Practicing Harp Happiness

Here’s a riddle for you:

What can go up or down but never side to side, can be like a gale-force wind or a whisper of a breeze, and is easy to do when you don’t know how and much harder when you do? 

I’ll bet you got it in one guess - it’s a glissando. In case you didn’t get it, here’s why a glissando is the right answer. 

The first part is obvious; glissandos - or in more correct Italian, glissandi - go up or down the harp. And the second part is probably clear too; a glissando can be powerful with a majestic sweeping rush of notes, or it can be delicate and tender, just like a whisper.

The tricky part of the riddle is the third part. If you’re a harpist, though, you likely understand this one. Playing a glissando on the harp is the easiest thing in the world. Taking one finger and brushing it over the strings in a simple glissando was quite likely one of the first things you ever tried when you sat down at a harp for the very first time. It’s so simple and it’s sublime at the same time. You run a finger across the strings and the harp sings. It’s effortless and amazing. 

But if you’re like most of us, that was the last easy glissando you played. Once you started learning the harp, you learned that there are special techniques for playing a glissando, and that you have to count them and end on the right note and keep an even tone from the beginning to the end while you’re changing the dynamic and more. Figuring out how to play them from the markings on the page can be difficult, not to mention the complications of levers and pedals. It’s no wonder some harpists avoid them if at all possible.

Avoiding them is not the answer. Harp glissandi are part of the unique voice of the harp. No other instrument can imitate them. No other effect has as much power to set a musical scene or create the right atmosphere or energy. Glissandi are glorious, and so much fun to play. 

Whether you are a veteran gliss-er or a newbie to the glissando world, I want to share the 7 ingredients of a glorious gliss with you today so that you can make this special kind of harp magic and find your bliss in the gliss.  

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Coaching Enrollment is now open. Click here to reserve your spot.
• Related resource: Glissando Magic: 4 Ways to Make Your Glissandos Move blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected] 

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-067

Form follows function.

I expect you’re familiar with that quote but you may not know the entire context. The phrase is a vast simplification of an idea put forth by architect Louis Sullivan, mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, in his 1896 article titled “The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered.” Working from an idea of the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius that a building should be solid, useful and beautiful, Sullivan developed his overriding philosophy, what he called the single "rule that shall permit of no exception." This was his complete statement:

Whether it be the sweeping eagle in his flight, or the open apple-blossom, the toiling work-horse, the blithe swan, the branching oak, the winding stream at its base, the drifting clouds, over all the coursing sun, form ever follows function, and this is the law. Where function does not change, form does not change. The granite rocks, the ever-brooding hills, remain for ages; the lightning lives, comes into shape, and dies, in a twinkling.

It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, of all things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things superhuman, of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the soul, that the life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever follows function. This is the law.

Those are profound thoughts and today we are going to apply them not to the oak, the clouds or the cosmos, but to the harp, specifically to one of the more confusing aspects of harp technique, the technique of raising.

What you do with your hands after you play a string or a scale or a chord is just as important as how you place your fingers before you play and how you move your fingers when you play. It’s the follow through that makes a huge difference in your sound. It also affects your ability to move around the harp quickly and helps you stay relaxed while you play. 

There are many schools of thought on how to raise and on today’s show I’ll try to get to the heart of the matter - why we raise. Because once you understand the why, the true function of raising, the gesture itself follows naturally. I’ll also give you a simple formula to help you practice the perfect raise, even if you’ve never felt comfortable raising before.  

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Coaching Enrollment is now open. Click here to reserve your spot.
• Related resource: Rich, Warm, Round: How to Create Your Sensational Harp Sound blog post
• Harpmastery.com

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-066

Summer is flying by for me, and I imagine for you too. I always make big plans for the summer. I tell myself that this is the summer I will start my Christmas music early or seriously work on my technique or get that recital program memorized. But no matter how good my intentions are, the summer just seems to slip through my fingers without anything to show for it other than a sunburn. It can feel pretty disheartening.

Let’s turn this around for a minute. What if this were the summer that I really enjoyed my harp playing? Not worked hard at it or put pressure on myself to get to that next level or learn that big piece, but just enjoyed it. I’m feeling the harp happiness buzz already. 

I hope that sounds good to you too because on today’s show I’m going to share 10 of my favorite ways to create adventure in your summer harp playing - that’s right, adventure.

