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Carl,
Maybe just slightly, but not enough to be a hindrance or to be really awkward. Just enough to not feel quite as at ease as my right hand.
“I know there are woodwind players here who have added harp. Maybe they could weigh in. “
I started on fife and flute and I have to agree that they require equal dexterity in both hands and this may be a plus when going to harp.
I also play guitar, and that requires developing a good deal of both dexterity and strength in the left hand. Can’t play barre chords if you have a weak left hand, and can’t play fast passages if you have a clumsy one.
I can play virtually anything in my left hand that I can play with the right on the harp, and even though I am right handed by left had is at least as strong, if not stronger than my right because of playing the guitar.
Catherine,
It is actually very “classical” in style and it is published. It is published by Mrs. Harris’ own company, Sumark Press, and is available through Harps Etc. in Walnut Creek CA and from Lyra Music in Palm Bay Florida. I don’t know what other retailers carry it.
Carl,
For a moment I read that last part as implying that Deborah or Ray could barely play the instrument, then I re-read it and realized you were saying most of the people taking the workshops could barely play.
I have to agree with you. Before you can run you have to walk, and in the harp world that means developing a good basic technique first. And while there are methods of playing that don’t involve classical technique (particularly some of the techniques taught in the convent schools in Ireland), most of the best harpists today, despite their
Saul,
Sylvia Woods does have a background in Classical music. She has studied with both Marjorie Call and Susann McDonald. She is simply one of a growing number of Classically trained Pedal Harpists who have chosen instead to focus on Lever harp. I think she would best be considered to be primarily both a folk and pop harpist, as her arrangements seem to be equally distributed between folk
Go run out (run, don’t walk) and get yourself a copy of Verlene Shermer’s “The Sing Along Harper”.
Although the book is written to help harpist accompany themselves or others singing, it works equally well for learning to accompany other musicians.
But the best thing about is that the second part of the book is a library of finger picking patters for accompaniments specifically for harp
Actually that someone isn’t here. I was just relaying something another musician had said to me. I agree, Classical isn’t pop. Classical is Art Music. Folk Music is the music by and about regular people, and pop music is everything else ;^)
There really isn’t any music that doesn’t borrow from something else and Art music has definitely had a strong influence on both folk and pop music. And folk music, of course, has had influences on Art Music.
Personally I like the quote from Duke Ellington; “There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.”
“I don’t think it’s subdivision to think that Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, and Chick Corea belong to
Sylvia Wood’s book Music Theory and Arranging techniques for the Folk Harp is an excellent place to start.
Also The Complete Idiots Guide to Music Theory (despite the unfortunate title) is excellent.
And for those who already know how to
It depends on the harp.
A pedal harp can play in any key by setting the pedals to different positions.
A lever harp can be played in several different keys, but which ones and how many depends on how the harp is tuned to begin with, and if there are levers on every string or only on certain ones.
A non-pedal harp without levers needs to be re-tuned to the key you want to play in, with the exception of rarer harps with varying degrees of chromatic ability (cross strung harp, triple strung harp, in line chromatic harp etc…).
To help your hands I suggest Salzedo’s Conditioning Exercises, and Deborah Friou’s Harp Exercises for Agility and Speed, both available through Sylvia Woods Harp Center as well as many other harp supply companies.
I use the little rings from Sylvia Woods too. I use blue and red ones to mark the tuning pins on the right side so that when I am tuning I don’t get mixed up as to what pin I should be on.
I also use the yellow and white ones for playing lever harp to mark the levers that need to be flipped in a piece.
Other than that the most useful item I have is the clip for my electronic tuner. In a noisy environment it makes tuning much, much easier.
I have a little leather holder that holds my spare “emergency” T-Style tuning key. It is designed to be able to attached through the sound holes in the back of the harp, but I actually attach it to my music stand. I normally use a long handled tuning key, but I never need to worry about not having a key because there is always one on the back of my music stand.
I have those little “feet” covers for my Manhasset music stand. No worrying about scratching a wood or tiled floor when moving the stand around.
Well, I didn’t start intending to play classical. I fell in love with Irish harp music. But in my area when I wanted lessons my only options were classically trained harpists. Fortunately I found one who was more than happy to indulge my desire to play Celtic music, and in the process opened my mind up to both classical and jazz.
So the piece that first made me think I wanted to play the harp was Carolan’s Farewell to Music. It was one of the first real pieces of music that I learned that I picked out myself and I have to say, it is still the piece that I can play the best still today.
I think I like it because he wrote with such a perfect blending of traditional Irish style and Baroque. It was definitely Irish, but with a special something that you don’t see in other Irish music. And it is by far his prettiest piece. One of his contemporaries commented after his death that, of course, O’Carolan saved his best lament for himself..
