Author Archives: Jen

Check Please!

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I don’t know about you, but the days are flying past and I need to check in to see how I’m coming against the things I thought I wanted to do this year. 

I realized, with a start, that we’re halfway through the second quarter of the year. That’s not bad, in and of itself, but it does mean that I completely missed my first quarter check-in.

Check please!

If I don’t check in, how do I know how I’m doing?  How do I know if I need to step up my game or if I can coast?  

Yes, this is a rhetorical question. 

No, I never can coast.

I’m an inveterate To-Do list maker.  I have lists of things to accomplish daily, weekly, monthly.  And I have a list of things I’d like to get done this year. *  And you already know I’m 100% a product person so I do these check ins to make sure I’m making products!

I try to be organized and to have a measured approach.  I don’t always succeed.  But I do always try.  So, it’s about time for me to check.  So far:

  • I haven’t done very well on following my planned blog topics.  I dutifully made a calendar of topics before the end of last year.  I have actually been successful on all the holidays so far.  But I don’t think any other posts so far have been to plan.  There’s always some better idea that crops up.  Or one of you asks me a question either via email or through the comments on the blog (yes, I do read them!).  Or what seemed so clear and important then has either been overcome by events or just isn’t as captivating as it sounded when I was in planning mode.
  • I have done better than I expected with some other things though – I have learned more music to date that I had planned.  Ok, that’s double edged because I have learned a lot of things I hadn’t originally planned on learning, but I haven’t fallen as far behind on the things I had planned on as I expected! So, on balance, that’s good.
  • I have not done as well on some extra-music-y stuff I wanted to do.  I am very far behind on some creative projects that I wanted to take on.  Of course, I didn’t have much of a plan for inserting that into my schedule beyond, “I’d really like to include doing these creative-y things”, so who’s surprised I’m not getting anywhere? (not me)

So what have I learned now that I’m in the middle of the second quarter?  Here’s a list:

  • I am fairly pleased with my productivity to date.  I often feel like I’m not doing anything (or worse, wasting time doing pointless stuff).  And I’m a little behind on a couple of things, way behind on one thing but a little ahead on some other stuff.  That means I’m fairly balanced in terms of getting things done.  This is especially exciting since so many things are in flux for one reason or another – ok, really on one reason is plaguing my planning. (why, yes, I can make a pun in the middle of all this seriousness!)
  • What I didn’t build a plan for isn’t happening.  Of the things I’m not doing, I’ll review whether I care.  Because, if I haven’t left room for it, something will need to change.  I will have to spend a little time exploring those ideas and see if they’re things I think I wanted to do (probably because all my friends are doing them or because they look like they’d be fun) but aren’t really priorities to me.  Or if they’re things I’m a little afraid of, so I’m procrastinating (probably because I don’t know where to begin).  Or if they’re just no longer important enough to spend time on.  Once I know that, then I’ll know what to do – replan, postpone, or delete.  What I won’t do is beat myself up for not getting to it.
  • I’m going to spend a few moments rejoicing in the things I have done well on.
  • Then I’ll review the rest of the year and see what needs to be tweaked.  And what I need to add.
  • And then I’ll get back to work!

How about you?  How’s your stuff going?  What do you need to change? What are you going to drop?  Do you check in with yourself to see how it’s going?  Let me know – I’m always curious!

* Before you ask, no, I do not have a list of the lists!

Be Quiet

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Hey, I’m talking to you! (and me)

There is always so much to do. Take out the trash.  Make the bed. Do the work. Pay the bills.

The cacophony builds.  It can be deafening.  It can be exhausting.  And it feels unending.

But just like some of your favorite pieces have rests – you too need time to be quiet.

Be QuietStep away from the harp.  (bet you didn’t see that coming!)

Mozart is quoted as saying,

“The music is not in the notes,

but in the silence between.”

Just like music is in the spaces between the notes, you need quiet.  Silence speaks volumes.  Silence is home to a lot of stuff – stuff that you need to have happen.

Consider it self-care.  Consider it creative space.  Consider it a laboratory experiment.  But definitely consider it.

Why do you need quiet?  Well, you might have noticed that when your hair is on fire with all the things you have to do/to think about/to plan for/to regulate/to manage, there’s precious little time to be creative or artistic.  Without some quiet time, you are likely to be less creative – in any way – actually in every way.  This could mean stalled learning, stale arrangements, zero compositions, and forget any other creative outlets.  You might find that then your music suffers.

