Practicing Harp Happiness
Is playing the harp harder than you thought it would be? Ever wish you knew the secrets to learning music that only the experts and the eight year old YouTube stars seem to know? Want to finally finish the pieces you start and play them with ease, confidence and joy? Harp Mastery founder and Harp Happiness expert Anne Sullivan believes every harp player can learn to play the music they want the way they want. Tune in as she clears the confusion around topics like fingering, technique, sight reading and practice skills and shares the insider tips that help her students make music beautifully. Whether you’re playing the harp for fun or you’re ready to take your playing to the next level, each Practicing Harp Happiness episode will reveal the strategies and insight you need to fire your imagination, enjoy your practice and love your harp playing.
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Taking a Lesson from Chopin: Legato and Rubato - PHH 184
11/25/2024
Taking a Lesson from Chopin: Legato and Rubato - PHH 184
There are three ways we learn how to play the harp. The first and most obvious one is by doing. Playing and practicing is our “go to” method for learning. You can’t actually learn to play the harp without playing it. When my son was about 12 or 13, he fell madly in love with football. There weren’t any teams he could play on at his school or in our community, so he had to be content with playing football video games. Not the same thing, of course. Even so, when he got to high school and finally had the opportunity to play on a real team, he was actually surprised to find out how different the game was when he was on a real field instead of a virtual one. The second way we learn is by instruction, by having someone show us how to advance our skills or teach us new ones. In today’s world there are countless ways to get instruction: lessons, coachings, videos, online courses. But instruction can teach us more than how to get our fingers to obey our commands. For example, a music theory class can help us learn the elements of music like keys, harmony, melody, structure and form. That’s an important part of our harp playing too. Today, though, we’re going to talk about the third way to learn to play the harp, and that’s through music itself. This is the part of learning that goes beyond the doing, beyond the fingers, notes and rhythm, to discovering how music communicates and learning how we can communicate it through our harp playing. This may be an advanced concept, but the methods we are learning today (going back to learning method two, instruction) are ones every harpist at every skill level can and should use. We are going to talk about how music can show you how to be more musical. If that sounds a little circular, don’t worry. I’ll sort it all out for you. Our particular focus areas today will be two techniques that are extra challenging for harpists, more so than for other instrumentalists. We’re talking about legato and rubato, and we are going to be looking at them through the music of two pianist/composers, John Field and Frederic Chopin. Whether you’ve played their music or not, there is a lot for us all to learn from them, so get ready for some beautiful music and some ideas you can use to make your own playing more expressive and beautiful. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Join our 12 Days of Harp Happiness 2025: Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-184
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How to Focus on Doing Less to Get More Done - PHH 183
11/18/2024
How to Focus on Doing Less to Get More Done - PHH 183
Are you feeling a little bit scattered or unsettled at the moment? It’s no wonder. Chaos is all around us in this crazy world, and there’s precious little we can do to fix it. But the chaos in our own personal harp world is something completely different. If you’re feeling any chaos or overwhelm about your harp playing, I have good news for you; this kind of chaos is something you can fix. Absolutely. Even in a year when we aren’t bombarded on every side by messages of gloom and doom, these last few weeks of the year are hectic. In the midst of the holiday festive preparations and the holiday music preparation, we struggle to find focus. There have been times in the past when I have alternated between frantic practice sessions and times when I’ve tried to practice but ended up just sitting at the harp, unable to figure out what I should be practicing. There was so much I felt I should be doing, that finding the focus to actually do any of it was nearly impossible. Those were frustrating and demoralizing times, for sure. Of course, that “too much to do and too little time to do it” feeling isn’t exclusive to the holidays, but today, as the holiday countdown is beginning, seemed like a good day to sort out the harp overwhelm so you can put these ideas for finding focus into action now. We’ll talk about the three kinds of overload - the overload we create, the overload we accept and the overload we imagine - and I’ll share how I deal with them. I also want to help you explore the most common “focus fiends,” the habits we think are helpful but are actually robbing us of our time, energy and yes, harp happiness. We’ll banish the sneaky “focus fiends” and start hanging out with some new “focus friends.” Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Join our ! Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-183
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More Than Dynamics: Uncovering the Real Secret to Musical Expression - PHH 182
11/11/2024
More Than Dynamics: Uncovering the Real Secret to Musical Expression - PHH 182
“What can I do to make my music more expressive?” If I’ve been asked that question once, I’ve been asked it a thousand times. This isn’t a beginner question, either. It usually is a question of an intermediate level player. Once harpists achieve a fair level of technical competency, they have enough bandwidth to consider how to make their playing more musical. Until that point, it’s all about getting the right fingers on the right strings. Naturally enough, most of us look to the dynamics to make our music more expressive. It’s a good plan. Following the dynamic markings that the composer has included allows us a glimpse of what the composer intended the music to be. Dynamics create differentiation in the music that helps a listener hear the intent of the music as well. And dynamics add variety so our music is more interesting. Dynamics are a great place to start if you’re ready to make your playing more expressive. Usually, however, the harpists who ask me about making their music more expressive are already working at the dynamics. That’s why they’re asking the question; they aren’t sure why their music still doesn’t sound the way they want. Today, I’m going to share my ideas on the techniques of musical expression that lie beyond the dynamics. I’m talking big picture concepts here, ideas that will, I hope, change the entire way you approach your music from practicing to performing it. These ideas are for every harpist at every level; beginners can use them and advanced harpists can always use a reminder about them. Every piece, whether it’s super simple or virtuoso concert repertoire, can and should be played expressively and beautifully. It’s not about the number of notes you can play or the speed or facility of your fingers. It’s about finding the musical heart of what you play and not being afraid to put your own heart into it. Don’t let that scare you, though. I have some ultra-practical strategies for you that will help you make your music as expressive as you want it to be. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Join me at our February Getaway retreat. ! Don’t miss our Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-182
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The Fourth Thing You Need to Know About Rolling Chords - PHH 181
11/04/2024
The Fourth Thing You Need to Know About Rolling Chords - PHH 181
