Here are many questions and answers about playing the harp. Please feel free to email me if you have a question that is not covered here.
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Question: I began harp playing half a year ago, and I would prefer exercising patterns, arpeggios etc. with jazz harmonies. Do you know any publications/ notes/ hints?? Thanks a lot.
Answer: Yes, there are some excellent books. Stella Castellucci's An Approach to Jazz and Popular Music for Harp is very comprehensive. Also, Ray Pool's Blazing Pedals, Volumes I and II for pedal harps, and Clever Levers for non-pedal harps provide superb information.
All are available from Vanderbilt Music. (http://www.vanderbiltmusic.com)
Question: Any suggestions for playing grace notes? I can manage all right from a lower note to a higher note (F to G say) but can't seem to get a smooth grace from higher note to lower. (say G to F) How should my hands be? Whereabouts on the strings should I pluck? Should my thumb be plucking? (that seems the hard part- my thumb isn't quick enough). All suggestions gratefully accepted!
Answer: Make sure your thumb is higher on the strings than your second finger at all times. First, play the two notes together (and yes your thumb should be plucking and landing on top of the 2nd finger). Then play in quick succession from the bottom up, 2,1,2,1,2,1, pausing between each group of 2 notes. Then repeat the entire process descending. Let me know if this helps.
Question: I am having trouble with left hand harmonics. The thumb seems to be too close to the stopping part of the hand and I have no way of making an "O" with my thumb and forefinger upon playing as you have suggested.
Answer: It sounds like you are using the wrong portion of your hand to stop the string. The heel of the hand, opposite the thumb, is the place to stop the string.
If you use this portion of the palm, preferably on the bone there, you should have no problem making an "O" between the thumb and the first finger as you pluck the harmonic. Hint: push pretty hard with the heel of the hand as you do this, and make sure this part of the hand is in the center of the string from the board to the peg or forks.
Question: I love the French music for harp but am not advanced enough to play most of it. Are there any pieces for beginners?
Answer: Yes! Try Grandjany's "Petite Suite" or for pedal harps, "Automne." Be sure to follow his markings religiously for where to play on the strings, and you will have it all!
Question: I have sore muscles in my neck and arms after I practice. What am I doing wrong?
Answer: Difficult to say, given that I cannot see you play the harp. For a very comprehensive overview of how the body works in relation to playing the harp, I suggest you read the book, "How the Body Works" by Suzanne Balderston. She was my first harp teacher and I have never had any physical problems at the harp as a result of her insights. The book is available through Vanderbilt Music (1-800-533-7200.)
Question: When I play very high passagework on the harp, it is difficult to see what I am doing. Any ideas?
Answer: Yes, back up your head and look at your hands! If you are playing a pedal harp, you can shift the weight of the instrument to the inside of your right knee, and pull your right shoulder away from the back of the harp, freeing your upper body to turn and look. That is, of course, if you don't have tons of right side pedals to move at the same time. If you do, try alternating the weight between the shoulder and the knee as necessary in the passage.
QUESTION: How should I proceed when deciding what new pieces to learn?
ANSWER: Even if you're not actively performing, it's a good idea to learn works with a concert performance in mind. That means that you should work for contrast in styles and tempi between works, i.e. one Celtic tune, one classical, one fast and one slow. Also, since many of us perform for audiences who don't get to hear harp music frequently, it's a good idea to think about how you could verbally guide an audience through your repertoire and maintain a variety of styles in the same program. Remember that the timbre of the harp can get pretty boring if you play similar works at similar speeds for an entire performance.
QUESTION: When I play broken octaves (1-4) for a sustained period of time, my hand gets very tense and tired. What can I do?
ANSWER: Make sure that the 2nd and 3rd fingers are completely relaxed between 1 and 4 as you play - 2 & 3 should hang as limply as possible. Also, when you are going back and forth (4,1,4,1) in octaves, try oscillating your wrist a little bit to keep the hand and arm relaxed. You can create an exercise out of this, starting on C to C in octaves, repeating (and connecting 1-4), then move up to D to D, repeat, then up to E to E, repeat. Reverse the process descending. Always connect 1 to 4, even when changing notes. (Sorry I don't have this in manuscript here) - so, from the bottom C,C,C,C,C,C, (replace to low D from the high C), D,D,D,D,D,D, etc.
QUESTION: When I place 1234, and play 1324 as simultaneous intervals (1-3)(2-4), I find that over time my hands get very cramped. This especially happens in the coda to the Introduction et Allegro by Ravel. Any ideas?
