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Another thought is that it is really easy to have too high expectations and get frustrated if you can’t play a piece straight off. Your ear may replace the notes on the page (or vice versa for ear players working from written music) but it doesn’t replace or remove all the working out and practice needed and both methods of note learning have their ‘hang on what happens there’ places.
My playing from music is, and always has been, far ahead of my playing by ear, but I have learnt do a bit by ear and know I could do more if I worked at it.
Of course playing by ear can be learnt – but easiest from sound rather than reading, obviously, so books will either need someone else to play, or a CD. There is a listing here of some of the books available if any of the descriptions look good to you:
http://www.davidbartonmusic.co.uk/practical-musicianship-resourcesPlaying by ear needs two things – first is knowing what sounds you want to make, and second is being able to find them on your instrument. If you can start out picking out the tune of twinkle twinkle, notice if you play a wrong note and hunt around for the right one you have the base skills.
That is exactly what I meant, Carl – nowadays I would expect a fine harpist composer to write things ‘spelled’ for the harpist and not needing a performing edition to be published. When composers ask for advice from harpists it is frequently one of the things mentioned. As you say nowadays written harp music tells you where to put your fingers, and I am sure Tournier could have written that way if he wanted – or got a competent scribe to edit it before publication.
The question of pieces which were for harp or piano also doubtless complicates some writing as the pianists and harpists will sometimes want different spellings.
Tournier and all the enharmonics his music requires reminds me of something I was wondering about – when did the harp music writing convention change to writing notes according to the string they should be played on?
I have just had a closer look at mine and rather think they are made this way to put the strings more parallel to the side of the neck. I know larger harps have all sorts of things subtly off ‘true’ so would readily believe it of a well made small harp.
Various straightedges, culminating in a thin piece of card up the glue joint between the two pieces of wood that make up the forepillar show that the bend in mine is at the neck/pillar joint. This joint isn’t opening at the back side at all, the bend on mine, yours and Randal’s seems very consistent, and the tension on the nylon strings is low compared to the thickness of the wood. I think the angle between the neck/pillar joint and the joint between the two neck pieces is a hair off 90 too, but it is hard to measure a hair on all those curves so I am not certain.
I still think you should talk to Stoney End on Monday!
I have a walnut Eve with 6-7mm bow which bothers me not at all. (Measured sideways from a straight edge or string between top and bottom of pillar to where the illar would be if it weren’t for the front back curve.) No idea how old, serial number is in the low 4000s.
I suggest you ask Stoney End about the bow.
Don’t regret buying the Eve – they are well respected harps and if after having it for a while you decide it is not for you then it will be fairly straightforward to sell again for what you paid. That is one of the joys of buying good quality second hand instruments.
For interest with professional orchestras: http://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Casual-Orchestral-Concert-Rates-Non-ABO-2014-2015.pdf
Note harp porterage is by negotiation.
I want to be on both sides of this!
I don’t like the theory that many people hiring harpists don’t know quality when they hear it. Most people are pretty used to the idea you get what you pay for, and if they want to hire someone to play glisses on a rosewood harp shaped object that is their privilege – and the right of someone else to try to make a living that way. If someone hiring truly doesn’t know or care about the quality of the playing, why should they have to have the equivalent of Cordon Bleu rather than the Greasy Spoon?
On the other hand, we all benefit from being in a world where professional harpists can make a living in music. These are also the people who are publishing music, making recordings, teaching students who will buy music and recordings and increasing the number of people who know and appreciate harp music. If more harpists had to give up and get a day job we would all be the poorer. If a player is buying experience with a low fee it is in their own interests to think about the wider effects, and in the interests of teachers to guide students in professionalism and starting to play for pay or teach as well as technique and musicality.
I have been favourably impressed with the carboard harps I have met – for the price. They have been pleasant, consistent sets of strings and repairable if you do bash up the cardboard. However, I agree with the other posters that better harps are exactly that!
Even if it does get a few scratches your harp will probably have lost less value over the time of your degree than laptops, phones and other gadgets around.
Do you know the 4 girls 4 harps ensemble? Some of the original music they play is available if you follow links from their shop webpage. http://4girls4harps.com/ There is also a quartet repertoise list with some original pieces here http://chicagoharpquartet.com/repertoire/
The Otway castle harp went to TCD in 1969/70 according to http://www.wirestrungharp.com/harps/historic/otway/otway_harp.html
I have never got on with the Ravenna, but really like the Boulevard. That is me playing it – I will happily listen to other people playing Ravennas. So if you can take a trip to try the harp you plan to buy, or ask if anyone near you has one I think it would be a good idea.
Noone has yet mentioned the maintenance of fluorocarbon – I only have one string of this type as I wanted a little more bite on my 5th A and it took forever to stretch, I even had to unwind it and pull more through the pin a couple of days after I put it on.
Replacing all your strings every couple of years would be a faff, but if you were happy with the sound of 15 year old nylons (some people change them by the calendar too) I would expect you also to be happy with the sound of 15 year old guts, especially the thicker ones. I find I am more likely to want to change a high string because it isn’t sounding good to my ears any more, or my wound wires.
