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Well, that didn’t work….Knock off the www and it should be right.
http://rizzolo.customer.netspace.net.au/
And it still won’t work, just goggle Gary Rizzolo Guitars!
Another site that might be of interest is Cary Lewincamp – a Tassie guitarist that plays one of Gary’s archback guitars. It has some sound bites on it.
And once again, if it won’t work just goggle the guy with wild abandon!
Cheers!
Hi Tony,
Asked my flutist about the gold head joint thing – she thinks its mainly the level of craftsmanship rather than the quality of the metal itself. But then when i mentioned that gold would warm at a different rate than silver, she said yes, and started thinking on that. That would affect your tone & playing
It’s possible some of the sounds you hear with your ear right on top of the harp are not heard several feet away, especially when dealing with bass notes. Weird overtones might occur, phasing, etc. at specific locations away from your instrument. The bass sound wave is fairly long, and takes several feet to properly set up sonically. If you’re having problems with the sound of your harp, get someone else to play it and see if the problems you hear while playing the harp persist several feet from your harp. Locate the exact distance and angle these sound problems show up. If it occurs everywhere you listen, you have a true woof innate to the instrument, either due to construction or perhaps quality issues with strings. If it occurs at only specific locations, it might be more of an ambient sonic issue, which is still a real pain.
Eyestrain? If you are also doing lots of time on the computer, computer screens are notorious for causing problems due to the level of contrast (with the screen being lit up). Maybe limit time on computer, if you can, and limit time watching tv or
Hi Rod,
Yep, the “Complete Method for the Harp” is by David Watkins, published by Boosey and Hawkes,1972! Although if it is in reprint it may be a different publisher. I suspect you may be able to get it from Holywell…
What does it cover? It starts assuming a complete beginner and has excerises on scales, arpeggios, chords etc. It includes advice on tuning and sitting at the instrument. And interestingly has photos of both flat and curved fingers on the strings.
It includes his suite of Six Pieces – Prelude, Bercuese, Gigue, The Nightingales, Dance and Nocturne. For beginners and playable on lever harp.
Later in the book he also includes his Second Suite for harp – March, Blues Waltz, Nocturne and Rondo.
I would love to see that video, but the formatting of your videos in the US do not work in our video machines (boo hoo!). Sounds fascinating!
But well, how did it sound? I remember reading that Ms Lawrence ( I think it was in the Dewey Owens book about Salzedo) would get quite cross if
Interesting topic. My physio, and also with the Feldenkrais practitioner I see, have both spoken quite alot about “cross training” how every athlete these days does another sport of set of exercises to counter the ones they are doing in their primary sport. As if you do not, the muscles get thick and hard and inflexible.
The same with harp playing, I have a series of exercises that are the opposite, and work the opposite muscles that one uses when one plays. And yes, they did suggest stretching out the hands and fingers, and massaging the hands too.
I imagine for you also it would be vitally important to “unwind” all the muscles you use in your back and shoulders from standing over a workbench. If that makes sense. Swimming is one of the best, and is gentle, and if it is a heated pool will relax the muscles in general.
Quite fascinating. I don’t think that you can forget that playing harp is a physical exercise and also a physical training. Ones physique and natural musculature I’m sure plays a role, as you have pointed out, but also there is the way you “train”.
It is very very easy to “overtrain” over practise, too much loud “hard” playing – either too much practise or too much struggling to be heard over the brass section, and this can lead to a thickening and hardening of the muscles in your hands and make fast playing almost impossible. (Sort of like the Arnie of the harp world!). It can also be the beginning of injuries as “overdeveloped” muscles just can’t relax (if that makes any sense).