When you think of harp music, is there a characteristic harp sound that comes to mind, a musical gesture that belongs to the harp more than to any other instrument? A glissando, maybe? That’s certainly one of them, and a favorite of mine. Another one that I find very powerful and very harp-y is a rolled chord. Harps were meant to play chords, especially rolled chords. They sound liquid and rich, even plummy. You can listen to an orchestral recording and when the harpist plays a rolled chord, you know it. It’s almost as if everything melts for a moment. If you want to check out some of those moments, just stick with me because we’ll be talking about a couple. But I also want to talk to you about how to make your rolled chords sound just that magical. In my opinion, we often forget that our rolled chords play a significant role in our musical expression. I hear so many harpists playing their chords blocked or flat when the music clearly calls for a chord that’s more lush and romantic. In fact, this is one of my pet peeves and something I’m likely to go into a rant over given the opportunity. I’m not ashamed about this though. I felt totally vindicated when I was in a workshop given at the World Harp Congress by the famous French harpist Isabelle Perrin. She was talking about the opening chords of the Fauré Impromptu, and suddenly she was off on a rant just like mine. The frustration she expressed was that too many harpists play blocked chords all the time, when rolled chords would be infinitely more musical. She didn’t know it, but she was ranting to the choir, where I was concerned. Rolled chords are part of the native language of the harp. Today I want to help you roll them well, to understand how to fit them in and most of all, how to use them to add expression to your music. We’ll explore the differences between flat, cracked and rolled chords. We’ll deal with some of the critical technical aspects of rolled chords, too. But mainly, I want you to learn how to love them and how to use them to create more depth of expression, more beauty in everything you play. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Our November Seminar series on rolling chords is starting - Related resource: Podcast episode #92, Listen to Marilyn Costello with the Philadelphia Orchestra, playing ; the from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, and . Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-181
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How to be Better than Perfect - PHH 180
10/28/2024
How to be Better than Perfect - PHH 180
The sinking of the unsinkable Titanic still fascinates us all over a hundred years after the disaster. It’s the subject of all sorts of speculation and theories, and there’s one of those that is actually relevant to our topic today. The question is this: if the Titanic crew had performed all the safety drills they were supposed to, if there had been enough lifeboats and if the passengers had been drilled in lifeboat procedures, would so many have perished when the ship went down? Some people have noted that a routine safety drill on the fateful Sunday morning was not held. This has been attributed to several factors including high winds and the morning church service on the ship. Even with that, however, there was only lifeboat accommodation for about half of the passengers and crew onboard. Was the ship thought to be so well-designed that safety preparedness could be relaxed? Probably not. But the safety regulations for passenger ships that we have today came in part out of the hard lessons of the sinking of the Titanic. In fact, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was established in 1914 following the disaster, and mandated, among other things, that ships carry sufficient lifeboats for everyone onboard. So what’s relevant in this story for us? If you’ve ever worked hard to make your piece bullet-proof or crash-proof or otherwise “unsinkable,” you may have been ignoring some of the important preparation to help not only prevent performance disaster, but to recover from it. When you’re preparing to play a piece, expecting that mistakes will happen and learning to recover from them is the most important part of your practice. You can hope that you won’t make any mistakes, but if you haven’t prepared for how to meet them if they happen, you’re playing a dangerous game. The icebergs are there and you may or may not hit them. But just as some emergency preparedness may have saved lives aboard the Titanic, your harp emergency preparedness could save your performance too. On today’s show, we’ll explore the myths around mistakes, perfection, excellence and safe performance preparation procedures. There’s a lot for you to learn in this episode, so grab your cup of coffee and let’s get started. And - safety first! - don’t forget to buckle your seat belt! Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: We’ve announced our November Seminar Series - ! Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-180
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Why Harpist Beginners Need Bach Too - PHH 179
10/21/2024
Why Harpist Beginners Need Bach Too - PHH 179
A little while back, I did a podcast episode about the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and why I believe studying and playing that music is so important for harpists. If you want to go back and listen to that episode, it is Episode 154, and I will put a link to that episode in the show notes. Understandably, after that podcast aired, I was asked why I was emphasizing the music of Bach who didn’t write anything that we know of for harp, when there are brilliant harp composers whose music we could study. I agree that studying music written for the harp is important for every harpist. But the music of Bach has been considered foundational for generations of music students, and it’s no less important for us harpists. In fact, it is precisely because Bach didn’t write for harp that we need to be extra-intentional about including his music in our studies. There is a drawback, however. The difficulty factor of much of his music makes it inaccessible to beginning students, and beginning students, particularly adult beginners, could benefit so much from studying his music. So today, I have three goals. First, I’ll show you what you can learn, even as a beginner harpist, from Bach’s music and I’ll demonstrate how you can learn it. Second, I’ll share a practice page that you can use as a warm-up or for more practice on this material. And most importantly, in the course of our time together today, I want to help you connect with the beauty in Bach’s music. Even though he never wrote anything for harp, he surely did write music that is beautiful, even transcendent, when it’s played on the harp. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Related resource podcast Get the Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-179
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Gentle Strengthening for a Weak Finger - PHH 178
10/14/2024
Gentle Strengthening for a Weak Finger - PHH 178
There are plenty of things we can muscle through: fatigue, a headache, the last email, the last pot to wash, paying the bills. But we can’t muscle through harp playing, especially when it comes to our fingers. For all that we talk about strong fingers and considering how hard we work them, they and the bones, tendons and muscles that support them are relatively fragile. So when we talk about strengthening our fingers, we don’t want to do any more heavy lifting. Today on the podcast, we are going to talk about how to train your weakest fingers to be stronger by training them the right way, gently. What do we mean by saying a finger is weak? How do you know if a finger, or even more than one finger, is weak? Weak fingers can manifest themselves in one of four ways. First, you may have knuckles that collapse or lock up. When this happens, your finger may feel like it gets stuck on the string or frozen; it won’t move when you want. Or it may play unevenly or unintentionally play more than one string at a time. Second, it may not have the same tone or volume as the other fingers. It might be louder or softer. It can feel like the volume knob is broken. Third, it may feel awkward or uncoordinated, compared to your other fingers. It may not place accurately. It may not play well in combination with other fingers. Lastly, it may not be independent. Actually, lack of independence is at the heart of some of these other issues, too. When your fingers can function independently, they have good dynamic control and can play evenly and equally with the other fingers in whatever combination is called for. Clearly, this doesn’t mean that every time you stumble over a fingering, it’s because of weak fingers. More likely, you just have a new finger pattern to learn. But a finger that causes you to constantly accommodate it, is a weak finger. And today, you’re going to learn exactly what to do about it. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Get the for iPhone and iPad. Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-178