Quiet time allows you space to think (or not think), to observe, to question.  And all that makes a fertile playground for new ideas.

How would you get some quiet?  You will have to carve it out – it is something you will do for yourself.

What would you do in all this quiet?  Well –  

You could generate a walking habit.  This would need to be a solitary walk – social walks are fun and nice and serve a purpose, but they won’t serve for this purpose.  You need to bimble*.  Many great minds cultivated a walking habit.

You could meditate/pray/reflect.  These are all the same thing, dressed up pretty for different predilections, but this time does give you the quiet you need to be still which will generate some head space.

You can journal (yes, you could journal in your practice journal, but only if that makes sense to you).  Set aside time to journal.  That can be a writing journal, an art journal, a bullet journal – doesn’t matter as long as it is a tool that allows you to have some quiet time.

You could watch the clouds go by.  You could watch the ducks swim.  You could watch the grass grow.  You could let your childhood memories of things to do on long days make additional suggestions.

You need this time to be unpressured.  Your are, after all, specifically not being productive.  In fact, you’re almost being anti-productive.  You want stuff to just wash over you …. you’re being quiet!

Put your phone away!  You don’t even need your harp.  Just be. 

Develop a habit of making this time.  It doesn’t have to be bags of time – even a 15-minute window will work.

Do you already have quiet time? If so, what do you do to make quiet?  If you don’t, do any of these work for you?  What are you going to try to find some quiet?  Let me know in the comments!

 

*Bimble is an English English word that means to meander, often with no destination.  Perfect for quiet time.

 

 

 

                      

                                              

 

 

Zoom!  Bang!

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As a harper, I have been reading with interest the “sudden” spate of articles on the ills of working from home for over a year.   As a Human Factors Psychologist and Systems Engineer, I am only surprised it took this long for the articles to hit.

Everyone who couldn’t get away from me has received lectures (from my professional perspective).  I have related the importance of chair height and table height, arrangement of keyboard, monitor, mouse, lighting, and other elements of the workspace.  I have hectored friends, neighbors, and people I don’t even know about drinking enough water and not drinking too much coffee; the importance of avoiding incessant snacking; building a schedule; getting some outdoor time; and keeping work-work and home-work separate (not trying to do household chores between meetings) – all things I know from my professional specialty and as a person who has worked from home for over 15 years.

But now, I’m going to direct all that energy at you … and suggest a way forward!

I know you’re used to me prattling on about injury at the harp, but one thing you might not have thought about is what our current altered reality has done to us.  There are so many things we either did differently before or things we haven’t been able to do at all over the last year.  That that time away can build the potential for losing focus and technique…all of which may result in injuries – at the harp or away from it. 

Just this week I have learned of harpers who have sustained injuries away from the harp that are impacting their playing – ugh.  One is a student who fell off a skateboard.  Even if that wrist isn’t broken, it will need to heel.  And that will be weeks away from the harp.  Another was telling me about a big work project – at home, on a laptop doing work that would normally have been done at the office on a desktop – with its ergonomically designed desk and much bigger keyboard.  So now we’re working on caring for the overuse injuries from typing in this new position – injuries to the same structures that are central to playing the harp. 

As we have all languished at home, it has also been easy to allow our basic skills slide.  If you don’t have in person lessons, your thumbs might fall, your shoulders might cave, your chin might jut, and your spine might crumple.  In addition, so many of the cues teachers can pick up on from in-person lessons are missing or are flattened online.  So, it is likely that there are elements of technique that are dissolving from your daily practice and are not highlighted in your lesson.

And that’s not good – ragged technique and poor posture are not just a challenge to overcome – they can be a gateway to injury.

So, what can you do?  Have a zoom call……with yourself!

If you’re not familiar with zoom (zoom.us) it is a free application that allows you to have a video interaction with others. *

At the beginning of each day I do a zoom meeting with myself to verify my cameras are pointing in the right direction, that the lighting is good, and that everything is set up before my first student.   As I’m teaching, I watch my student.  That means that if I need to look at my harp, I would have to look away.  But, I can see my harp on the screen which means I can still see both my student and my harp.  After all, I want to be sure they are able to follow and understand what I’m doing or to verify that I need to do it again.  One day while teaching, I noticed (and was really pleased with) my hand position (I know, silly things make me happy).

And that got me thinking about how on the screen I could see things I can’t see from “behind the harp”.  Moreover, I could make small changes and see the effect right away.

