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Yes, I do it, but I would think your ability to do it depends on how low the note is and on the construction of the levers. I have seen some older levers that I wouldn’t want to try it on, but most modern levers move easily enough and have a big enough lever to grab easily from over the top of the harp.
If the string is too low, however, you may not be able to reach it comfortably.
I like both brands, but what he is telling you is partially BS at least.
“1.The round-shaped lever don’t wear out the strings as much.”
People have their preferences on levers. These days all the main names are good so it is a matter of what you like. I like the Camac levers better, but I think his reasoning is faulty. I have both a L&H lever harp and a Camac Lever harp and the L&H does not wear out strings. In fact my L&H has never broken a string in all the many years I have had it. I only change strings when they start to get old and lose their tone, which has nothing to do with the levers.
I do like the Camac levers better, but I don’t buy his reasoning.
“2.The loudness of the sound is consistent throughout all range. He says L&H’s higher range sound smaller than the lower range, so a player has to adjust to it as she plays.”
Again, not in my experience. Harps are wood, and mostly hand made. There is much variation between individual instruments and it is certainly possible that here or there is an instrument from L&H that exhibits this. But I am sure that there are the occasional Camac harps that exhibit the same thing. But I own 2 L&H harps and neither have dynamic inconsistencies between octaves.
“3.Many buy L&H because it’s been around for years and people trust the big name. Camac is rather a new brand, and it doesn’t hesitate to make changes on the instruments according to the players’ needs. “
In the big picture it may be true that L&H have been around longer, but in practical terms Camac has been around for over 40 years. They aren’t new by any reasonable use of the term.
Camac is very innovative, that is definitely true. And I appreciate innovation. But the idea that L&H never changes things is false. They discontinue some harps, introduce others periodically, and they developed the first production electric harp. While Camac may be at the forefront of innovation as far as major harp manufacturers go, Lyon & Healy is not making the same harps they did in 1900. They have innovated and improved as well.
“4.Camac harp blends in better with orchestra. Also, the sound can carry out further than that of L&H.”
This one I call absolute BS on. You will find that Lyon & Healy harps are a favorite among orchestral harpists. Certainly there are harpists who have their preferences and play other makes, but you will find no shortage of L&H harps in orchestras, and that’s for a reason. They set the standard for the sound of an orchestral harp.
“5.Camac harp is lighter”
As a general rule, regarding their pedal harps, and newest solid body electric lever harps that is true. For their acoustic lever harps of comperable size, not really. At least not by much.
“6.Camac harp parts are all made in France. Some parts of L&H are made in China. “
I don’t know if what he says about Camac harp parts all being made in France is true or not. It is true that some parts for L&H are made in China. However that doesn’t automatically mean that they are not good quality. While some industries that outsource manufacturing parts to China skimp on quality not all do, and if the licensing company demands high quality from their Chinese manufactures that is what they get.
“7.Camac is more affordable, which makes me feel he’s being honest and right about the instrument.”
If by that you mean you can get a harp from Camac for less than a L&H of the same size, that is true. But that doesn’t make them the same quality. An Athena may be less expensive than a L&H style 23, but it doesn’t even come close to comparing in terms of sound quality.
The Camac Oriane is somewhere around $59,000 US (and that is 2009 prices which is most up to date price list I can find for Camac harps) and is the closest in quality to a L&H Style 23, which in gold leaf as well is $51,000 (current price). So the closest quality harp Camac has to the venerable Style 23 is actually more expensive.
By all this I am not trying to talk you out of a Camac. I love Camac harps. I think they are great. If you like the Camac feel, sound and look then you should get a Camac, and you won’t regret it.
However, once someone starts picking apart one of the major brands and extolling another over it as superior in every way you can be sure they are working from bias. Camac harps ARE fantastic harps. But so are Lyon & Healy. So are Salvi. So are Venus. So are Swanson.
Find the harp that sounds good to you, that feels good to you, and that resonates with you and buy it. So long as it is from one of these makers you are not going to go wrong. But don’t buy a harp based primarily on the brand name.
If they are two years old and she practices regularly then they probably need to be replaced. I thought the age was just an indication of how old the harp was, not that the felts had never been changed. They may not look like they need replacing, but after two years of regular use I would expect that they are.
Maybe the last time the felts were replaced they were wound on too thick? Sounds like they are pressing up against sides of the slots. Has it been particularly humid where you are? I suppose it is possible that they absorbed some humidity and expanded. Check and see if they feel damp at all.
I use the istrobosoft app as well, and like Kimberly I have the stand alone version of the tuner as well and the app works just as well when using the pickup that Barbara mentions.
I pretty much stopped using anything but my phone since I alway have it with me and it works so well with that app.
I have tried other tuning apps, and some work really well, but none I have found works as good as the iStroboSoft.
I only play for free when it is a charity fundraiser for a charity that I am both familiar with and would be inclined to donate to anyway. I consider my playing to be my contribution. The only charity have done this for regularly I actually ended up serving on their board for several years.
Other than that, no, if you want me to play you pay me. That’s how this free market economy thing works.
Priscilla, I am not going to tell you not to play for free for the hospice. But yes, people get paid to play at hospices. Also hospitals and nursing homes. I have no doubt that they try to get free performers when they can, and use the fact that they do care work to justify it, but the fact is that most, particularly nursing homes, actually have budgets for entertainment for patients / residents. It’s part of their operating budgets. So if you want to donate your time to a hospice that’s fine, go for it. But they do typically pay people and no one should feel mercenary for expecting to be paid for playing at one.