Your music could be a time machine taking you to a distant place and time. It could be a magic carpet for traveling to far off lands. It could be the soundtrack to a movie or set the mood for a restful evening. If we stopped working so hard occasionally, quit struggling to get the music right, stopped fixing the music and started experiencing the music, imagine where it could take us. 

Close your eyes for just a moment and think of one of your favorite pieces. What does it make you think of or where does it take you? How does it make you feel? 

Today’s podcast is devoted to savoring the music we play. We won’t talk about technique or fingering or dynamics or even about practice. Instead we are going to explore ways to feel the magic of our music and create some musical adventures with it, right now before summer ends. 

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Go to the Harp Mastery YouTube channel and click the “Subscribe” button.
• Related resource Practice Your Musical Creativity blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-065

Scales are so simple on the harp. 

Unlike on other instruments all our scales have the same fingering.

I remember being a young piano student and struggling with the fingering patterns that seemed different for each major and minor key. Those black and white keys caused a lot of fingering complications.

But on the harp, all our scales are fingered exactly alike. All the changes are in our levers or pedals, not our fingers. It couldn't get any easier. 

Ironically, this is the reason that many harpists don’t bother practicing their scales. After all, if they are this easy, what could be the benefit?

Scales, along with chords and arpeggios, are one of the technical building blocks for every harpist. In every piece we play, our fingers need to move sequentially, as they do in a scale. They need to play evenly, smoothly and musically. They need to play fast. And the single best way to develop that level of facility is by practicing scales.

So why aren’t you practicing your scales? Or are you practicing them but not seeing any improvement?

As with most things, there are more effective, and less effective, ways to practice scales. On this episode, I will review the most important basics of scale technique. After all, if you don’t know the right way to play a scale, practicing them wrong won’t help. 

Plus, I’ll share some ways to practice scales that will almost instantly add flexibility and speed to your fingers. Trust me, these scale patterns are fun!

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to learn when new videos are ready for you.
• Related resource Are You Practicing Scales the Wrong Way? blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-064

Here is a cry for help that I received from one of our coaching students recently:

 “I'm feeling discouraged because I don't feel that I'm making the progress I want. No fault of my coach, she's excellent! I feel like I'll have really effective practice days then go backwards.” 

We had a check-in call scheduled, so we were able to talk through some of her concerns, but I think what made the most difference to her was simply knowing that she is not alone, that we all feel this way sometimes, and that the backwards slide is actually a necessary part of the learning process.

Progress on the harp or any instrument is a very forwards and backwards kind of thing. Often when we feel that nothing is going right, we are on the verge of a big step forward. It's not unlike a teenager's physical growth spurt where the joints hurt and everything seems out of whack and and then all of a sudden, they're several inches taller. 

It takes some experience to realize that the most powerful moments in our practice are those moments when the piece we've been practicing hard seems to regress. It's usually the signal that we've reached a new level with it. It's frustrating in the moment, and unfortunately it’s the moment when a lot of harpists give up. They put the piece away or even worse, they put the harp away and feel like they’ve failed. 

None of that is necessary.

What is necessary is to know how to survive the slump, to help a backward slide turn into forward momentum. Today I want to equip you with understanding, reassurance and practical steps so you can avoid being mired in the practice Slough of Despond.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Take our quiz and find your Practice Blindspot!
• Related resource Stuck in Practice Quicksand? Get Free with the Sight Reading Mindset blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-063

Octaves are everywhere. There are very few harp pieces that don’t include octaves somewhere, and with good reason. Octaves add richness to a left hand accompaniment or to a right hand melody. The added resonance of the string played an octave lower or higher makes the entire harp come alive with sound. 

We harpists love octaves and we play them all the time. So why are they often the hardest intervals to play well? 

You know what I mean. Your thumb plays two strings at once, or your fourth finger brushes the surrounding strings, making your octave sound like a cluster of sound rather than a clear, clean interval. Sometimes they are hard to place accurately and our fingers buzz or just play the wrong notes. 

It’s time to go back to basics, my friends. Don’t feel discouraged; this is what we all do from time to time when a fundamental part of our technique isn’t working. It’s not a failure. It’s merely a coordination we need to refresh. Often giving our fingers a gentle reminder of the proper technique is all we need to fix the problem. 

Of course this raises some questions. What exactly is the proper technique for octaves? Is it the same for right hand and left hand? What are the best practice strategies for octaves ? How can I be more consistently accurate with my placing? 