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No Sense of Rhythm? The 3 Step Cure - PHH 177
10/06/2024
No Sense of Rhythm? The 3 Step Cure - PHH 177
Do you have no sense of rhythm? Has someone told you that you have no sense of rhythm? Or do you sometimes wonder if you do? Right off the bat, let me tell you that if someone said that to you, I know they are dead wrong. In the first place, I don’t believe that people can be so connected and drawn to music that they commit themselves to studying and learning an instrument for years without an innate sense of rhythm. Rhythm, like any other musical skill, is a subject that is studied intentionally in music schools. It’s not a topic that is merely left to chance with an “either you got it or you don’t” philosophy. The great Elvis Presley said, “Rhythm is something you either have or you don’t, but when you have it, you have it all over.” However, his meaning and our investigations into a sense of rhythm are somewhat different. My point is that if you think you need to develop your sense of rhythm, you probably do; so do we all. A sense of rhythm is completely trainable. After all, we all live our entire lives with rhythm. Actually, we are rhythm - in our heartbeat, our pulse, our breath. Rhythm is as natural to us as breathing; in fact, it is breathing. So why is it so hard? My observations have led me to the conclusion that although we have a sense of rhythm, we frequently don’t obey it. Even worse, we often actively ignore it. We actually choose not to play in rhythm. Our sense of rhythm is there; we just flip the switch and turn it off. It’s usually not intentional, and that’s the good news. All we have to do is find the switch to flip it back on, and it’s really not so difficult. All you have to do is believe and commit to one sentence, an attitude you need to adopt, at least for the duration of this podcast and, I hope, a lot longer. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Get the for iPhone and iPad. Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-177
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Powerful Practice with the Five Focus Areas - PHH 176
09/30/2024
Powerful Practice with the Five Focus Areas - PHH 176
Ten years ago, I wrote a small book. It was my response to the frustration I observed some harpists experiencing. These harpists were diligent in their practice and dedicated to doing everything right. But they still weren’t able to play their music the way they wanted. Some told me that they just couldn’t get the notes, the fingering and the placing correct. Others said they couldn’t get their music anywhere near an appropriate tempo. Some couldn’t look at their hands and the music at the same time. Others couldn’t make their music flow. And none of them seemed to be able to discover a solution to their problem. I started asking harpists questions, in order to find out a little more about what the real source of each of the issues might be. What I discovered was that, although the symptoms manifested differently in each individual, there was really only one problem, one that all of them shared. No one had ever told them how to practice. What I discovered in my own harp journey was that practice really wasn’t about what I thought it was. It isn’t enough just to play something over and over again until it’s right. The goal of practice isn’t perfection; it’s music. When your practice isn’t helping you make music, you can be pretty sure you’re doing it wrong. The right kind of practice starts with the right kind of focus. I’m not talking about mindset or concentration. I’m talking about practicing for the results you want, the results that are more than the right notes, results like flow, expression and musicality. That was the starting point for my book. Kaleidoscope Practice: Focus, Finish and Play the Way You’ve Always Wanted. I used the word focus to describe five focus areas which can serve to direct your practice so that you can actually play the music you start. I’d like to explain those focus areas to you today and give you some of my favorite practice tweaks that may revolutionize the way you think about your practice, the way they revolutionized mine. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Get the for iPhone and iPad. Check out the Kaleidoscope Practice ebook and PDF workbook, The Harpist’s Playbook . Related resource: blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-176
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Make Your Warm-up the Prelude to Your Practice - PHH 175
09/23/2024
Make Your Warm-up the Prelude to Your Practice - PHH 175
If I had to give the shortest possible explanation of what a daily harp warm-up is, it would be this: your warm-up is the prelude to your practice. Why a prelude? A prelude is most often defined as a short piece of music intended to be an introduction to a longer one. It sometimes uses musical themes or ideas which appear in the larger work, but the prelude’s most important function is to set the scene, the mood or the tone for what follows. That’s how I like to think about a warm-up. It sets the scene for your practice. It allows for a transition from your possible hectic daily non-harp life to a more calm and focused musical space. My warm-up, which I will tell you about later in the podcast, is a moment I truly treasure in my practice. It is also a temptation moment, which I will explain later too. I’ve talked about warm-ups on the podcast before. Episode 98 was a mini masterclass on warm-ups. Episode 120 was about three important skills that your warm-up could help you strengthen. I have linked to those episodes in the show notes so you can find them easily. But today, I want to talk about the warm-ups I recommend most often to my students and why I think they are so good. These may be warm-ups that you already use, and if that’s the case, I will give you some tips on how I think you can use them to your best advantage. If you have another warm-up that you like, these tips will help you get more out of that warm-up too. As I mentioned, I will also tell you what I do to warm-up. It doesn’t fit the conventional mold, but it does fit the main purposes that I believe are most important for any warm-up. That’s really the point of this episode today, to show you a different way to look at your warm-up so that your prelude to your practice can save you time, build your skills and be one of your favorite parts of your practice too. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: . Calling all iPhone and iPad users! ! Related podcast episodes: and Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-175
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5 “Good” Habits that Cost You Time - PHH 174
09/16/2024
5 “Good” Habits that Cost You Time - PHH 174
If you’re like me, you probably hate it when people change the rules in the middle of the game. I don’t necessarily mean in an actual game; that’s clearly wrong. But there are always new and better ways of doing things that require us to make a total change in what we do. Brush your teeth up and down, or side to side or in a circular motion. Drink 6 glasses of water a day, or 8 glasses or 4. Eggs are bad for you; eggs are good for you. It’s hard to keep up. Of course, these aren’t really rules at all. They’re just conventions, best practices which change in order to keep up with advances or new discoveries. Your practice is the same way. The habits and strategies that worked so well for you at an earlier stage of your harp life may not be as effective for you now that you have more experience. If you cling to those habits, you will likely slow down your learning speed, spending unnecessary time and energy. Today I will show you five habits, good ones, that may no longer be helping you. I am sure that you are committed to at least one of these five, and I want to help you move on to a new stage in your harp life. We won't just talk about the habits you should abandon, but we’ll talk about what new habits you should consider adopting to replace them. Remember, a habit should be a helper, an aid to doing what we need or want to do. But a habit is only a hindrance when we are ready for a better way. That’s what I want to help you discover today, a better way. Don’t think your practice habits need updating? If you’ve ever thought you could be learning music faster, or sight reading better or wished you had a stronger technique, then you’re ready for a refresh. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Register for my on Wednesday, September 25. Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-174
