to provide your own?
Outdoor playing. Is there a solid surface for you and the harp (so you can
be level, not tip over, and not sink down in)? Do they have a Plan B in
case of bad weather?I started playing jobs a long time after I was out of school. Whatever it was, I did it wrong before I did it right. It’s easy to get caught up in the general discomforts and hard work involved, so over the years, I’ve learned to try to concentrate on what the harp is there for…to enhance the event by providing beautiful music.
Heather, are you using a pick-up (something attached to your harp), or do you place the mike next to your harp?
I don’t play for kids. I play for weddings and receptions, and most of the people are Hispanic, as you learned from my books.
My Never on Sunday I play to make it sound as much like the balalaika as possible…no glisses. I have the vinyl of the sound track.Someone once wrote here that the people you play for don’t care how you get your sharps and flats…they just want the music.
There used to be a lever harpist working in my area, and I was told she charged MORE than I did.My old Marathon gave out a few years ago, and the repair department at a local music store rebuilt it for about $100.
So in case you can’t find one you like, you might consider a rebuild.Victoria,
The harp IS pretty, and that may be a prime attraction. I once asked if any male harpists played bridal showers, and none had. That is a place where a girl in a pretty dress with a pretty harp is a high priority. No one would hire a pianist because the piano looks pretty. This is just reality.