I’ve struggled with those questions myself over my years of harp playing and I do have some valuable insights to share, including the one tip that all by itself will help your octaves sound 100% better almost immediately.

So if that one tip works so well, why have I devoted an entire podcast episode to octaves? Because there are some other key things you will want to understand about octaves. Octaves are too important to just skip the finer points; you’ll want to know those too.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Fill in the gaps in your technique with Build, Extend, Advance technique course
• Related resource Fourth finger giving you problems? Five quick tips blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-062

Has this ever happened to you? You’re sailing along, playing through a new piece. You’re feeling pretty good because the piece is actually flowing along. You can tell you’ve been making progress because a year or so ago, this piece would have felt difficult.  

Just about the time you’re ready to pat yourself on the back and imagine yourself tackling that piece you’ve always thought was too hard, your playing comes to a screeching halt. There’s a new meter signature, or time signature, in front of you. Your easy piece in 4/4 time suddenly has a measure of ⅞. What the heck is this about??

On today’s show,we’re going to find out exactly what meter changes like that imaginary one are all about. While we often associate them with contemporary music, changing meters have been a part of music since music began. If you play traditional folk music, you encounter meter changes all the time. In fact, the meter signature is a relatively recent invention.

This is a masterclass-style podcast, not that there will be other students playing today, but meaning that I will go into some depth on this topic. In today’s masterclass you will learn:

• What the meter signature can tell you, if you’re paying attention.
• Why meters may change in the middle of a piece.
• How to count your way easily through any meter change you encounter.

You may want to push pause right here and download the PDF that is linked in the show notes so that you can follow along with me. If you’re driving or on the exercise bike, no worries - you can listen now and download the PDF later.

One other note before we start: You may not have noticed but all of our podcasts are categorized. We put them in one of three categories: Technique and Musicianship, Practice and Performing and Music and Meaning. I have put this podcast in the “Music and Meaning” category because as you will find out in a minute, changing meters isn’t just about learning how to negotiate them. Meter changes are directly related to the music itself, its energy, flow and message. That’s why it’s so important for us all to feel comfortable and confident with them.

So if you’re ready, we’ll begin our masterclass.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Download the PDF for today's Masterclass
• Related resource Finding the Meaning in Music: Quick Ideas to Build Musicianship blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-061

Summer is definitely here, at least where I live. The sun is shining, the grass is tall, the roadside vegetable stands are back in business. The bees buzz busily in the daytime and the fireflies make each night sparkle. It’s time for picnics and trips to the seashore. It’s also time to prepare for the end of summer, at least where your harp playing is concerned.

I could almost hear your mental brakes squealing. Summer’s barely started and we want to bask in every moment of it. Why should we think about the end of summer now? 

Because a little bit of planning now will save you a couple of weeks later. Don’t believe me? Maybe this scenario will sound familiar.

Let’s pretend it’s late August or early September. Your vacation is over; it was terrific fun but you’re glad to be back home. Of course, there is a mountain of laundry to be done, and a stack of bills to be paid. The dog is acting weird since he came back from doggie camp (a.k.a, the kennel) and you think he needs to see the veterinarian. You look into your harp room with a mixture of longing and dread, wondering how many strings will have broken or will break as soon as you start to tune. Well, it doesn’t matter yet; you don’t have time for that right now. You have to get to the grocery store.

Eventually you find the courage to tackle the harp. You tune it, change strings, tune it again, It still sounds terrible, but you decide to play anyway. Your fingers feel like sausages, no control or agility or strength. After 15 minutes, you discover they don’t have any calluses left either. Better stop practicing and do some more laundry.

I imagine that many of you listening have had this end of vacation experience. I certainly have. In fact, almost every vacation ends something like this for me, except for one part, the harp part. As a professional harpist, particularly when I was doing a lot of freelance playing, taking a vacation was a luxury. It was hard to find time in between performances to get away and naturally, it was often not possible to have a harp with me. I needed to learn how to be able to jump back quickly into playing after an extended absence, how to get my harp, my fingers and my music back in shape in just a few days. The key is planning ahead, and today I’ll share all the tricks I have used for years to bounce back after vacation, but particularly the three things you need to do before your vacation, in order to be sure that you’ll be a happy harpist and not a harried harpist when you return. 