ANSWER: Yes, first play these groups as ascending chords, out of time, 4321, arpeggiated. Then when you slowly bring it up to tempo with the correct divisions of fingerings, relax your hand quickly after each group by flipping it up from the wrist. Remember, the hand must be fully relaxed for this to work for you, and do not make it a "Salzedo gesture" with the arm because you may get too far away from the strings to make the next placing. You can also try dropping the hand toward the board from the wrist, but in the Ravel coda, there doesn't seem to be enough time for this. Also, make sure that both hands are "around" the 4th finger. By this I mean that the palm should be closer to the column than you might think. We all tend, with ascending patterns, to draw the palm "north", toward the kneeblock, but that does not assist the 4th finger and its known weakness. Make sure your palm is behind the 4th finger (that is, lower than the 4th finger as you descend the scale) to assist it.
QUESTION: Some of my strings cannot be tuned to a tuner - they just don't find the pitch that registers correctly. What is wrong?
ANSWER: Those strings may be what we call "false", which is when a string does not vibrate unilaterally to the same distance on each side from center. This is frequent, especially with nylon strings. Throw them out. If they are brand new, try sending them back to the supplier for a replacement free of charge. Most string houses will do this for you. If they are older strings, replace them immediately. I find on the concert harp that my top two octaves (which are strung in nylons) need to be replaced 4-5 times each year for falseness.
QUESTION: Do you have any suggestions for a good exercise book?
ANSWER: Yes! Exercises and Études by Larivière. These are fabulous if you do them as he prescribes. I know no better ones. You don't need a pedal harp for many of them, and when there are changes, they can be easily ignored for the benefits to the hands that this volume contains. Be sure to use it religiously everyday.
QUESTION: One thing that I really have a problem with is low (or non-existant) motivation to practice. When it seems like it's taking forever to improve my harping, it gets very frustrating and disheartening. I really find this a stumbling block.
ANSWER: What turns you on? Do you like to play solo or in ensembles? What kind of harp music do you hear in your mind when you are away from the harp? What kind of recordings do you love to listen to? This is the music you should be working on - whatever fills your heart. Also, amazingly enough, I have found that the very act of teaching others inspires my own work. When I try to verbally articulate what it is that need be done on the harp, I find that I already know this and just have to sit down and do it - that in itself can be a motivator. You could try making tapes of your practice sessions and listening to them - that will get you off your duff! Or, book a performance - very soon - then you will have to get up everyday and just do it in preparation.
QUESTION: When I go to learn passages, I get frustrated by the slowness of my hands. Can you help me?
ANSWER: Yes. You need to train your brain slowly to give directions to your fingers. It's much like working out at the gym. Sometimes it can take a very long time. Try to stay optimistic as you work out difficult passages - if you cannot get them today, or even tomorrow, it doesn't mean you won't get them. Stay on the training, slowly, for 2 weeks on a daily basis before you give up. If you don't see any progress after 2 weeks, then something is wrong. E-mail me at that time, and I will try to help you more.
QUESTION: Even after your wonderful assistance, I am still having trouble with harmonics. Any suggestions?
ANSWER: Sure...you're probably playing the harmonics quickly, over and over again, right? You need to take time to set up the hand, see where you are on the string, and look again before playing. Everytime you play one that doesn't happen, stop and assess what you are doing - don't try to do it again immediately. Look at the string - are you in the middle of it? If not, find the middle. Look at your hand - are you (with the left) stopping your thumb with your forefinger and making an "O" with the two? Or are you plucking wildly with the thumb flying free? (With the right) are you moving your thumb? You shouldn't be...this should be like a can opener, with the thumb lying flat over the first finger knuckle before you pluck, and during the harmonic, the hand should turn outward - no fingers should move. It actually hurts when it's done correctly! (sorry!). Find the middle of the string before you even start on these - it's the most important thing. E-mail me again if this doesn't work.
Here are several hand issues that have come to my attention for beginning harpists:
1) When playing scales, (4,3,2,1,4,3,2,1), many beginners tend to "roll" the knuckles toward the thumb as they prepare to play it and cross under (ascending) with the 4th finger. This disables the thumb and gives it less room to move. The thumb must be kept higher on the strings than the other fingers, and an open space must be left between the thumb and the lateral surface of the first finger, so that the thumb may pluck and land on top of the side of the first finger. "Rolling" the hand in this fashion can be helpful for playing Alberti bass passages, for suppleness, but otherwise should not occur.
2) When playing chords, be sure that the arm is not pulling away from the strings to assist the fingers. The hand and arm remain in the same position as the fingers pluck the strings; the hand simply closes. Try playing chords in both ways and listen to the resultant tone. The tone is better when the hand and arm remain stationery and the fingers are allowed to gain strength of their own.
