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First I have to say that if she is already playing, and doesn’t raise, there is no reason to force her to change. A very large segment of the harp playing population doesn’t raise and plays just fine. There is no need to force someone to change just for the sake of being a technique purist.
I will say, however, that while I accept that there are questions about the supposed benefits of raising as taught in the Salzedo method, what I hear described is not the raising I was taught.
My teacher was a student of Salzedo. She raised and she taught me to raise. It is just a habit now. I don’t think about it and it doesn’t interfere in any way with my playing. It is just a part of the flow of movement my hands and arms make when I play.
There is no tension or contortions when raising. If you are feeling constriction or tension in your wrists when you raise you simply aren’t doing it right. If you don’t want to that’s great, but if it is causing pain or discomfort then either you have some physiological issues that make the Salzedo method incompatible for you, or you are doing it wrong.
The hands, arms and wrists are relaxed. It is a graceful and moderate motion, not a jerking, flinging, overexaggerated movement. It isn’t necessary, but if you learn it from the start it simply becomes an aspect of how you move around the harp.
One thing I do know, any sports physical or ergonomics trainer will back this up, is that movements that stretch or reach while maintaining a relaxed state help prevent repetitive motion injury. While it may not have been why Salzedo incorporated raising, I find that it actually relaxes my hands and wrists, and helps prevent injury. I have issues from typing at times because when I type I keep my hands close to the keys, and hardly make any motion other than moving the fingers to hit the keys.
Working with a chiropractor who is an ergonomics specialist I have managed to overcome this issue when working on a computer by incorporating stretches and additional movements at various times when typing. This, along with proper workstation set up, posture and position have manager to prevent any injury since adopting.
The think I notice is I don’t have these issues playing the harp, and that raising, along with proper posture, are almost exactly what my chiropractor / ergonomics has me doing trying to emulate when working at a keyboard.
So I’ll stick to raising. But if someone doesn’t want to I wouldn’t imagine that trying to force a change would end well.
Sonya, I find it funny because at least half of the harpists I know are men, but my harp technician is a woman. I must live in Bizzaro world.
Walnut gives good bass and fundamental tones.
Personally I find Cherry very similar. Again, good bass. Perhaps a slightly less sustain, but over all I find them similar. If anything both are similar to Mahogany, but Cherry is probably a little closer to the sound of Mahogany than Walnut. Not sure about the weight of walnut but compared to mahogany but it seems to me cherry is noticeably heavier.
Of course even two instruments made from the same kind of wood can sound different, so if you can you really should listen to the actual instruments you may be interested in to hear how the exact one you will end up with sounds.
All else being equal I prefer Cherry because it just gets more and more beautiful as it ages, darkening to a deep amber.
From what I have read, and it’s just something I read so don’t know how accurate it is, one of the reasons that so many women took up the harp was because Marie Antoinette played. When the queen does something the rest of the court follows, and that spreads out to other countries that have close ties.
Marie played, the women of her court also started playing, and the aristocracy of other countries who often followed the current fashions in France followed.
Perhaps it is just my own experience but I don’t find that the harp world is that female dominated. Not that there aren’t a lot of women playing the harp, and perhaps more than half, but it seems to me it actually might be just slightly more than half. It seems a good half of all the harpists I know, when you add in all harpists, not just classical harpists, are men.
I think that since most instruments are so heavily male dominated that even an even split makes an impression.
The best comment / question I ever got wasn’t stupid or ignorant at all. It was the most wonderful question anyone ever asked me about the harp.
I was in NYC and had just gone to pick up one of my lever harps from my harp tech. I didn’t have a case for this harp so it was just wrapped in clear plastic. It is a rather light harp because it has a fiberglass body and so I was carrying it basically under my arm down the block where I would be better able to hail a cab to get me to Grand Central to catch a train back home.
As I was waiting at the corner for the light to change a young mother and her little boy were standing next to me. The little boy tugged on his mother’s sleeve and she bent down while he whispered something in her ear.
She turned to me and said, “My son asked if that was a magic harp.”
I looked at the boy and without a moments hesitation said “Yes”.
Then I told him, “I’ll tell you a secret. All harps are magic. It’s just that most are smart enough not to let everyone know or else everyone would want one.”
The boy smiled the biggest smile.
Well Carl, I think we can forgive the lack of modesty on this one since, after all, it is a spectacularly beautiful harp.
Well done.
