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Hi Frank! It is definately not stupid to start the harp at a later age. I am 17 and I didn’t start playing the harp until age 15. I played some piano off and on for a number of years, but I never got beyond beginner pieces. My mom started me on the harp and I had no intrest in playing it, but after a few months I fell in love with the harp. I have only been playing 2 and half years, but I feel I am doing considerably hard repertoire, and I plan to major in harp in college. I wish I had started harp at an early age, but I’m very glad I play at all. Start as soon as possoble. I’m sure in two years you’ll be plaing wonderfuly! Best of luck!
I started at 9 with the heather pakistani harp- what a horrible instrument it was! I guess the only reason why i got it is because my mom didn’t want to splurge on something that I didn’t know I’d like. The levers became unglued and fell off- they buzzed like crazy and some were too tough to put up- so I had to avoid those notes in a piece! Stick with the bigger names in lever harps ex: Pilgrim, Swanson, Lyon and Healy, Salvi. Dont let the super low prices drag you into buying these super low quality instruments!!!
Uh oh- sorry, I accidently made it post twice because I confirmed it then had to edit in that I am 13- sorry, guys!
I am sorry, but I haven’t heard about the cream you are asking for. I just wanted to inform everybody who uses New Skin. I have a medical conditon where the skin on my feet crack and bleed, much like the hands of a harpist. I see a dermatologist regularly and he told me to use Super Glue to help the cracks on my feet. He told me that everything is exactly the same between New Skin and Super Glue. He said that the only difference is the label. I would think that super glue would be better than a cloth band-aid while playing the harp.
Hope I could help, CarolinHow young? Babies enjoy listening to any sized harp. Toddlers can start strumming harp strings as long as they’re supervised. I highly recommend borrowing, buying or building a Waldorf-type pentatonic harp/lyre/psaltery for your very young future harp player. The harmonious DEGABd scale is ideal for children under 7. These instruments range from just 6 or 7 strings on up to 10 or 11. Original and familiar tunes and simple, heavenly glissing are incredibly simple and satisfying. No printed music is necessary. (If you have a pedal harp, this DEGABd gliss can be achieved with enharmonics. You eliminate the discordant Cs and Fs by setting C flat (= B natural) and F flat (= E natural). The child can play ANY strings while seated in your lap. If you have a lever harp, then you can turn it into a pentatonic harp with CDFGAc scale by sharping your E naturals (E sharp = F natural) and sharping your B naturals (B sharp = C natural). Christina Tourin calls this the “Angel Mode.”
Basically whatever you play on either pentatonic scale sounds harmonious and heavenly. Ideal for young, creative pre-readers. Using the big harp is fun, but kids really love having their own child-sized instrument. Most lyres have wire strings. If your child’s finger tips are sensitive, use a plectrum or mallet. My kids like using a big feather or wooden dowel or xylophone mallet or hammered dulcimer hammer for variation. Don’t hand out guitar picks till your child is old enough not to try to swallow it.
For domestic Kinderharp or Kinderlyre, see Song of the Sea, Harps of Lorien, or A Child’s Dream Come True
http://www.songsea.com/kharp.htm
http://www.waldorfshop.net/directory.html
For a huge selection of lyres (German “leier”) see the Gartner Children’s lyre and Wingkantele. The Wingkantele can be retuned to regular diatonic (CDEFGABcde) scale as the child gets older. Many of their lyres are nylon-strung (but with non-harp color codings).
http://www.leier.de/English/instru.htm
I recommend using just index fingers and thumbs on the lyre for melodies, harmonizing and glisses. When the child gets older and transfers to a harp, the 3-finger and 4-finger harp fingering can be taught without fighting “bad habits”.
I myself played plucked psaltery before starting harp at 11 and did not have “bad habbits” because the instruments are held and played similarly but differently. You could teach her up gliss (towards player) with index, down gliss (away) with thumb.
I have the same question about harps, well sort of but since each child develops differently and this is independent of age per se I’ll phrase it this way instead:
“At what POINT may a child appropriately begin to learn the harp?
I started at 15. I was pursuing my Grade 7 ABRSM piano when my teacher who was a harpist cum pianist intorduced to me. She let me jump to Grade 2 straight away. However, now I’m doin my Diploma in Piano Performance and I hope to take Harp back again… Praise God.
Hi, I’m just taking Harp class in Evanston, IL. If you are still interested, let me know and I’ll send you her name and number. She have a very flexible schedule.
hi
mi name is ivan gomez, i live in mexico, i am 16 years old and i have 8 years playing harp, here in mexico not everybody plays harp, and i am writing here to met some young harpist jajajajajja
mi email is ivngmez@hotmail.com
atte ivan