3) When playing right hand passage work, such as 1,2,1,2,1,2,3,2,1, make sure the thumb is high and the hand relaxed. Many students begin this type of passage and as they progress, the thumb gets progressively lower on the string, contributing to hand tension and less and less control over the thumb tone.
QUESTION: I'm having trouble gaining continuity in my pieces after I learn the sections separately. Can you help with this?
ANSWER: There are several things you can do for this problem. First, take the last 3 measures or so from one section and the first 3 measures from the next and practice them. Then add 2 measures before the last 3 and 2 measures after the following 3 and practice the measures again and again, slowly increasing the length of your practicing section. Now try the first two sections together in their entirety. If this didn't work, you might need to take some time with the score, away from the harp and try to conceptualize the entire piece of music. Draw a "graphic" of what happens in the piece, for example, if it starts softly, gets louder and then gets soft again, you might draw a line going upwards to a pinnacle and then back down. If you're still having problems, write me again with the name of the piece and I'll try to help you more specifically.
QUESTION: How do you do the special effect that is similar to the "Bartok pizz", where you pluck the string and then hit the soundboard?
ANSWER: One of my favorite teachers told me not to do this anymore as it causes knuckle damage over time. The technique was to pluck the string close to the sound board, and then slide the finger immediately down off the string to tap the soundboard right below it. It hurts.
QUESTION: The 2nd finger on my right hand sometimes seems "lazy" and slides off the string instead of plucking it. How can I work on this?
ANSWER: I've recently discovered that this is a more common problem than you may think. Use the "spider scales" I have suggested (see the Hand Hints Archive), especially the 2,1,2,1 sequence with the right hand. Make sure you are working slowly and making each finger play at the same volume. The objective here is that you cannot tell by listening which finger is playing at any time. Then go back to your repertoire work, and as you practice, try accenting the second finger in the right hand for several sessions. This should bring up your mental consciousness of that finger's activity.
QUESTION: When can I rest my right wrist on the board?
ANSWER: Many harpists believe this should never be done, but I disagree. There are certain passages which are much easier played with the right wrist resting on the board. Isolate some high register passages you have and try them with your wrist on the board and without resting on the board. You will find that it is a matter of personal preference.
QUESTION: When both left and right hands are working in the same register, with overlapping finger placements, how can I better coordinate them?
ANSWER: Simply place your left hand a bit lower on the strings than the right and your eyes/brain will be able to coordinate the activity between the two hands.
QUESTION: I have trouble bringing out a melody above an accompanying ostinato pattern. Any ideas?
ANSWER: Practice the melody alone, using the fingers that are called for in the music. For instance, if a melody is played by the thumb, with the other fingers doing an ostinato, practice the melody using the thumb only. Shape the melody as if you were playing it on a solo line instrument, such as a flute. This means dynamics, rubato, everything. Then go back to the music and play the passage extremely slowly, with all other notes besides the melody at a very low volume, such as pppp. Don't forget to keep the melody shape that you worked out before, and at the beginning, do not let the other notes follow that shape - leave them very quiet. Also, you can try varying the timbre of the melody by playing it a little deeper on the fingertip, so that its quality is really different from the accompanying notes. Over time and with slow practice, you will be able to isolate the melody quite well.
QUESTION: When I place a large chord, my first and fourth fingers can reach but the 2nd and 3rd get all scrunched up between them with no room to pluck into the palm.
ANSWER: Instead of trying to place 2 and 3 rather horizontally, as beginning methodology mandates, point your fingertips on 2 and 3 toward the sound board while keeping 4 and 1 horizontal. That way 2 and 3 can pluck under the plane established by 4 and 1 and move into the palm.
QUESTION: On concert harps, many times the upper register is quite brittle. What can I as a player do to mitigate this?
ANSWER: Most concert harps have strong wire registers, weak 4th & 5th octave guts, resonant middle registers and brassy upper registers, especially when the top is strung with nylons. So, you simply must play the instrument to make it sound best. To match the brightness of the wires, as you ascend, you must bring out the 4th & 5th octave gut strings more (dynamically) and you can also play a little lower on these strings. The middle can be played normally, and as you keep ascending, let up on your dynamics and let the harp take over. The approach can almost be described as you ascend, a crescendo into the 5th and 4th guts, a little diminuendo into the 3rd, and more diminuendo as you ascend further. Of course, this technique must be reversed if you are descending on the instrument.
QUESTION: How do I learn to play a clean two handed trill?