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10 Ways to Counteract Harp Chaos - PHH 173
09/09/2024
10 Ways to Counteract Harp Chaos - PHH 173
Do you remember the story of Chicken Little? This is a classic children’s story and like a lot of the classic stories there are multiple versions. The basic story goes something like this: An acorn falls from a tree and hits Chicken Little on the head which leads Chicken Little to conclude, erroneously, that the sky is falling. He decides he has to hurry and let the king know about this calamity. Along the way, he collects some of his bird friends - Henny Penny, Lucky Ducky, Goosey Loosey, Turkey Lurkey - who are similarly terrified by the idea of the sky falling and join him on his journey to see the king. The classic story then comes to a climax in classic gruesome children’s story fashion. They meet up with Foxy Loxy who pretends to join them but actually lures them to his den and eats them. I don’t think any of us are going to be eaten by Foxy Loxy today, but Chicken Little’s flurry of anxiety is not that different from what many harpists experience in their practice and performance. Chicken Little’s misperception of a perfectly natural phenomenon - the acorn falling - created widespread panic which could have been averted with just a little understanding. The panic, anxiety or even chaos that we can feel when we are overwhelmed by performance nerves or when we aren’t sure that our practice is getting us anywhere, can be relieved too. All it takes is looking at it differently. Today, I’m going to talk about ten things that may be causing you anxiety, hopefully not panic, in your practicing and in your playing. I’ll give you simple ways to change your thinking about each of these, along with definite action steps to counteract the chaos. Trust me; no matter how nervous or overwhelmed you feel, the sky isn’t falling. Every one of those painful acorns could actually grow into a mighty oak that will support your playing, if you decide to plant it rather than run from it. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Related resource Flux-ibility: blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-173
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Why You Need to Have a Harp Role Model (or Be One) - PHH 172
09/02/2024
Why You Need to Have a Harp Role Model (or Be One) - PHH 172
We are the product of our influencers. The current wisdom says that if you want to know what a person is really like, look at their circle of friends. The thinking goes further to posit that if you want to elevate yourself, whether in your income, your fitness, your intellect or your spirituality, you need to associate with those who have the attributes you would like to develop. It’s not just that you adopt the habits and thoughts of the people you associate with; your brain patterns actually change. In the 1950’s a Swarthmore College psychologist named Solomon Asch observed an interesting phenomenon. A group of volunteer subjects was asked to estimate the length of a straight black line drawn on a white card. Asch discovered that each person’s estimate was dependent on the estimation of everyone else in the group. People actually saw the line differently based on the opinion of the people with them. Physiologically, the brain craves reward, which it receives when we have our own ideas or thoughts confirmed by the people around us. When our ideas are opposed to those around us, the pain center of the brain, the anterior insula, is activated. We could choose to remain silent and not express our different ideas. Our brain, however, is wired to change our ideas to conform with those around us. A network formed of the anterior insula and the medial frontal cortex registers the difference between our ideas and those of others as an error and becomes active to try to eliminate the difference. Fascinating and a little scary. Our brain is more active in adjusting our choices and our attitudes than we are aware. This is why it is so important to choose your circle of friends wisely. This is also why it is important to choose your circle of harp friends, and your harp role models, wisely. Today, I will share the qualities that I think are important in a harp role model, starting with the qualities I admired in the harp role models I had early in my harp life and how they influenced me in ways I am only just beginning to realize. My hope is that this will help you discover more harp role models to inspire your harp life, and maybe even help you be a role model for other harpists yourself. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-172
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A Recipe for Creativity: How to Arrange Anything - PHH 171
08/26/2024
A Recipe for Creativity: How to Arrange Anything - PHH 171
Do you think of yourself as creative? From time to time, a harpist will tell me that she doesn’t feel she is very creative, at least not in a musical way. I instinctively challenge this, because I believe that anyone who persists in studying the harp for more than a few months is nurturing a gift and a desire that is, at its essence, creative. I also believe, though, that much of our practice and pedagogy shifts us away from the creative spirit. This is unfortunate, to say the least. We risk drowning our enthusiasm for the joy of creating music in the hard work that is part of studying it and learning to do it well. There are endless ways to add more creativity into your harp playing. Certainly, musical expression is creative, but that’s just scratching the surface. I’ve linked in the show notes to a blog post in the Harp Mastery® archives that outlines just a couple ways to add creativity to your practice. But there are so many ways that the harp can not only be an outlet for our creativity, but can actually help our creativity develop. One of those ways is arranging music. Today we are going to explore arranging music as a creative exercise. Maybe you’ve never tried arranging music, at least not beyond adapting a piano piece for the harp. Maybe you’ve arranged lots of pieces and even published your arrangements. Whichever group you fall into, the approach we are going to take today will help you stretch your creative powers in a logical step-by-step, but still creative, way. If that sounds like a contradiction in terms, it is, but that’s where the artistic process of music lies, at the intersection of intuition and intention. If arranging sounds like something you’d like to do but haven’t tried because you’re not sure how to go about it, you’re going to love this simple step-by-step approach which will work with classical pieces, folk tunes, hymns, pop songs, any kind of music. If you’ve done arrangements before, you’ll find this approach may really simplify your creative process and give you some new ideas to try as well. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Mindset and Method workshops at the Harp Mastery® Fall Retreat! ! Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-171
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Performance Nerves: An Impromptu Discussion - PHH 170
08/19/2024
Performance Nerves: An Impromptu Discussion - PHH 170
