The harp has been identified as one of the most difficult instruments to learn to play. The two named as more difficult are piano (probably about the same, I’d guess) and pipe organ (go figure – I’m not sure I could keep track of all those keyboards and foot pedals and rows and rows of stops – yikes!)!

One of the things that makes the harp so challenging (like on piano and organ) is keeping the melody and the harmony going. And whether those are confined to each hand (melody in the right with harmony in the left) or if they are distributed (melody in the hand that’s available, harmony where you need it) the ability to flexibly move is an essential element of mastering the instrument.

Your brain is not quite so simple as we like to believe – right brain/left brain is a thing but not as cut-and-dried as you have been led to believe. But no matter how distributed thinking is, there is still a need to get signals around.

The Corpus Collosum is the bit in the middle that joins the two halves of your brain. It has a number of functions but the two that are the most important for today are communication and coordination. That is, it is the communications channel between left and right and it allows the brain to coordinate stuff. *

Unless there is a disorder, the communication part really is just a relay system. But coordination? That’s a much bigger thing – especially for us as we coordinate our sensory systems (feel the strings, hear the sounds, etc.), memory, and our bodies. The coordination is clearest where it isn’t happening – like when you can’t get your fingers to go in the right order, or your arm movement doesn’t get you through the jump accurately, or your foot stops tapping because you’re getting overloaded!

The good news is that the coordination can be exercised and improved through just a couple of simple exercises – all of which you can do while waiting for the next available (teller, cashier, phone answerer)! By performing cross-lateral movements, you will strengthen this essential part of your brain work.

Cross-lateral means exactly what it sounds like – crossing over the midline from one side to the other. All of these are basically the same movement; they just differ in size. The easiest is seated. From a comfortable chair tap your right knee with your left hand, then your left knee with your right hand. Repeat 10 times per side.

If you have more strength and mobility, you can do the same thing standing. Stand and kick your right left out while stretching your left arm out then swing your right leg in front of you toward the left while your left arm crosses in front to the right (you will be twisting but focus on crossing more than twisting – it’s not meant to be a stretch). Repeat 10 times per side.

If you’re a machine about exercise and have the strength and stamina, you can do bird dogs. Get on all 4s, then kick your right leg back while stretching your left arm forward. Return to center and then to the opposite (stretch your left leg back while stretching your right arm forward). Repeat 10 times per side.

These are just a couple of simplest exercises to get started. Give them a try and let me know how you get on. Try to do them 3 – 5 times a week (as your fitness allows). If you need to, work your way up to the 10 repetitions, and then more if you like. Consistent (e.g.,10 each day) is better than volume (e.g., 400 once a month).

There are other, more complex, more challenging exercises as well. If you’d like me to share some of those, just let me know and I can cover them in a future post.  

* This isn’t meant to be an anatomy or neuroscience reference – if you’re interested in more detail, by all means, go look it up!