ANSWER: Marcel Grandjany had a great exercise for this which was part of his exercises never published - in fact, they remain in manuscript form today. Without being able to publish them here, or fully describe them, I can tell you that clean trills have everything to do with placing at the right time (not to early) and with making both 2 and 1 work in both hands at the same dynamic level. Start slowly on two adjacent strings, ascending, left hand 2,1, then right hand 2,1. Alternate the hands very slowly and try to let the strings ring as long as possible before you replace. Replace one finger at a time, not both. Then increase the speed of your alternating hands slowly. When you reach a point at which you start sounding uneven, slow down again and start over. With regular practice, a relaxed hand and listening, your speed will develop.
QUESTION: Where can I find Internet resources about the harp?
ANSWER: First, you can check out my "Great Links to Other Sites" page, and from there, you will find a lot of links to harp pages all over the world. Some of those pages have information about purchasing instruments, studying, music, etc. You can initiate a search for harp(s) using one of the internet search engines, in your browser (I use Netscape), click on Search in the upper windows. You might also try harpist(s), harper(s) and other variations to get different sources.
QUESTION: What do you do if you get a blister?
ANSWER: I am not a doctor, so cannot be held responsible for advice in this area. When I personally get a blister, I try to not use that particular finger very heavily for several days and hope that it re-absorbs without constant use. I find that keeping my hands very dry helps a lot with blisters - don't wash dishes or leave my hands underwater in the bathtub.
QUESTION: I'm having trouble getting quick sixteenth note passages even. What can I do?
ANSWER: The best remedy for this first is to slow way down. Then, and it's important to do all three of these, or it won't work, play the passage in a different rhythm - not evenly. First do long,short,long,short,long,short, etc. Then, on the same notes, do short,long,short,long,short,long, etc. Then, finally, play the passage evenly slowly and increase the tempo. If you find you are reaching a tempo at which the unevenness begins to recur, try doing the dotted rhythms (both ways) and then play it evenly. This should really be a great help.
QUESTION: I've reached a point in working on a piece where it just doesn't get any better. Now what?
ANSWER: One quick way to deal with this is to stop practicing that piece - you may just be sick of it! You can always go back to it later. If you have recurrent mistakes in a certain area, you might try a system which one of my teachers recommended: place ten pennies on the left of the bottom of your music stand. Everytime you play the passage correctly, move one penny of the ten to the right side. Everytime you play it incorrectly, move ALL ten pennies back to the left and start over. The objective, of course, is to play it ten times in succession without any mistakes. Another suggestion is that if you have trouble with a certain passage, make sure you are practicing that passage in context - when you do repair work, play the few beats before the snafu area and the few beats after it. That way your repair work will fit into the total phrase and you will begin to hear and play the total phrase correctly.
QUESTION: I am having trouble placing large left hand chords. Any ideas?
ANSWER: Before you even consider a left hand chord, think of these things while your hand is closed, centered between the notes which you will play: before you open your fingers, where is 2 in relation to the thumb? Is it going to be a third lower? A fourth? How about 3? is that a 3rd lower than the 2nd finger? a 4th lower? How about the 4th finger? is that a third lower than 3? a fourth lower? Try to open your hand with these SPATIAL relationships in mind. You must know how far apart your fingers are before you can open your hand. Look again at the printed chord - memorize the intervals between each finger. If you feel your hand is too small, it probably isn't - try pointing your 2nd finger toward the soundboard - this will give you more reach between the others. I actually do that, plus flatten the top of my 3rd finger from the fingertip to the middle knuckle to avoid hitting the strings - and I have VERY small hands. Try opening your hand into the configuration of the chord and just place it, don't play it. Repeat this many times. Your fingers must be right next to the strings they are going to and must place loosely on those strings, without unnecessary motion. Open the hand from closed position to exactly the intervals you must place. Place all fingers at once. Repeat. Try opening your hand to different configurations of notes - say, different inversions of chords. How do the fingers line up differently? Practice this a lot and you will have much better left hand chords.
QUESTION: My harmonics are lousy. Some are good, some are bad. Can you help me?
ANSWER: Most of the problems I see with harmonics are overmotion of the hand. Remember, you must be in the exact middle of the string to obtain a true octave harmonic. That means if your levers or pedals are engaged, the string will be that much shorter than if they are not. For example, if you have an F#, that string is shorter than another in natural, so your harmonic will be at a lower point. Look at the neck of the harp as you place harmonics - it is a good guide to midpoints on the strings. Also, don't move your fingers too much - the left hand should push mostly the heel of the hand into the string and the thumb should move only about 1 inch maximum to make an "O" with the extended index finger. In the right hand, the knuckle of the first finger should move hard on the midpoint of the string and the thumb should barely move to land on top of the middle knuckle of the index finger. Harmonics are not generally comfortable things to play; if it isn't sounding, try the above suggestions and change your dynamics - many students are trying to play harmonics too loudly. You are probably in the wrong place on the string - and this is the key. Find the midpoints of all the strings. I know, for example, in many concert harp works, you must be mindful of whether or not the relevant string is in flat, natural or sharp position to know how to judge the distance of the midpoint of the string. Experiment slowly - you will find the right position.