I don’t know if you know this, but most Mondays I hold a live video call. I call it our Live Monday Warm-Up, and that’s how it started, as a simple warm-up for anyone who wanted to join me. But like most things, it has morphed over time and now it’s actually a warm-up and a mini-masterclass on harp technique. I love these Monday calls and look forward to them each week, not just because I love to teach, but because I love to interact with the harpists that show up and participate with me. They are a pretty loyal group and I will take this opportunity to give them a shout out for showing up every week. You can join us any Monday you like. The calls are free and we stream them through the Harp Mastery® Hub and live on our YouTube channel. On a recent Monday, though, the call went a completely different direction from what I had planned. We were going to practice fourth finger slides, but a chance comment in the chat started me off on a 25 minute discussion about performance nerves. It was an incredible discussion with many powerful ideas on that call, not just from me but also from the other harpists on the call, and I wanted to share the recording with you here on the podcast. I’ve edited out the actual warm-up portion of the call, and please remember that this was a live call so you’ll hear me talking off the cuff, totally extemporaneously. You’ll also be able to tell how passionate I am about this topic, one that is absolutely vital to every harpist’s harp happiness. You will definitely want a pen and paper to take notes, because there are lots of words of wisdom here, from me and from the others on the call. And I’ll be back at the end with some final thoughts for you. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Want more on performance preparedness? ! Join us on the Live Monday Warm-Ups in or on . Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-170
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Winning the War of the Rhythms: How to Master 2 Against 3 - PHH 169
08/12/2024
Winning the War of the Rhythms: How to Master 2 Against 3 - PHH 169
Juggling. Patting your head and rubbing your tummy. Walking and chewing gum. Coordination challenges come in all levels of difficulty. Playing hands together is another one, but it’s one that we harpists eventually get comfortable with. Your right hand does one thing and your left hand does another. For the most part, everything works out, until we encounter polyrhythm, that is. What’s polyrhythm? The technical definition of polyrhythm is one of those dictionary definitions that cause more confusion than it clears up. According to the New Harvard Dictionary of Music, polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. I warned you. In terms that are probably more meaningful to you, 2 against 3 is an example of polyrhythm. In a general sense, it is two rhythms that don’t normally go together and that, as a consequence, present a rhythmic coordination problem when you try to play them. A group of two notes, as in two eighth notes, played with your right hand at the same time as your left hand plays an eighth note triplet is a very common example of what I’m talking about. And these rhythmic challenges crop up everywhere from the music of Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms to Chopin and Debussy to folk music. So today, I’m going to help lower the difficulty factor of these rhythms for you. We’ll start with a perspective which may be a different one from the one you’re used to. Hint: it’s not all about the math. I’ll show you the best ways to practice them and how I think you shouldn’t practice them. If these rhythms always stop you in your tracks, we will try to clear the tracks and get you moving today. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: ! Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-169
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Lessons from a Harp Reunion - PHH 168
08/05/2024
Lessons from a Harp Reunion - PHH 168
Today I’m doing something different on the podcast. I don’t usually talk about what’s happening in my life because this podcast is not all about me; it’s really all about you, me and our harp playing. That means I talk about what I think is important for you to be able to enjoy your harp playing at every step of your harp journey. But a few weeks ago, I participated in an event that reminded me about some essential truths, concepts that have made the difference for me in my journey, and which I think may make a difference in yours as well. That event was the first, and likely the only, reunion of harpists who attended the Salzedo Summer Harp Colony in Camden, Maine. In terms of numbers, the alumni who attended the event represented a small fraction of the harpists who studied there between its founding in 1931 and the early 2000’s when the program ended. But for those of us who were there, the reunion was an event like no other. So today, I want to tell you a little about the Colony itself, about what studying there was like, about the impact it had on me as a young student and most, importantly, the powerful lessons I learned - or perhaps relearned is a better word - at the reunion. These lessons aren’t exclusive to classical music harp players or those who use the Salzedo technique; they are for us all. And I guarantee you will enjoy learning a little about this unique harp experience, one that no longer exists and will never be replicated. I would like to also state clearly that although I am no spring chicken, I never studied with Carlos Salzedo. I did study with his pupils for almost all of my harp life, including my summers in Camden. I just wanted to be clear about that in case you try to put a timeline together in your head as you listen. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Attention teachers! ! Link to the Salzedo Harp Colony Reunion article in the . Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-168
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Practicing Contentment: How to Balance Progress and Pleasure - PHH 167
07/29/2024
Practicing Contentment: How to Balance Progress and Pleasure - PHH 167
Right now, I’m in a tug-of-war with myself. Usually, I’m all about helping my students and pushing myself to set goals, to find the next level, to discover more harp happiness through progress and growth. But it’s summertime, and I’m facing a tough choice between leveling up or lazing in the sun. I will admit that sometimes the sun wins. This struggle isn’t just a summertime struggle, though. In our harp playing, we are continually caught between two opposing ideas: to achieve and accomplish or to simply enjoy. It’s not just about lazing in the sun. It’s really the conflict between the two ways we approach the harp each day. Do we practice? Or do we play? Ideally, of course, we do both. Playing the harp means exactly that - playing music. Practicing the harp includes all the woodshedding, the repetition, the struggle to clean up notes and fingers and rhythms and make our playing (note that word again!) the best it can be. In a perfect world, our practice would be balanced between the two, with both in fair, if not exactly equal, measure. This idea of harp balance is one that I like to revisit from time to time. It helps me keep or maybe regain my perspective. Am I doing enough in-depth work, or too much, or not enough? Mostly, it helps me remember why I am sitting at the harp in the first place, because I love to play the harp. That’s what underlies every moment I spend improving my technique, or drilling a few tricky measures, or memorizing a piece for a recital. It’s the motivation for my teaching and even for this podcast. I know you love playing the harp and I want to help you continue to love it. So that’s what we are going to dive into today, how to regain your harp playing balance. We’ll talk about how the various parts of your playing and practice fit together. And I’ll share how to make sure that your harp playing goals don’t get in the way of your harp playing contentment. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Coaching Registration opens soon. ! Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-167
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Music in Motion: The Art of the Graceful Gesture - PHH 166
07/22/2024
Music in Motion: The Art of the Graceful Gesture - PHH 166
