Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Seeing your last post again, Alicia, I might have an answer for you. If you place your thumb on the string, and let your fingers hang completely down, all the way, like your row of big knuckles is a door hinge, just move your fingers the slightest possible distance to the strings. The farther down they can reach, the easier it is to play different patterns. They merely pass by each other, reaching the shortened distance to close into the palm as close to the wrist as possible. Your tone will also improve. If your hand is more rounded, your palm is turned to face the strings, it will actually be more difficult, and your fingers have to travel farther to close. This way, your hand is in line with your arm, as Carl describes, and not turned at the wrist.
There is a photo of Salzedo playing with his pinkies extended. It makes a good photo, and I don’t think it’s a technical example. I do it if I want the pinky to lead the other fingers in as they close. It’s a tool. As for the wrists being in all the time, that I have only seen in some Chalifoux students. Miss Lawrence did not teach that. Our wrists are only slight creased unless we are playing a trill or such figure that calls for rapidly coming off the strings repeatedly. It is not rigid. It might be an optical illusion, or you are seeing some harpists with fixed position. Exceptions confirm the rule, not form it. I believe Bochsa taught a thumb in a medium-high position, not as low as the other fingers. I’ll have another look at his method. I think Emily Mitchell is a wonderful example of good traditional technique. When Salzedo wrote about stiffness, it was before there was specific awareness of all the different varieties of injury, so far as we know; therefore, I think he would use the word generally to cover everything. Which quotation are you referring to? His article on Modern Harp Technique, which will appear in the American Harp Journal, has some very good advice on the subject.
As for playing patterns of fingering in different combinations, practice them without strain or tension, slowly, until they become natural. 4231 as an arpeggio is not so difficult. You can use the Conditiong Exercises and do more varied fingering patterns than just what is given.You have a number of good thoughts here, Carl. My only question is
regarding the wrist. In my Salzedo training, I did learn wrist
oscillation outward (never inward) and wrist release outward in certain
passages. I understand that it is possible to release from the fingers,
wrist, elbow, or occassionally even the shoulder depending on the
nature of the dynamics and quality of sound needed. I’m currently
studying with a primarily French trained harpist who studied some with
Grandjany. From my information
it seems correct that the French technique makes more use of wrist
flexibility, but that it is also important in Salzedo technique.The majority of my training is Salzedo, and I have never heard of
playing with the pinky straight out. I have one
CD cover on which the harpist has a curled pinky and have wondered
about that. I learned Salzedo method from someone who studied with
Chalifoux and one who studied with Druzinsky. I understand the Salzedo
technique to have the pinky work in alignment with the fourth finger.
The fingers work as a unit. When the pinky works independently of the
other fingers it requires the use of the small muscles in the hand.
When the fingers work as a unit, closing at their base into the palm,
they use the larger muscles in the forearm which are designed to
respond to more pressure. Closing as a unit also releases the tension
in the forearm after plucking. It is similar to the difference between lifting with
your legs or your back. You want to use the larger supporting muscles
for the primary movement, and the small muscles in the hand for fine
tuning and nuance. Every muscle should release between plucking
motions. The underlying principle for any technique is a relaxed open
position before plucking to a relaxed closed position after plucking.
There is a range of healthy playing that can involve the pinky being in
precise alignment with the fourth, or slightly curved in and relaxed.
Mine is more in alignment.hello David, i think the most important thing for you is the musical future of your daughter, of course if she want to be a proffesional harpist, please change the teacher, but tell the teacher some other reason wich keep your daughter from continuing lessons with him, dont hurt him directly, its your right to change the teacher, but if you want to find another one ask about him or her a lot before. i know how horrable its, i was obliged to study with a teacher that i didnt want, but had no chance to change, because she is the only one in my country.
good luck
I happened to call him several months ago (maybe longer) to locate his website and to get more info on Lionwood Harps. He mentioned that the server was destroyed in a fire. This was during the California Wildfires of 2005 I believe. I know it occured during widespread wildfires – it is the date I’m not certain of: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/30/california.wildfire/index.html
I would contact Mary Radspinner at Melody’s Traditional Harp Music because they have carried these harps in their catalogue. She has most likely been in communication with Lionwood Harps throughout this time period. It’s a shame if they are no longer available, since I have heard many good things about these harps, but have never heard one yet. It is unfortunate for someone to lose contact during an order, but well worth researching the precise cause.
Hola amigos latinos!
Pues aqui saludandolos nuevamente y para invitarlos a leer un articulo realizado por Ra��l Eduardo Gonz��lez referente a las arpas folkloricas como siempre.
En esta ocasion se trata de la musica de arpa grande del estado de Michoacan, Mexico.
Aunque ya habia escuchado hablar de ese articulo apenas hasta hace unos dias me puse a leerlo y
lo encontre bastante interesante asi que decidi compartirlo con ustedes. Ese tipo de musica esta muy interesanteUuuy!!
compa��eros del foro, mil disculpas, el mensaje anterior era para Carlos Barradas de Tierra Blanca Veracruz, disculpen el resbalon de no poner a quien estaba dirijido.Atte.
Valentin Caballero.
Have you asked your daughter how she feels about this? Of course she should not have the final say, and you shouldn’t set a precedent that she makes all of the decisions all of the time, but she might have a compelling reason to stay with the teacher, or enough to say to stay with him. Otherwise, I would say just ditch him and find someone more appropriate for your child to study with.
The first thing that struck me is the bad mouthing of former students.
I have a young student who transferred from a teacher who did this same
thing. It is very threatening to a student because there is always the
underlying assumption that if they bad mouth someone else, they are
going to bad mouth me
too. I
would transfer, and definitely don’t let fear be a reason to stay.
Sooner is better than later, since years of interaction will produce a
deeper, more complicated relationship. Teachers can inflict much more
emotional damage than they realize. When a teacher is free of emotional
negativity, concerns about rhythm instruction and such can be addressed
more openly and corrected. You could discuss it with him, but if he is
offended by leaf blowers he could be
much moreso towards perceived criticism. I would write him a nice card,
get a little gift, and mention something positive about him and explain
that she will need to quit lessons for now for personal reasons. Then
look for another teacher.Well, thank you. I didn’t know those definitions of gift and talent, which make sense and are useful to know. Miss Lawrence’s approach worked with most of her students, but then they were all talented, and some were gifted, and nearly all were very intelligent, as those were the kinds of people she seemed to attract the most. It is important to find a way to fill in the basic or missing components with exceptional students. It probably becomes hard to not overlook them when caught up in achievements. And it is hard for that kind of student to spend time on basics and not feel repressed. I eventually found my way to doing lots more exercises than just the Conditioning Exercises, which are still my foundation. And I enjoy playing lots of smaller pieces, but find them even more difficult sometimes than the big works. The hardest ones are those with thin texture but strong melodic lines that must be carried through.
