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I believe they do. I was told when I bought it that tuning key was the only one that fit my harp. The tuning pins are very narrow. All my other lever harps use the same tuning pins as my L&H pedal harp (even though they aren’t all L&H harps) so I can interchange all the tuning keys for them. The Camac is the only exception.
Thanks Tacye, but my Camac is a lever harp. My pedal harp is a L&H (I have several rubber covered keys for that one), so the only one there that fits is the one I already have, E.
Hi Tacye, I actually do have silicon tube over the metal shaft of the camac tuning key, but with the other key that I made the ding with it was the wooden handle that actually caused it, so it is the wood I am concerned with (that one actually had the shaft and tip covered in rubber, but the wood handle caused the mark when it hit).
I have considered wrapping it in something akin to the wraps used on tennis racket handles, but worry that will just make it too bulky.
I’m with Barbara. I used to have a wooden long handled tuning key and ended up dinging one of my harps when I dropped it once. Ever since I use only rubber covered keys (except for my Camac as I haven’t found a rubber covered key that fits it).
The T shaped rubber covered keys are about $20 and the long handled one is about $25. I prefer the longer handled ones, but I keep a couple of the T ones as back ups just in case.
As far as Celtic goes I like Banish Misfortune for instrumental and Farewell But Whenever You Welcome The Hour for songs.
I’m also currently trying to work out an arrangement of the Scottish folk song Tam Lin. And I am rather fond of the Ballad of Matty Groves, although I prefer the older, slower versions of it rather than the more upbeat, faster version that was popularized by Fairport Convention.
But I’m also very fond of American folk music. Having grown up in the Hudson Valley I have always been fond of songs about and related to the river. Good Morning Brother Hudson by Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick is my favorite:
Good mornin’ Brother Hudson
I hate to see you die
I can hear you cryin’
Deep way down in side
They have conspired to kill you
I know it is true
They can tell there little white lies
Till they know not what they dofollowed by the classic traditional folk tune Erie Canal (aka Fifteen years on the Erie Canal, aka Low Bridge, Everybody Down):
I’ve got a mule, her name is Sal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
She’s a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
We’ve hauled some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay
And we know every inch of the way
From Albany to BuffaloLow bridge, everybody down
Low bridge cause we’re coming to a town
And you’ll always know your neighbor
And you’ll always know your pal
If you’ve ever navigated on the Erie CanalAlthough Angela is right, a harp is not a loud instrument by comparison, the same is also true of guitar. That’s why the electric guitar was invented. As a way to get the guitar to be heard over a big band, and later over a loud rock band. As electric harps become more common I think there is a big potential for them to be able to be used in more genres and settings (check out Deborah Henson-Conant’s blog on her touring with rock legend Steve Vai as part of his band for a perfect example).
As for a piece to challenge stereotypes I would go with Stairway To Heaven for several reasons.
One is that almost everyone gets asked, often as a joke, if they can play Stairway, so actually doing it is a pleasant surprise.
It is a classic rock anthem that many people instantly recognize, is quintessential ROCK, yet sounds great on harp.
The different sections of the piece vary in ways that really allow you to show the different sides of the harp. The beginning section is a very pretty melody that allows the harp to show off the more classic and expected nature of the harp. There is the middle section that builds tension and allows you to use the harp for dramatic effect, and the ending is just an all out rocking conclusion that lets you show the side of the harp that often doesn’t get recognized, using louder dynamic, block chords, rock rhythms.
It really suits the harp well and shows what it can really do all while presenting it with a piece of music that is so recognized that almost everyone but the most anti rock snob will enjoy.
Well, I was definitly taught how to pedal, so I don’t think that it isn’t part of technique, just something that many teachers seem to neglect. But there is also a lot of room with pedeling that has to do with a person’s build, and the music they play for individuals to adjust what they do to accomodate them.
To address your specific questions:
Always heel down.
Depends on the harp. My pedal harp is a small one with short pedals so I have to pedal more to the toes. Ideally I position so the end of the pedal is at the ball of my foot.
I slant my foot slightly so that the pedals will naturally shift into position in the notch when engaging or start to move out of the notch when disengaging, but not so much that it is uncontrolled because if you accidental slam the pedal into the notch it can make a noise that the harp can amplify into an unplesant sound.
I use the ankle to push down the front of the foot while the heel remains on the ground.