Many harpists can remember the first time they saw someone play the harp. The harp itself looked magnificent: tall, majestic, maybe gold. The harpist might have looked magnificent too, maybe a lovely lady in a flowing gown. The harp and the harpist together made an impressive picture. No wonder people want to play the harp. More than any other instrument, the harp is decorative. It makes a visual statement just sitting in a corner. And when it speaks, it’s magic. We can all agree on that much. But there’s more to a harpist’s appearance than just sitting behind the harp in beautiful clothes. There’s a more important visual aspect to playing the harp, one that draws a lot more debate, and that is what we look like when we play. I’m not talking about any funny faces we might make. I’m talking about how we gesture with our arms. To an audience, harp gestures look graceful. We harpists know, though, that there is musical purpose behind them. While different harp playing methods have varying ideas about the look of harp gestures, most agree about their importance to our playing. And while they look lovely, those gestures aren’t easy. They are awkward to practice and they feel unnatural at first. Today, I’ll talk about how to make your harp gestures graceful and musical. We’ll review how to practice them and why you should. Trust me, you absolutely should. It doesn’t matter what harp method may be in your background, the basic principles are the same. And if you’ve always felt just a little awkward or self-conscious trying to be graceful at the harp, this discussion should make you feel a lot more comfortable. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Just for teachers! ! Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-166
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5 Techniques for Your Left Hand - PHH 165
07/15/2024
5 Techniques for Your Left Hand - PHH 165
I was googling around the internet the other day when I ran into an article that began with this question: “I have completely different fingerprint patterns on both hands. On my right, each finger has a very distinct and similar loop pattern. But on my left hand each finger has a distinct whorl pattern. Why does this happen?” According to the article, there is not a definitive scientific answer for this, but the question still intrigues me, particularly in light of our topic for today. In harp playing, our right and left hands have very distinctive roles, at least most of the time. Our right hand usually plays melody while our left hand plays an accompaniment. Most of the time, the melody that our right hand plays is made up of connected notes. Our fingers need to place from one note to the next to make the melody sound singing and smooth. Our left hand accompaniment, though, is often made up of chords and low notes, so that our hand needs to lift to negotiate the necessary jumps between octaves. Our hands may be playing the same harp, but they’re doing very different things. Usually it’s our right hand that gets the spotlight, but today we are going to focus on the left hand. I want to walk you through the technical details of some of the most important patterns the left hand plays, as well as help you prepare your left hand for those moments when it gets the spotlight. These five key techniques will help your left hand be ready for anything that comes its way. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Just for teachers! Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-165
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Supercharged Sections: Put More Power in Your Practice - PHH 164
07/08/2024
Supercharged Sections: Put More Power in Your Practice - PHH 164
I love riddles. Here’s an oldie but goodie for you. What’s the best way to eat an elephant? One bite at a time. So what’s the best way to learn a piece? One bite at a time, obviously. It’s just that what constitutes a bite isn’t very obvious. How big is a bite? Is it a measure, a phrase or a page? Is it hands separately or hands together? And how come the bites that worked for that piece don’t work for this piece? Dividing your pieces into sections is the way you create your “bites,” but there are lots of ways to section a piece, and no two pieces will have exactly the same sections. Sometimes finding the sections is easy. We can look at the piece and see an introduction, a first verse, a second verse and an ending. Those are the kind of sections that help us understand the piece. Then there are the sections that help us practice the piece. These are typically fewer measures and a little more bite-sized, if you will. Lastly, there are the spot practice sections, those measures in the piece that are sticking points for us and take extra work. Of course, it isn’t just about labeling the sections. Understanding how to section your pieces at those three levels, why each of those is important, and how to practice each kind of section will make the difference. Correct section practice will save you practice time, help you structure your practice and help you prepare for performance. Many of the most common mistakes we worry about in performance, like losing your place in the music, recovering from a missed fingering or pedal, and going on autopilot, are easily resolved when you’ve prepared your piece in sections properly. That’s why I know that sections can supercharge your practice, and that’s what we’re talking about today. So grab paper and pencil and get ready to take some notes. Even if you’re an experienced section practicer, you’re going to get a slightly different perspective on your sections today. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Be the first to know. Join the . Enjoy some Fall Freedom Florida-style at our Fall Retreat. Learn more . Podcast Episode 107: Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-164
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Repetition in Your Practice: Are You Doing Too Much? - PHH 163
07/01/2024
Repetition in Your Practice: Are You Doing Too Much? - PHH 163
In my family, my grandmother’s sister was pretty much our favorite aunt. Aunt Dolie was sweet and generous, although she never had very much of her own and worked very hard all her life for what she did have. She was a gentle soul and totally without worldly savvy. She lacked a lot of practical knowledge, what we would call “know-how,” But that didn’t mean she was without courage. Hence, this family legend I am about to relate to you. When Aunt Dolie was in her fifties, she decided she wanted to learn how to drive. As a city person, she had always used public transportation or relied on my grandparents for rides to the store or to the doctors. My grandfather helped her find a driving instructor. He knew that teaching her himself would likely push his patience past the breaking point. The driving instructor showed up for Aunt Dolie’s first driving lesson. They successfully navigated the difficulties of starting the car and pulling away from the curb. The instructor made sure she stopped at the stop sign at the corner, told her to signal for a right turn and then turn the corner. Aunt Dolie hesitated and asked him, “How many times do I turn the wheel?” At that moment, it became clear to the instructor that she would never become a confident or even a safe driver. It was her last driving lesson and her last attempt at driving. So what’s the point of this story for us? I am often asked a question that is just as difficult to answer. Fortunately, though, if it’s a question you have had - and most of us have wondered about this sometime - just asking the question doesn’t mean you have to give up harp playing, the way my aunt had to give up the idea of driving. The question is this: how many times should I repeat a passage or a piece in my practice? It’s a good question, even if it doesn’t have an easy answer. The key lies in understanding what repetition can and can’t do for you. We’ll talk about how to avoid repetition burnout as well as how to be efficient with the repetitions that you really must do in order to play with accuracy and security. Can I give you a magic number? Nope. But I will show you how to find a number that works for you. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Plan your autumn harp happiness now. . Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-163
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3 Mistakes Harpists Make With Gigs with Candace Lark - PHH 162
06/24/2024
3 Mistakes Harpists Make With Gigs with Candace Lark - PHH 162
