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I think you have been more than understanding by even considering doing this at such a last minute notice. You have made it clear what you need in order to proceed. It is up to them to do their part. If they can’t even get you the contract back correctly then it doesn’t bode well for getting paid or any stipulations made to be observed and honored.
Stick to your guns. No pay in advance and no contract then no playing.
I understand wanting to help a desperate bride, but always remember, business is business. Always be a professional business person first, and professional business people get paid. In this case up front. You have already been understanding. Now it is their turn to be responsible.
What Barbara said.
Really, I couldn’t give any kind of objective reason why one would be better than the other. They are both great harp makers and their harps are all of excellent quality.
Subjectively I like the tone of one of them better than the other, but there are many, many people who would disagree with me.
If the choice is between these two then the only option is for the prospective buyer to actually go and listen to them and decide which one they like the sound of better. That is the real test and no one can tell them what they should like.
But as far as getting a good harp you won’t go wrong with either maker.
Congratulations. And nice choice of color. My 85 is ebony and I love it.
It is a great harp and you are going to love it for a long, long time, I am sure.
I’m very much in the middle on this one.
On the one hand I definitely think that if you want pedals then get pedals as soon as you can afford them. I don’t think there has to be any time limit as to how
Saul, Glad you mentioned Tiny Tales because that reminded of another of Salzedo’s beginner’s series, Sketches vol. I and II. Excellent books of pieces specifically designed to be interesting for beginners to play, but that also stress specific techniques and skills in each piece.
Oh, believe me, I have cursed and sworn at more harp strings over the years than I can count.
Like anything else, experience makes it easier. After numerous restringings of multiple harps over the years I can do it in my sleep now. But I still remember the frustration of fighting with the strings and knots.
When I do replace a string I actually don’t cut it until it has actually settled in so that I can make adjustments to the number of windings as it stretches in case I gave too much or too little of an end. You can tell when I just changed a string because you can see the loops of extra string hanging about for a few days.
I think it also depends on the student’s background.
I already had a fairly decent musical background before coming to the harp. I could already read music, understood the fundamentals of music theory, understood concepts such as dynamics and articulation in music…
Until I got to far more complex music I had no need for anyone to play
If you want to know about technique then the best place would be with Salzedo’s own pedagogical works.
Modern Study for the Harp
Method for the Harp
The ABC of Harp Playing
The Art of Modulation
Any of these will give you an understanding of Salzedo’s approach to playing.
If you want to learn more about Salzedo himself Dewy Owens wrote an excellent biography, From Aeolian to Thunder: A Biography of Carlos Salzedo.
As for recordings I recommend Salzedo himself. There is a set of CDs from various live radio performances he has done, including Theme and Variations. It also has some excellent interviews with him, as well as some later interviews with various people who knew him. It is called Salzedo On The Air.
If anyone can comment directly on the piece itself it is probably Saul. Hopefully he will come along soon.
Indeed, you just need a little music theory. Some recommendations:
Music Theory and Arranging Techniques for the Folk Harp by Sylvia Woods
Cool Chords and Groovy Rhythms: Arranging for Lever Harp in Modern Styles by Verlene Shermer. I think this one is exactly what you are looking for.
3’s A Chord by Ray Pool
Clever Levers: Harmonic Exercises for Advanced Lever Harpists, also by Ray Pool. Not an easy one to grasp but it will make you very familiar with Chord progressions, Diatonic Seventh Chords, Harmonizing scales with a triad, and the basics of Lead Sheet playing (which is format of music in fake books).
There are also books specifically on playing from fake books such as: How To Play From a Fake Book by Blake Neely. Although for keyboard a lot of the basic concepts are the same.
Also any introductory book on Jazz Theory will deal with Chord Substitutions. Switching out chords is a fundamental aspect of Jazz.
I have a L&H 85P, which is almost the exact same harp. As far as I can tell the only real difference is the style of the column. All the other dimensions are the same.
I’m 5’10” and have no trouble with the size. The only issue I have is that the highest octave is a bit cramped and my relatively large hands have a bit of a tough time with them. Not impossible, but I have to be extra attentive when playing the top strings with my right hand.
Tone wise my 85P sounds great and gets better all the time. It’s a sturdy, reliable instrument.
I have a L&H 85P, which is almost the exact same harp. As far as I can tell the only real difference is the style of the column. All the other dimensions are the same.
I’m 5’10” and have no trouble with the size. The only issue I have is that the highest octave is a bit cramped and my relatively large hands have a bit of a tough time with them. Not impossible, but I have to be extra attentive when playing the top strings with my right hand.
Tone wise my 85P sounds great and gets better all the time. It’s a sturdy, reliable instrument.
I have a L&H 85P, which is almost the exact same harp. As far as I can tell the only real difference is the style of the column. All the other dimensions are the same.
I’m 5’10” and have no trouble with the size. The only issue I have is that the highest octave is a bit cramped and my relatively large hands have a bit of a tough time with them. Not impossible, but I have to be extra attentive when playing the top strings with my right hand.
Tone wise my 85P sounds great and gets better all the time. It’s a sturdy, reliable instrument.
I highly recommend keeping a complete set of strings if you can, and then as you use them to replace individual strings just buy individuals replacements to put back into your replacement set. Depending on how often you play, and in what environment, you will probably want to completely change your strings every year or two.
In my experience, yes, your harp is probably more likely to break a string in the first few weeks or months because it is adjusting to a new environment. Harps are very sensitive to environmental changes such as heat and humidity. Between transport and adjusting to a new home environment it is not unlikely that you will break a string in the first month of getting a new harp.
I rarely break strings. I often can go for years without breaking any, and I don’t replace all my strings as often as I should. But when I got my last new harp I broke three strings in the first month. In the year after that I only broke one.