I keep toes relaxed. It is one of the reasons I never play without shoes on. Peddling barefoot will naturally make your feet want to clench up around the pedal.
If I need to reposition my feet to engage or disengage a pedal I lift the heel just slightly off the floor and move the foot so as not to make any noise scraping my heel on the floor. When possible I keep the heel stationary and just pivot the foot.
I try not to rest my foot on a pedal unless actively engaging or disengaging a pedal. However there are times when it is necessary when a quick engaging and disengaging of a pedal is necessary. This can be notated in the pedal markings in the music. Often when fast peddling is necessary you don’t even slide the pedal into the notch. Just press it down and hold it with the foot while playing the note, and then let it up immediately afterwards (dampening first of course if a sounded pitch bend isn’t desired).
I position the harp so that I have my knee just slightly bent when my foot is on the A pedal.
I unnotch at the last moment unless there is some specific reason to do it ahead of time. I work under the premise that it is almost always best for all aspects of pedaling to be done at the last possible moment that can be reasonably acomplished.
I am a strong advocate of people playing the harp with shoes on at all times.
Less chance of injury.
Creates less tension in the feet.
The feel of playing with shoes on is completely different than playing barefoot. Unless you are sure that you will always be able to perform without shoes on you really need to get used to playing with shoes, which means that all, or at least the significant majority, of your practice time should be done with shoes on. A person who practices without shoes, even if they can pedal brilliantly with bare feet, can easily become clumsy and slow when they try to play with shoes. It is relatively easy to go from playing with shoes to without, but very hard for most people to go from barefoot to shoes. So practice with shoes on so you are used to it.
Play music from the movies. Rachel Portman wrote the score to Emma which won an academy award. You should be able to find a collection of simple piano arrangements that can be played on harp.
I have, and play , the Ruth Harris arrangement. It is a challenging arrangement for lever harp, but definitely a nice one if you want a very Classical sounding approach. Ruth was my teacher so I had the advantage of being taught the arrangement by her. You need to be able to read all those arpeggiated runs right to get the timing correct, but I think anyone at a higher intermediate level should be able to manage it.
I’ll always try it the way it is notated. What works I stick with and what I don’t think feels right I change. I have definitely developed my own preferences over the years (and I recognize they are strongly influenced by the way I was originally taught) and sometimes I can know by just looking that I am going to end up changing something. But I always give the way it is written a try. Occasionally I am surprised that something that looks like it won’t work for me actually does.
Please don’t.
I sent Saul a message to see if he will be joining the new forum. I know I had a bit of difficulty getting my old ID activated on the new site, so I am sure I’m not the only one who had problems.
Tune with the levers disengaged, and if your intonation is off when you engage them so much that you can notice it get the harp regulated (or do it yourself, it’s not that hard with lever harps). Tuning around bad intonation doesn’t make any sense because you will still have to retune when you change keys. Sooner or later you end up out of tune, so best to just maintain the harp so that it is regulated properly.
At home I put one of those plastic office mats that you would put under a rolling desk chair under my harp because my studio is carpeted and the matt makes it more stable. Whem I play out I also often bring a plain white squre of fabric I cam put either under or next to the harp in case I am playing on a carpet with a pattern that makes it hard to make out the strings when looking through them.
I’ll echo what Elinore and Carl said.
In College I studied psychology. I earned an MA in experimental psychology and worked in the field for several years. Playing the harp not only was a great hobby during that time, it also helped me pay part of my way through school.
I no longer work in the field I studied (although to some degree I use what I learned every day). I still play the harp, and I manage to make some money off it, which is great. I have recently been working with some other musicians to form a band to play jazz and contemporary music. Although I enjoy classical music, and play some classical music for my own enjoyment, for me I never really had aspirations to be a professional classical musician.
I think I made good choices regarding all of this personally. I have found myself in a career that I am good at and I enjoy well enough, and which affords me enough money and benefits to pursue other things, like playing jazz harp in a band. I get to make music with some other really great people, and I am not worrying about how I am going to put groceries on the table. And I still have time and resources to pursue other hobbies and interests.
I can’t imagine not making music. But I also can’t imagine having to rely on it entirely for my livelihood. In my situation I can do what I like. I can play the music I want to play. I can afford to turn down jobs I don’t want (I haven’t played a wedding since the 90’s).
Some people will never be happy unless they are doing something harp related full time. If that is you then study music. If it isn’t then my advice is to study something else and