I rarely have guests on the podcast, but today I’m so happy to be sharing the show with my dear friend and my former student turned colleague, harpist Candace Lark, If you’re a My Harp Mastery member or in our coaching program, you will already know and love Candace, because she is one of our Certified Coaches and helped me to found our Harp Quest program for young student harpists. But if you haven’t had the chance to meet her yet, you are in for a treat. Candace isn’t only an extremely busy professional harpist, playing with all kinds of ensembles and in all kinds of venues (spoiler alert: she’ll tell us later about playing at Will Smith’s house), but she has another aspect to her musical life as well. Utilizing her years of performing and teaching experience, she created an online business called The Happy Musician Coaching. Her coaching helps musicians, not just harpists, create and meet specific goals while cultivating a mindset for musical success. That’s what we will be talking about today, success, specifically being successful as a gigging harpist by avoiding some of the career-ending pitfalls and mistakes. Let’s face it; sometimes knowing what NOT TO do is even more important than knowing what TO do. If you’re an experienced harpist who’s played a lot of performances, you will find a lot of our conversation will resonate with you, and you will find some new ideas to help you make your gigging life easier. If you’re just starting out, Candace’s tips will save you tons of frustration and anxiety. And if you’ve never played a gig because you aren’t sure how the whole thing works, trust me, you absolutely need to hear this. Be sure to listen to the entire interview, because at the end, Candace has a couple of great resources just for our podcast listeners. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: , free for podcast listeners! Special for podcast listeners! get 50% off a with Candace when you use the code HARPMASTERY24 (all caps) Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-0162
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String Strategies for Summertime or Anytime - PHH 161
06/17/2024
String Strategies for Summertime or Anytime - PHH 161
They say that only two things in life are certain, death and taxes. But if you’re a harpist you know there is a third certainty; at some point, often at the wrong point, you’re going to break a string. I remember one performance with my flutist friend Joan when one of my high strings broke as I played it at the end of a glissando near the end of the piece we were playing. When we had finished the piece, I began to change the string while she joked with the audience that the string had broken on time and in tune. We had been playing concerts together for years at that point so she also gave the harp talk to the audience while I finished changing and tuning the string. Not all string breakage is so convenient, of course. A few years ago, I was playing a big flashy solo piece as part of a program with various performers. The piece was Salzedo’s “Variations on a Theme in the Old Style,” The piece is in G Major and it’s about 12 minutes long. I was less than a minute into the piece when I broke the last string I would have expected to break, the lowest wire G string on the harp. In many pieces, that wouldn’t have been an issue, but this string was part of every variation from beginning to end, and in fact, was in the last chord of the piece. It was critical. Two thoughts flashed simultaneously through my mind. First, I’m going to have to stop and fix this string. Second, I had not only broken a string, but I had broken the most important rule for any harpist playing anywhere. Instead of having all my strings with me backstage, I had left my wire string set in my car which was in the parking garage a couple of blocks away. Not good. While a broken string is a fact of every harpist’s life, it doesn’t have to be a disaster, even in a performance, as long as you have the right replacement string and you know how to tie the all-important knot. On today’s show, we’ll review string care, string storage, the different kinds of strings and which to choose for your harp, and I’ll even give you some knot-tying tips. All of these are really important as we here in the northern hemisphere come into high summer, which is a season of high string breakage. But how did I resolve my broken string dilemma? Here’s a hint: it was solved in a most surprising and simple way and without running to the parking garage. I’ll tell you the whole story later in the show. As they say, stay tuned! Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Plan ahead for some focused harp time. Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-161
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The Other Side of Harp Playing: How to Develop Your Musicianship - PHH 160
06/10/2024
The Other Side of Harp Playing: How to Develop Your Musicianship - PHH 160
Maybe you’ve noticed or maybe you haven’t, but these podcasts are organized into three different categories. One category is “Practice and Performing” and another is “Music and Meaning.” The third category is “Technique and Musicianship.” Technique is one of those self-explanatory items, but musicianship probably needs a little more description. A common dictionary definition of musicianship is “the skill or artistry involved in performing music.” Other definitions include the word “knowledge” along with skill and artistry. Musicianship as a category is so broad that it actually encompasses everything about playing music except for technique, although technique obviously has a role to play in musicianship as well. I like to define musicianship as the craft of music. It is the part of playing music that is common to musicians whatever instrument they play, or whether they sing or compose. For us harpists, it’s everything about music that is not specifically related to the harp. It’s note reading and music theory, rhythm and expression, music history and interpretation. There is so much to musicianship that it can feel overwhelming. Where do you begin to start developing your personal musicianship skills? For our discussion today, I want to start with two important ideas. First, you already have a level of musicianship skills. You’re not starting from scratch. Developing your musicianship is a process, just like developing your repertoire or your technique. And secondly, I want to offer a new way to consider musicianship. It’s a slightly different perspective, one we will work with today that will help you identify specific things you can do and are already doing to become the musician - and harpist - you want to be. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: to access our Live Monday Warm-Ups. Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-160
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Could You Learn a Piece in a Day? - PHH 159
06/03/2024
Could You Learn a Piece in a Day? - PHH 159
At one of our Harp Mastery® retreats several years ago. I presented a workshop called “Learn Anything Fast.” That sounds like a pretty ambitious topic, and I imagine that some of the retreaters were a little skeptical. After all, learning a piece of music takes time. But my point in that workshop was this: does it have to take as much time as it’s taking you now? There’s no golden rule about how long it should take you to learn a piece. That’s something students would often love to know, and it would be wonderful if each piece came with a guarantee, like all those infomercials have: Learn this piece in 30 days or your money back! There is no “30 day guarantee” for a piece, because each harpist approaches each piece with a different set of individual skills and strengths. Each piece requires specific skills, either technical skills or musicianship skills or both. How long it takes you to learn a piece is a combination of the demands of the piece, your own skill development relative to those demands and the systems or learning habits you bring to the piece. That’s where I think we can make big changes, the kind of changes that could drastically shorten your learning timeline for any piece. So on today's show, we are going to look at what exactly goes into learning a piece, skills you already have in your pocket that can help you learn that piece faster, and I’ll give you some tips to tweak your learning system so you can leapfrog ahead and start playing that piece sooner. In one day? Maybe. Let’s find out. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Our next Harp Mastery® retreat is in Kissimmee, Florida from October 9 to October 13. Learn more and . Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-159
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Memorization Basics: How to Make It Stick - PHH 158
05/27/2024
Memorization Basics: How to Make It Stick - PHH 158