Get the following book:
Music Theory and Arranging Techniques for Folk Harps by Sylvia Woods This one assumes you can read music.If you do read music, or want to learn learn to read music along with learning music theory then also get:
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory by Michael Miller. This is probably one of the best basic introductions to music theory I have seen, and I guarantee that at the very least you will walk away understanding the circle of fifths.
If you don’t read regular music notation and don’t really want to learn then get:
Edly’s Music Theory for Practical People by Ed Roseman.
This is the best introduction to music theory that doesn’t require you to actually read music. Written for both the self taught musician who had no interest in reading music, or people who don’t play music but want to understand what is going on with what they hear. It is very detailed, well presented, and easy to understand. Even if you do read music it is a good book to get these ideas from another persepective. I refer to it all the time even though I read music fairly decently.
Tracey, When you put a capo on a guitar it raises everything by 1/2 step per fret.
So if you were playing something in the key of C and then put a Capo on the 2nd fret you would then be playing in the key of D. D is a full step above C (1/2 step per fret).
You need to know what the key is that you are starting with. If that isn’t notated then look at the chords. Typically the first and last chord of the piece (although often excluding pick up measures) correspond to the key. Also you can look at the progression and often be able to tell what the key is by the common chords used in the key. So if you are using G, Em, D and C chords on the open strings that would almost certainly be the key of G you are starting with.
If you put a capo on the 2nd fret and play those same chord shapes you are playing in the key of A. So even though you are forming your chords as if they were G, Em, D and C, the chords that are coming out of your guitar are A, F#m, E and D. Each one a full step higher than the chords played on the open strings.
I hope that made sense.
I, too, used to buy most of my strings from Sylvia Woods and am sad she will no longer be selling them, but it is understandable. Since she is now located in Hawaii the shipping to her from the manufacturer, and from her to those of us on the mainland, would probably increase the price significantly to the point where it isn’t sensible.
In the past I have occasionally gotten strings from Vanderbilt, Virginia Harp Center and Harps Etc… in Walnut Creek CA. All were good. I think for the most part I will end up going with Vanderbilt unless one of the others is having a good sale at the time I need new strings.
And Barbara, Harps Unlimited International is the only place I have ever gotten carbon fiber strings. If anyone know another good source I would be interested to know as well. HUI is great, but it’s good to have multiple options.
Personally, in music as in the rest of my life, I try to avoid churches at all costs ;^)
That said, I see no reason not to treat a church just like any other organization. Business is business and a contract is always needed. It makes do difference what kind of organization is doing the business with you, treat them all the same.
The whole, “what will it look like when you get old” line I always find amusing.
When I am old, and wrinkled, and have liver spots and fragile skin that hangs down more than I like I doubt I am going to look in the mirror and think that the old tattoos are what is detracting from my looks.
What they will be, however, are reminders of the journey that got me to old age.
It all boils down to the classic threat of, “you will regret it someday”.
However, knowing many people with tattoos, some much older than I am, I have found that it is fairly easy to tell those who are going to regret it and those who don’t. The one who puts a lot of thought into it, and chooses to do something meaningful to them, rarely regret it. The one who got a tattoo on vacation in the Bahamas on a whim, walking into some place they know nothing about and picking some random image off the wall is the one who ends up regretting it.
It’s fairly easy to not be the kind who regrets it. Just think about it, and what you want for a while before you actually do it. Those people don’t regret it nearly as often and the anti tattoo crowd likes to think.
I have tattoos. When dealing with someone professionally, either musically or otherwise, they never see them. No one I have ever worked with or for has ever seen them. So I don’t see any point in mentioning them at all.
If you are going to wear a sleeveless top when you have a consultation with a client and the tattoos are visible to them at that time then yes, you should mention that you will be wearing long sleeves on the day and the tattoos will not be visible.
But I recommend simply not wearing anything that reveals them at any time with the client, and if you do that, and are going to dress similarly for the event, it really isn’t anyone’s business what you have underneath.
I guess this is one of the advantages of being a big, burly man playing the harp. When I want to move it I just pick it up.
It’s sad that it has to be so problematic. I rent out some property, and even though the renters can’t take off with the house or apartment I know that when you rent to the right people it is a pleasure and when you rent to the wrong people it is a total nightmare.
But bravo to you Carl. Your generosity going through all that trouble to help someone out is really great. You’re a good guy to do that.