Wow, a performer checking their phone between songs is the height of unprofessional behavior.
I keep my phone in silent mode pretty much all the time. I only turn the ringer on if I have a real reason to, like I don’t have it in my pocket to feel it vibrate and I know I am expecting a very important call. Otherwise it is set to silent because no matter where I am I know that no one wants to hear my cell phone ring tone, even if it is brilliant.
But when I play, or just go to a concert, or a movie, I turn the darn thing off completely. Even on silent mode, if it is in a pocket and you forgot and have change in that pocket when it starts to vibrate against the lose change it can sound just as loud and bad as a ring tone. There is no reason to have it on during a performance and turning it off completely just eliminates any possibility of disruption or embarrassment.
I love technology and I really appreciate the convenience and multi uses for my cell phone. But I didn’t grow up with cell phones. I know it is perfectly possible to exist without one, and so being able to go a couple of hours without focusing my attention to one doesn’t seem such a big deal to me. I get wanting to check messages, but don’t get not being able to resist doing so for two hours.
How do these folks take a flight where you may have to have your phone at least in airplane mode for hours?
Interesting thread. As a general rule, for two hours, I wouldn’t repeat unless….
I was requested to, or…
I noticed a particularly positive response from people nearby.
That said, I wouldn’t feel guilty for repeating a piece. Over two hours I really wouldn’t feel guilty. At a party it’s not like a concert. Most people aren’t paying attention to you the entire time. Most wouldn’t notice if you repeated a set completely. The main reason I don’t repeat is simply because I have more than enough music I can play to not have to repeat for over two hours, and since I took the time to learn the music I figure I may as well use it. That and it keeps me engaged in what I am doing. Repeating gets boring for me more than the party guests.
So long as you provide what you are getting paid for, which is typically nice background music, then all is good. A concert where everyone is listening to you with close attention is something different, but for background music at a party go for it and repeat things if you like.
I’ve been playing for over 20 years and I still consider myself a beginner. When I have the skill to play anything I want I will re-evaluate.
I agree with Carl. Nylon makes for easier harmonics, and they do vary from harp to harp. I have played other harps of the same exact model as mine and producing harmonics varies.
And I’m like Sylvia. Although I never injured my left hand or wrist I never was able to get the left hand harmonics down the normal way so I just do them the same as the right hand way and it works much better for me.
Correct technique is any technique that allows you to play any note at any speed at any dynamic.
Exactly, although I would add “without injuring yourself”.
Incorrect technique can greatly increase a person’s chances of repetitive motion injuries like Carpel Tunnel and Tendonitis.
What Carl said. I love the Salzedo Conditioning exercises, but you have to practice them right.
Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent. If you practice something wrong you will engrain incorrect technique into your muscle memory.
You need to play études and exercises, but you need to make sure you are using correct technique when you do so, so that you are practicing correctly.
Have your teacher guide you, and when you practice on your own video it. That way you can spot check yourself. In fact video your teacher playing the exercises and then use that when you are practicing alone to compare your video of yourself. If there is a difference and you can’t figure out what the cause is then ask your teacher for correction.
What Tacye suggests was my first thought. It sounds to me like you don’t have the harp balanced correctly on your knees. Also you may be trying to sit too close in to the harp. Both of these can cause your knees to put excess pressure on the back of the harp causing it to shift as you play.
Definitely video yourself playing so you can see exactly what you are doing from a different perspective.
What they all said. The pricing structure Carl laid out is pretty much how everyone I know does it.
And Barbara is correct on both counts. It is hard to raise your prices, at least to any significant degree, later on. And weddings are a LOT of work.
I hate playing weddings. I haven’t in a long time and it would take more than my standard fee to get me to play one, otherwise it isn’t worth it for the amount of work it requires. You have to understand the structure of the different wedding ceremonies of different denominations, some denominations have very strict guidelines on what you can play. There are many more phone calls involved, and requests to play something special that you probably will have to waste time learning for that one job and never play again.
Deb, mine is an older model, made with a solid wood body. It can be worn with a harness, but it is much heavier than the DHC Lite, which is super light.
I attach it to a tripod, or I use the legs that come with it and which screw into bushings set in the body of the harp. Deborah had the same model at one time and used a harness, which always impressed me. She must work out a lot, or just have a super strong and stable back.
It feels like a harp, although depending on the model a lightly strung harp with narrow spacing.
It does take a while to get used to there not being a sound board, or any real dimension to the body, but it doesn’t directly effect your playing, just the sense that there is something missing that should be there.
The only possible issue I could see would be if you played in a way where you frequently touched your wrist to the soundboard. I don’t do that so it I never had a problem, but I have seen people who do and I would think that might throw someone off because there is no soundboard to touch your wrist to. But still, I think that would be a minor adjustment in the long run.
Also, I’m not sure of the spacing and tension on the DHC Lite, but if it is like mine, narrow and light, then I could see some people having some issues going from it to a more concert strung harp with heavier strings and wider spacing. I tend to be able to adjust quickly and can go back and forth with only a few minutes to adjust needed, but I know people who simply can’t do it.
So if you have an acoustic harp with concert tension and spacing, and want to be able to practice on the electric and then switch to play the acoustic for people you will want to make sure that the DHC Lite has comparable stringing, or that you have the knack for going back and forth without too much difficulty.