In a world of sticky notes, Gorilla Glue and tape that can hold a leaky boat together, why can’t we make a piece of music stick in our fingers? Does this sound familiar? We sit down at the harp on Monday with fresh spirit and energy and we dig into the music we want to learn. Tuesday we repeat the process, feeling very virtuous. On Wednesday, we are a little disappointed that we don’t see any progress from our practice. Thursday, we decide that it just needs a little more effort. On Friday, it seems like our fingers have forgotten everything we’ve been trying to teach them, so we take the rest of the weekend off and hope that next week will be better. And if we’re trying to memorize a piece, it can feel even more frustrating. It takes so long to see any progress. Our music just doesn’t seem to stick. We can put the blame in lots of places: the music is hard, we don’t have enough practice time, we’re too distracted to focus, we’re too old. Any of those things could be contributing factors. However, there are three important components in stickiness. One of them we understand; one of them we reluctantly accept. And the last one is the one I want to talk about today. The three factors are time, persistence, which I am going to call pushy patience, and observation, which I want you to think about as active understanding. The three of these factors together will make your music sticky whether you are memorizing it or not. They aren’t hard to understand in a theoretical sense, but you’ll want to hear the practice strategies I use to help my music stick, so that yours will stick too. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Chorale Challenge is wrapping up! Send in your entry by posting it in the in the Hub or emailing it to . Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-158
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10 Tips for Terrific Thumbs - PHH 157
05/20/2024
10 Tips for Terrific Thumbs - PHH 157
I was going through some old music the other day and came across a notation that made me smile. It was written in my best elementary school cursive script and read, “Thumbelina’s having trouble with her thumb.” I don’t even remember what piece of music it was on, but it could have been on just about any one. I always had trouble with my thumbs. In fact, most of my music has the words “Thumbs up” in my teacher’s handwriting somewhere on the page. I am double jointed, not to any circus freak level but in the more or less usual way. My thumbs bend backwards at the first knuckle. It’s not a big deal, not unless you’re a harpist, that is. It took me until I was sixteen to finally learn how to control my thumbs and have them play properly. What I learned in the process was exactly how crucial our thumbs are for our harp playing. Our thumbs actually have the ability to free our fingers to be relaxed and supple; used another way, our thumbs can just about immobilize our hands. They can play ringing melody notes or trip us up in a scale. A simple repositioning of your thumb can make all your other fingers sound better. So we are all thumbs, or maybe it would be better to say, everything you need to know about your thumb, on the podcast today. We’ll talk about how the position of your thumb affects the rest of your fingers and how a “long and strong” thumb can make everything you play a little easier and a lot prettier. And I’ll share 10 things you need to know about how your thumb works and how to make it work better. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Join the today. Watch our Unveiling Party video to check out our new website. Related resource: blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-157
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How to Prioritize Your Creativity and Still Get Ahead - PHH 156
05/13/2024
How to Prioritize Your Creativity and Still Get Ahead - PHH 156
Are you a free spirit, a rebel? Or maybe you just hate being told what to do? I have to admit that sometimes one or more of those labels fits me. Most of the time I toe the line but there are moments when I just don’t want to do the thing I know I should do. Now I’m not talking about anything illegal, immoral or dangerous. It’s more like sometimes I just don’t feel like practicing. Or maybe I’d rather play the new piece of music I just bought instead of slogging through those four measures that are giving me so much grief. Going over and over those four measures doesn’t feel like making beautiful music. It doesn’t feel creative, and even though it may make me feel a little virtuous when I’m finished, it doesn’t always bring me joy in the moment. Because playing the harp is not only as important to me as breathing but it’s my job, I know I need to buckle down and do the important work, and so I do. But that doesn’t mean that I have to shut my more creative side in a box somewhere. It does mean finding ways to nurture my more artistic side, feed those creative impulses and get my work done too. I’ve worked with students who struggle with trying to tame their own free, creative spirits and most of the time, trying to tame it doesn’t work. Creativity shouldn’t be, and truly isn’t, a force that hinders your practice. It can fuel your practice, helping you make progress faster at the same time that you’re enjoying it more. So if you’re one of those free spirits who resists having a practice plan, or just has trouble sticking to one, I’m here to help. I want to help you get a new perspective on what your practice could be like if it didn’t feel so much like homework and not like making music. This is also going to help those of you who battle shiny object syndrome and have stacks of music you’ve bought because you heard it and wanted to play it NOW. (Actually, I have to admit I fit into this category myself.) And if you are on the other side of the fence and the practice plan is no problem for you, but you’re not sure how to feel more creative, you’re going to find some interesting ideas in this show too. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Come to our Unveiling Party for the new My Harp Mastery website! Join us live in the or on Friday, May 17, 2024 at 11:00 AM Eastern time. Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-156
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Shaped, Stable, Supple: A New Approach to Technique - PHH 155
05/06/2024
Shaped, Stable, Supple: A New Approach to Technique - PHH 155
Have you ever had one of those moments when you wonder if you’ve been doing it all wrong? It might be something you have taken for granted, a habit maybe, or a process, something you thought was the perfect system. You always have done it that way, but suddenly you have a moment of doubt. Maybe it felt like a blinding flash of clarity; the clouds part and suddenly you see the thing in a new light. But just as quickly that clarity fades, and you are left with a nagging feeling that you’re missing something important. Maybe it’s just me. But I don’t think so. I think we all encounter things that we thought were working, until we see that maybe they aren’t. I think that many of us actually feel that way about our harp technique. We go along just fine for a while and then we hit a wall. There’s a piece or a performance that shakes things up and all of a sudden our technique doesn’t seem so trustworthy any more. We need to strengthen it, to sharpen our skills, maybe even rethink our technique altogether. I think that’s the right time to take a step back and look at what we really want from our technique. I’m not just talking about playing faster or with more control or having fingers that work better under pressure. Of course, we want all that. But at the most fundamental level, we don’t want a stronger, more reliable technique itself. We want what that technique will do for us. We want our fingers to make beautiful music. So today, we’re going to talk about technique a little differently. We are going to look at what our technique should do for us and then look at any changes we might want to make to our technique through that lens. And I have a new way to consider this, with the three s’s. I’ll give you some practice ideas too, and I promise - no exercises today! Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Join the in the Harp Mastery® Hub! Related resource blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions 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-155
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