QUESTION: What is the best way to learn notes? How can I learn them most efficiently, quickly and thoroughly? I tend to learn them faster while sacrificing accuracy, or vice versa, and that is frustrating.
ANSWER: You can engage in several different approaches to this - I suggest you use them all. For melodic lines, sing the passage (if it's long, start with smaller sections) in the shower, in the car, everywhere. Then try to play it from memory on the harp - do it consistently on a daily basis for a few minutes. Harmony can be learned by analyzing the chords and their sequence. Separate your hands - learn each separately and then put them together. Another trick is to look through a piece as if you were playing it (at that speed) right before you sleep at night. Then turn off the light and go to sleep. This might help it stay in your memory. Also, there is such a thing as muscle memory which is what your fingers remember. Try saying outloud the sequence of fingering as you practice: for example, 4,2,3,1 (going up) and (replace) 2,3,4 (going down). Only take on small sections for this, and learn them, then go back and put them in the context of the piece.
QUESTION: How do I avoid buzzing due to accidentally hitting a neighboring and already vibrating string with my fingers and nails?
ANSWER: Slow your piece way down to a snail's pace. Identify the places at which this occurs, then take them out of context like an etude. If you are curving your fingers and they are hitting neighboring strings, try pointing the fingertip toward the soundboard a little more. Also, you can try flattening out your highest knuckle of the guilty finger - sometimes this may actually strengthen certain hands. Remember that you often need to pluck the string on the very tip of your finger and not too deeply into the pad to avoid buzzing. Please e-mail me the piece (and identify the section) in which this is really a problem and I will try to help you more.
QUESTION: When I work with a metronome, my tempi fluctuate all over the place - I can't stay with the beat. What can I do?
ANSWER: This is the very reason you need to work with a metronome! Seriously, you are lacking an "internal" pulse. The best work you can do for this is away from the harp. Set your metronome at 60, listen for a couple of minutes and then turn it off. Then, try to clap at that same speed. Turn the metronome on again and see if you are correct. Try other settings, 78, 90, 112, etc. using the same procedure. When you put gas in your car, watch the dollar counter on the pump, leave the gas on full speed and without slowing down, see if you can get the rhythm of the counter and stop the gas suddenly when the dollar amount reaches a whole number, by anticipating , in the tempo given, when it will reach that point. Now, back to the harp. Take one piece you are working on and work with the metronome in the marked tempo like I suggested above. Walk around the house in that tempo. Test yourself all day long in that tempo away from the harp and the piece. Then go back and try to practice with the metronome.
QUESTION: How can you play Legato on the harp? There's no sustained sound.
ANSWER: True, but you can control the progression of one note to the next. First, play very staccato by replacing your finger immediately on a ringing string. Then replace the finger a little later and a little later again, all the while extending the length of the note. Play a three note passage slowly - any notes. C-D-E using 3-2-1 is fine. Play the Cand replace your 3rd finger on it at the same time you play the D; replace your 2nd finger on the D as you play the E. Listen carefully. You are clearly determining the duration of the notes. Now play the notes without replacing as you go. Pull a bit on the string before you release your finger. That's legato.
QUESTION: If I have to play a combination of two intervals, placed at the same time (such as c-e and d-f, placed 4,3,2,1 on c,d,e,f and played 4-2 and 3-1), my tendency is to arpeggiate the intervals instead of playing them simultaneously.
ANSWER: This is pretty difficult when you start doing it. Begin by placing the group, then play in sequence c,e,d,f using 4,2,3,1. Then, holding onto the d & f, play the c-e interval together over and over again until it is simultaneous. Try to isolate your mental signals to 4 and 2 only, and just rest 3 and 1 on the d and f. Relax your fingers and keep trying until you get it. It is like riding a bicycle, though, once you can get the signal going to your fingers you will be able to do this easily.
QUESTION: If I have a passage that is low in register, with adjacent notes, say descending g,f,e,d, how do I clear up the overring so that the pitches are clear without using a full muffle?
ANSWER: Play the passage normally. Then as you play the f, replace your thumb on the g at exactly the same time, thereby muffling the pitch. This must be simultaneous to plucking the f though or it will sound staccato. Then proceed to do the same thing by replacing 3 on the f as you play the e, and replacing 2 on the e as you play the d.