You can do the same thing.  How?  You just have to host a meeting with yourself.  Yup – host a meeting, but don’t invite anyone else!  You have the full screen, you can see yourself clearly, and while you watch, you can make small adjustments.  As you make these adjustments (move to the middle of the string? raise your arm just a tiny bit? create greater space between your thumb and fingers? actually preplace or use the fingering you worked out? the list could go on…) BANG! – you can immediately see the effect of each change.

And seeing can certainly be believing.

I often suggest that you video your practice so you can see what you’re doing…and what you’re not doing.  It gives you a different perspective (and may make teacher comments mean more to you).  I also always remind you of the big red delete button…because the point of the video is to learn, correct and go on, not to hold it for posterity.  However, I also know that many of you still don’t do this.  So this similar (but completely ephemeral) idea seemed like a good one.  Watch yourself play but don’t record it.  See what you’re doing (from the vantage point of your teacher) and make small adjustments until what you see matches what you’ve heard in all those lessons – high thumb, relax, close, place…breathe!

DO ALL THE THINGS!  SEE ALL THE THINGS!

I also find that the meeting view is better – clearer and brighter – than on the video.

So, are you willing to zoom with yourself to help be bang on?  If you do, let me know how it goes and what you learn.  And if you’re not willing to try, I’d like to hear that too.  I’m always looking for better ways to teach and I learn so much from your comments!

 

* And no, of course I’m not getting any compensation – but this is also not an endorsement.  I have used zoom, skype, facetime, and messenger – as long as you have the function without actually having someone else on the line, it’ll work.

 

 

 

What Will You Do on Your Summer Staycation?

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With all this pandemic-ing going on and on and on, it’s easy to let planning for summer to fall out of your head.  But that would be a mistake!  While not everything will be happening this summer, there is a not-to-be-missed harp event that I would commend to you –

The Ohio Scottish Arts School will be online again this summer!

OSAS 2021Now, you might think that it might not be as fulfilling as the in-person experience.  You’d be wrong.   Ask last year’s attendees – we did many of the same things we do when we’re in person.  There were notable exceptions, but these were slightly ameliorated by being things we would have had to replace anyway.

Why would we need to replace things anyway?  Because next year (fingers crossed) we will be in our new location at Baldwin Wallace University.  We are very much looking forward to this change…and not just because it is air conditioned against those June-in-Ohio heatwaves!  We will have to find new things to replace singing under the tree, wandering Gibson’s and the Ben Franklin, and going to the Bead Shop.  And we will – we will have a new place to explore and enjoy!

But first – this summer. 

This summer we have are so fortunate to have an amazing collection of teachers. Rachel Hair and Rachel Clemente will be with us again.  And I’m so excited that we will also be joined by Sharon Knowles too!  Oh, and me!

We are all excited about seeing everyone from near and far.  We were so excited to have students from as far away as Europe but we can try to break that distance record!  We’ll be like the Brady Bunch again with happy faces in small windows.  And the tunes we’ll be teaching – Ace! (as we have learned to say from Rachel Hair).  We will have teaching sessions and lecture sessions and fun sessions.  There will also be opportunities to learn from the other arts (Pipes, Drums, Fiddles, and Dance).  The evening activities will include the Instructor Concert as well as some new goodies the Thistle Family are cooking up.  And – we will get to start each day as we traditionally have – with the piper!

If you’ve not been to OSAS, you have missed a treat!  But you can fix that!  OSAS is intended to provide students with comprehensive instruction in their chosen traditional art – Harp in our case.  All the instructors in each art are nationally and internationally recognized.  You will learn theory, skills and technique, and new material. 

You do not need to be a significantly accomplished harper, but OSAS is not pitched to rank beginners – you should have some knowledge of harping.  However, if you are comfortable learning and playing, come join us!

OSAS will be Monday, June 28 – Friday, July 2.  Registration is now open – go to https://ohioscottishartsschool.com for all the details.    

Please note that the class sizes are limited, and registration closes June 11th.  Don’t delay – get your spot!  We were pretty full last summer.  Have harp specific questions?  Planning to be there this summer?  Let me know you’re coming in the comments below.

