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What about Mimi Allen’s Shamrocks? There are five works in all and they were designed as teaching pieces to teach different techniques that “enhance the scope of the instrument”. They utilize alot of pedal harp special effects, glisses, gushing chords, individual dampings etc. and like all her arrangements are “flashy” – show the harp to good advantage. You would have pedal changes in two
I live in the Twin Cities, Minnesota by a lake. 🙂 I love to watch the herons and snowy egrets fly by. So beautiful!! I teach harp in Forest Lake and in Saint Paul at East Metro Music Academy, and freelance as a performer/composer/arranger. This is my second year here, but my husband grew up one hour from where we currently live. I am so happy to live here – wonderful, interesting people and scenery. 🙂
June 6th, 2005 I took shelter from the miserable rain in the Harping Building at the Kansas City Highland Games. There was a group harp lesson going one, with about 5 lap harps being used by the audience. I asked if I could join and since there were no lap harps left they gave me a L&H Troubadour V, 36 strings, light maple. Within five minutes I was completely convinced, hooked, in love (a mushy term, but about accurate.) I asked question after question and when the lesson was over they let me play for about an hour in a corner.
Nine months later I bought a Blevinsong 36, which has turned out to be perfect in every respect–size (I can just fit it in my car), sound, weight (22 lbs.), looks (very streamlined and simple, which is me to a T). I began telephone ‘lessons’ with Cindy Blevins then, and eventually started learning from the woman who was teaching the harp lesson at the Games–Jennifer Leibnitz, who I think is the most generous and inspiring music professional I’ve ever met.
I’ve played classical piano for many years–in fact, my profession is as a piano educator. But I quickly realized that the harp is my instrument. I’m enjoying the assimilating of the ‘harp culture’ and have worked hard and progressed quickly.
I’ve taken on my first harp student in the last month and find it utterly fascinating. So much of what I teach on the piano can be applied here and yet it is not the same in many ways, and the skills required are different. As a piano teacher my forte (excuse the pun) is in solid early training, and I think that will be helpful in teaching the harp. My teacher said that, regretfully, few harp teachers will really focus on the beginning skill required in a correct posture, hand position, and approach to the harp, music, and practicing. I hope to change that with my students, as well as to introduce the Celtic harp to the awareness of this area (Midwest, rather rural, not very musically inclined.)
Excuse the long post. This is a fascinating thread. I think that harpers and harpists are among the most interesting of people because it takes a unique person to recognize and determine to learn the harp.
All the best!
I’m in England, near the south coast city of Brighton, and basking in gorgeous winter sunshine right now
I’m not a teacher… talking from my student years…
I fully agree with Carl regarding the Dittersdorf being a good beginning.
Wendy, I’d love to meet you. Maybe we can plan something. As I said, we live over in Ladner. Do you ever come this way? We also can tell you about NS, as we did a tour of the Province. It is definitely quieter, and beautiful in many parts. I didn’t
Hi Wendy and all. Yes, my husband and I drove down from Canada to the USA, and picked up my new L&H 85GP on Tuesday the 19th. I was so excited when I saw it delivered to the store by a huge truck . We knew it
The myrrh is incredible but the smell is unbelievably awful, to me. It’s a kind of rotten mothball odor, I think. I finally had to get rid of mine, though with regret. It does work very well, if you can stand the smell.
Hi S S,
How very exciting and congrat’s! You must have picked it up yesterday, how did it go? Does it feel amazing to have it in your home?
I have not