This is how you have a guilt-free, harp-free vacation. 

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Order your new redesigned, refreshed Spark Practice Journal 
• Related resource What Will You Accomplish This Summer? blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-060

If the fairy godmother of harp appeared today to grant you just one wish, what would it be? Would you wish for a new harp, flying fingers, an endless supply of music? I know what I would wish for: standardized harp markings.

That may sound to you as if I haven’t given this wish a lot of thought, but actually I believe if the harp fairy godmother would grant that one wish, it would save all of us harpists much time, confusion and frustration. Allow me to explain.

Harp notation is anything but standardized. Take a simple technique like a harmonic. Most composers write harp harmonics where they are to be played, which results in the note sounding one octave higher. But there are a few composers - Carlos Salzedo, most notably - who write their harmonics where the notes actually sound, meaning that we need to play them one octave lower than they are written. Many harpist composers explain which system they are using with a note to the performer printed on the music. Unfortunately, the vast majority of works for harp leave this important piece of information unwritten for the players to figure out for themselves. 

And that’s merely one example. Harp markings seem to change with each new generation of composers and arrangers. Harpists must become detectives, scouring the page for clues to decide what a marking means and learning what to do when you can’t find any clues. 

Other markings are just plain confusing. Take harp fingering from some of the 19th harpist composers. Rather than use the number 1 to indicate the thumb, some composers used a plus sign or an “x” to indicate the thumb. To add another layer of confusion, the fingers 2, 3 and 4 were indicated as 1, 2 and 3. It’s easier to read these pieces without the fingering at all than to try to translate the fingering as you play.

Sadly, I can’t clear up all the harp marking inconsistencies for you in one podcast. What we will talk about on today’s show are the meanings of 10 fairly common markings. I will tell you what they mean or in some cases what they don’t  mean and most importantly, when you need to use your own judgment. Also, at the end of our discussion, I will share a wonderful free online resource with you that will help you with many more harp marking questions. 

One word of warning: there’s one three-word phrase that crops up repeatedly in today’s discussion. I won’t tell you what that phrase is now; you’ll recognize it soon enough! 

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Harp Notation Manual by Gunnhildur Einarsdóttir
• Related resource The Mysterious Case of the Extra Accidental blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected] 

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-059

Today's episode is a brand-new podcast feature, a “Quick Fix'' episode. These are special episodes designed to take your harp learning out of the realm of the theoretical and get totally practical. It’s obviously not enough just to know why something is important, although that’s a great place to start. Sooner or later you have to actually do whatever it is, and for that you need to know how. 

So from time to time here on the podcast, I’ll be sharing my favorite quick fixes, the nuts and bolts step by step instructions to put some of the things we’ve talked about - or that you’ve asked me about - into place in your harp playing.

The inspiration for today’s show was a comment I received in response to a podcast episode I did nearly a year ago, episode 14, about Taming the Terrible Thumb. On that podcast I talked about how your thumb should work, the proper mechanics and the reasons why those mechanics were important. But more recently I got a comment from a listener asking for more detailed instructions about how to implement some of the things I mentioned on that show, and I have to tell you it was a wake-up call. It’s so easy for a teacher to assume that a student knows something, and unfortunately, many students are hesitant to ask for information they need. They figure it’s their fault, that everyone else already knows it and they’ll just figure it out themselves. I’m very grateful that this particular listener reached out to me - you know who you are - because I’m certain that there are other listeners out there with the same question.

Answering your questions, being a resource to harpists, is a main part of what we at Harp Mastery® are committed to doing. We don’t want you to have to figure it out yourself. There are plenty of things that are hard about playing the harp, but getting answers to your questions, especially the questions that are stopping you from making progress, shouldn’t be one of them. 

So today, for our inaugural Quick Fix episode, we will not be merely talking about what your thumb should be doing; I’ll be sharing how you can fix the issues you might be having with your thumbs. There are three common complaints that harpists have about their thumbs: thumbs that are too soft, thumbs that are too loud, and thumbs that are tense. In fact, most playing challenges related to your thumbs come down to one of those three, even if they seem to have a different cause. 

So as you listen, don’t be afraid to push pause and try some of these techniques at your harp. That’s what a Quick Fix show is all about.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Join us at My Harp Mastery now. Doors close on June 30!
• Related resource Are Your Fingers Failing You? 10 Quick Fixes blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-058