Plan for a Productive week

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You have a crazy busy schedule.  Ok, I may not know you, but since most everyone does have that kind of schedule, I’m going to take a guess that you, like so many others, do too.  People with busy schedules usually have a strategy to keep all the plates spinning and balls at the top of the arc (a strategy from juggling). Plan a Productive WeekNot having a strategy can be a problem, because – you know – life.  Do you have a strategy to assure you get to play throughout the week? Here are ten things to do on Sunday to be ready for the coming week so that n-o-t-h-i-n-g gets in the way of your harp time!  PS – There’s nothing magic about Sundays.  Do this on the day of the week that you think of as the day before the start of the week.  PPS – if your mother is anything like my mother, nothing on this list will surprise you!  My mother is a master organizer, and this is the sort of thing I learned at her knee.  But if you weren’t raised by a logistical genius like I was, now you’ll know what you need to do, so go do it…

  1. Peruse your notes. Whether it’s your lesson notes or your practice journal, figure out what you need to be thinking about while you’re practicing.  The only thing worse than not being ready for your lesson because you didn’t practice is not being ready because you practiced the wrong thing!  And trust me, your teachers don’t write those notes for their own health – use the notes!
  2. Review your practice from the previous week. What worked?  What didn’t?  What derailed you?  What do you need to carryover working on?  Did you practice the things you meant to?  If not, why not, and what did you do instead?  There’s good info in reflecting on these questions!
  3. Write down your priorities. Even if you’re not gigging, you probably have some place you’d like to go on your harp.  But you already know that you can’t do everything all at once.  And we know that preparing music (from selecting to analyzing to learning to polishing to performing) doesn’t happen in one day or even one week.  Figuring out what you should work on this week to make progress.  Writing it down will help move you along even more.
  4. Look at your planner. Which day this week are you definitely not going to get to play or practice? Oh, come on, be honest.  There’s always a day where everything else takes priority and you know you’re not going to get to your harp. Know when that is and modify your plan to fit your life.  I sometimes have days where really, I’m driving all day.  For those days, I plan for “head practice” – load the tunes to be learned and listen listen listen (and sing along to know you’re getting it).  Or use time when you’re walking or running (a great time to think about rhythm while you enjoy your own metronome-ness.  You might not make it to your harp, but you will still get a little bit done.
  5. Plan your practice days. If you know what you should do (see 1 above), and what you want to do (see 2 above), and when you have available to do it (see 3 above), then it makes sense to figure out what each day might look like.  This is a concept I stole from body-building – even if you workout every day, you don’t go hard on everything every day (or you will crash).  Which day will be your hard-core technique day?  Which is going to focus on learning and repeating? Which day is your “play date” with yourself?  Don’t wait for the day you feel like doing the thing you need to work on most (or you’ll never do the thing), make a plan.
  6. Do the Laundry. No really, get your chores sorted before the week begins.  Maybe you don’t do laundry on Sunday night but having a plan to get all your “responsibilities” taken care of throughout the week means you won’t have to give up your precious harp time to do something uninteresting like cleaning the bathroom.  This stands for everything that might take up time you would rather spend playing and includes all those chores that you know will eat up the time you have if you wait to do them (I’m looking at you meal planning!).  
  7. Prep your space. No matter if your studio is a 25 ft x 25 ft room dedicated to your music or a sliver of floor between the couch and the wall, maintain it!  If you need to, neaten it up, make sure everything you will need is close to hand (for instance, I’m currently going through stickie notes like there’s no tomorrow, and all my pens had gone walkabout, so I had to restock –).  Tuner need batteries?  Tuning key under a pillow in the other room? Get it all sorted so you’re not spending the few moments you have looking for stuff.
  8. Load your music stand. As in 7 above, make sure the sheet music, notes, or other references you need are on there.  And that the other stuff is not.  By the end of the week, I have so much paper, so many music books, and paperclips, clothes pins, pencils, etc. on my stand that if I didn’t do this, on Monday my first task would always be to pick up all the junk I dropped. 
  9. Get yourself ready for Monday. It won’t do any good to spend all this time prepping for playing if you aren’t ready for the rest of your Monday.  Be sure you spend a little time getting yourself sorted to have a good week.  Get your bag sorted, plan your clothes, put gas in the car.  Of course, most of this list will suffice for that as well – just make sure you also have yourself organized and ready to go for the week.  Then you’re less likely to have everyday disasters eat into your harp time.
  10. Be nice to you. This is a great time to remember that you need to do something nice for you.  Give yourself a manicure and massage your hands and forearms.  Find some decadent emollient cream (and use it, don’t wait for a special occasion!). Breathe while you do this, relax, and you have a mini-spa session!

