Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I have a Salvi Angelica, if anyone is looking for one. It’s a baby-grand-size pedal harp, one (top) string short (and I think one inch short) of a full orchestra model, with a straight sounding board but an absolutely amazing tone. I’ve had a lot of comments on how rich the sound is.
The top is a scroll, modeled after a harp owned by Marie Antoinette. Mine is walnut with a blonde sounding board and gold trim. Great condition. Beautiful. If anyone is interested, please e-mail me with an offer. These are gorgeous harps. Too bad they didn’t make but a few of them.
I haven’t played it in years and it seems a shame to just have it sit there. I’ll miss it though..!
Good luck with everything Julia! You absolutely need a full sized pedal harp to play in orchestra. A 3/4 size will simply not be heard. If you are able to buy a L&H 100, you should for certain. If for some reason it does not work out, don’t despair. I actually did not own a pedal harp until I was 30 – I used school instruments. Hopefully you will fair better than this, though! As far as orchestra playing is concerned, there are other ways to prepare besides playing in pre-college orchestras. It is important to practice “watching the conductor” and know what the conducting patterns will look like. You could even have a buddy act it out. At least during your first year or so be sure to buy recordings of the pieces you will be playing. If you can find scores ahead of time through libraries, do that as well. I jumped into my first orchestra gig with no previous experience. So, I bought recordings and made a tape with each harp entrance recorded three times in a row. I practiced with this until I could nail every entrance. I also studied the full score and noted how my part interacted with other instruments and made extra notations in my part. It’s good to include a few measures before the harp entrance on the recording to become familiar with the sound. That way if you get off counting measures, the familiar sounds will bring you right back on track. Being so familiar with how the harp part fit into the whole helps one to nail every entrance.
Hi! I’m a harpist from Ottawa, Ont. playing at weddings and restaurants. I’m totally happy doing this!!!
Louise EbeltoftYou will progress very quickly in the first months and years (even if you put very little effort into it!). Your progress will be less drastic with the more time you play, but every new piece you learn is progress, even if the new piece is no more challenging than the last. Milestones are really what you make them to be. I started when I was quite young, so any milestones I’ve had will undoubtedly be different than your own.
Just to list a couple of my own: getting my first lever harp (age 7), switching teachers and consequently learning more advanced music (age 9/10), learning and getting a pedal harp (age 10), playing my first paying gigs (age 10/11), learning Solfeggietto (age 11), playing my first wedding (age 13?), et cetera.
I just joined this web-site having been inspired by Amanda Acosta, my live-in Costa Rican IUSB harp performance major! I have hastily read some of the answers to your question.
I don’t have any specific academic focus, yet. I enjoy most subjects, from english to mathematics. In terms of schools, I’ve looked at the University of Chicago, Northwestern, U Penn, Johns Hopkins, and Columbia. JHU and Northwestern have the strongest music programs, of course. This fall I also plan to look at the University of Michigan, Emory in Georgia, and possibly a couple of other schools. I’m looking for a strong liberal arts education, so a strict Conservatory wouldn’t be right for me, but I also plan to incorporate the harp into my life, so I need to have musical resources.
I’m very relieved that you both said that previous orchestral experience isn’t a necessary prerequisite for playing in a college orchestra. That was actually a significant worry of mine.
I think I might be getting the tiniest bit closer to convincing my parents. At least, my father asked to see the Salvi catalog I had, which I see as a step in the right direction. I know that it would make a lot of sense to keep the 85P and get a larger harp, too. If my parents seem agreeable, I will bring it up, but I rather doubt that they will be enamored with the idea.
Thanks for all the advice, and if you have any more I’d love to hear it. I’m sorry it took so long replying back; I’ve just been working a lot in the last days before school starts again.
-Julia
There are a couple that I know.
Sharlene Wallace teaches celtic harp, and I’ve heard good things about her as a teacher, although I don’t know if she teaches many children.
Have enjoyed a recent gift: “52 Scottish Songs For All Harps”, arr Sylvia Woods.
A good selection, plus there are two arr. for each piece: “easy” and “advanced” Playing both gives a nice progression and lengthens the piece!Also “Classics to Moderns” Books 1 and 2. Compiled and Edited; Denes Agay.These are written for piano, but are easy arrangements that sound good on my 30-string harp.
There is only three criteria for when to start a Harp student:
1) Does the child want to play the Harp, check to see how committed the child is, talk to him/her and ask them about what thay want.
There are also two short pieces by Tournier called Offrande and Priere, I believe, which are not very difficult, and very musical, and I think much more appropriate than Hasselmans’ repertoire; again I don’t hate everything he wrote, but I don’t think it is good training material, except in very small quantity. Also Grandjany has a wonderful Pastorale that is very imaginative and not demanding.
I can offer a lot of suggestions, I think, but you have asked so many questions it is difficult to cover it all in this forum. You may email me directly for more help. I think you should definitely get a 100 for a lifetime instrument. Your college may not provide one and you definitely need a harp with 47 strings to play its repertoire. You will get orchestral/ensemble experience in college. As long as you are learning how to count rests and come in, to follow a conductor, you should be fine. Start looking at schools and their audition requirements, and practice as much as you possibly can, at least two to three hours each day. I need to know more of your interests and your studies now to direct you to the best schools. You have many choices. And keep your grades straight A. Save your money for a car and extras and other emergencies. If you plan to continue to free-lance then you should keep your 85P for that. Your parents need more musical educating. You need a fair start to be a harpist. A musical instrument is never a waste of money, and your performing reflects well on the family and your parents. Not being able to continue with a full-size harp will reflect poorly on them. Does that help? Sounds like they are Yankees.
Maybe a bit tangential to the subject.
…but… I very much enjoyed playing harpsichord in a duet written by 18th C. Jean Baur for ‘harp, with ‘singing’ accompaniment for harpsichord’ with Mary Ann Harr in Madison Wisconsin this past July.
I think it could be managed by two harps, especially if the person playing the harpsichord part is nimble with ornaments, or just leaves some out.Your history and experiences with harp are common to many adult beginners. Adults deal with challenges that are different from children in the learning process. You mentioned that you play better when you allow yourself to daydream a little. That is because this is a more relaxed, less critical state of mind. Adults have achieved a high level of skill in their professions and domestic skills, so they are accustomed to feeling very competant. Adults tend to put more pressure on themselves in the learning process because of this. Also, adults have so many committments and responsibilities that they generally can’t just sit down and play for hours, so practice time can be variable. If you can find a teacher who has worked with a number of adult beginners successfully, this teacher is likely to understand your needs. You need a teacher who can show you the best technique for your health and to streamline the learning process. However, you need a teacher that will not put undue pressure on you, since most adults are quite capable of doing that for themselves! Find out what teachers you have to choose from and talk to all of them. Remember, it’s okay if a teacher doesn’t work out. You can always quit and find another. It’s important to never give up an instrument because of the wrong teacher.