This list is not exhaustive of course.  But if you take a little time out of your Sunday to prepare for the week, you will find that you have more time to play and practice.  And because you spend that time on Sunday, the rest of the week’s harp time can be less stressful because you’re ready and not fighting fires during that time.   What do you do on Sunday to prepare for you harp week?  If you don’t have a regular routine, did you give this a try?  Let me know in the comments!

FEEL the beat!

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Last week we talked about the metronome actually being your friend.  In the excellent and lively discussion, the concept of innate rhythm arose – as in not having one!  As you might imagine, not having an innate sense of rhythm could hamper your ability to then use the metronome.

I’m not sure that it is possible to have absolutely no sense of rhythm.  After all, if that were the case, it would be difficult to live.  We all have a heartbeat.  That’s even called a sinus rhythm!  And it would be difficult to accomplish even simple tasks without some rhythm.  For instance – walking.  Walking has an embedded rhythm.  So does chewing.  And breathing.  Now, I’m not saying it’s impossible to have no rhythm.  But it kinda looks like it would be.

More likely, it is possible to have a very weak awareness of rhythm.  And possible to have a weak awareness of externally imposed rhythm.  (Think I’m making this up? Try to rapidly read through a strathspey with loads of flag/dots and dot/flags (not to mention the triplets!) – it’s really easy to build up a resistance to external rhythms when you’re internal ones go to war with them!).

Feel the beat!I hope you’ve been as lucky as I have been coming up as a musician.  I have had amazing teachers!*  Some of the best stuff I ever learned was to work on rhythm away from the harp.  That could be by clapping or snapping my fingers.  It could be slapping left knee for the down beat and right for the up.  Or it could be walking around in a circle, keeping the beat with my feet while clapping the melody rhythm in my hands.  Or slapping Boom Sticks together. Or banging on wood blocks.  Or coffee cans.  Lately, I’m enamored with vocables for rhythm elements (while walking in circles).**

I love this systemic way of getting to the rhythm.  Because rhythm is organically simple while being conceptually complex.    Sometimes, it’s hard to keep all the thinking and doing going in order to get the tune to come out.  Breaking the rhythm out and working on it separately is helpful.  But really feeling it in your body (not just in your brain) is a valuable additional way to bring it together. 

Because, after all, you don’t just send your brain and your fingers to the harp!  You have to bring all of you.  So you might as well get all of you into the act.  You can make it small and timid (like I’ve described above) or you can make it big and bold like Eurhythmics.  But, like so many things, you have to make it what you need it to be.   You have to FEEL it!  And you must practice it!

So, the next time you take on a rhythm, try getting off your bench.  Get out of your head.  Move your arms and legs to the beat and to the rhythm.  Feel it – in your bones (and muscles!).  Be free and enjoy it.  And you may be surprised by how you can now appreciate (and render) the rhythm differently, easier, more freely.  I also like that when you move, you can also build a mental image of you moving – so if all else fails, you have yet another way to remember how it goes.

All that movement also helps heighten your awareness of the rhythm.  If you have a weak sense of rhythm, try making big swinging arm movements for the rhythm or big stomps for the beat.  Or both.   When you’ve got it (and are in fits of giggles), then sit back to the harp and start putting the pieces together (putting the notes into the rhythm).  And don’t be afraid to get up and do it again – when you’re first learning something, it can be fleeting, and you might have to repeat to get it back again. 

Have you tried moving around to get the rhythm?  If so, how’d it go?  If not, would you try it now?  And if you wouldn’t but are intrigued – I give lessons on being silly!***

*If you ever have a lesson with me and you think I am rolling my eyes while you struggle, I am not!  I’m thinking, vexed with myself that I’m not making something clear.  I’m furiously working through my list, wondering, “what would (Mrs. Edberg or Marianna or Sue or Kris or a number of other teachers who have been so patient with me) say or do at this point?  How can I get a different perspective and share that!”.  I’m not rolling my eyes, I’m seeking inspiration!!

**Now some of you are rolling your eyes because you’ve had to do this stuff with me – but it worked, didn’t it?!

***OK, that’s dangerously close to selling, which I try very hard to not do here.  But it is true and if you’d like a one-off lesson to explore this or a coaching session, just let me know!

Metronome – Friend or Foe?

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While we’re used to thinking about our tools as our harp and the tuning wrench, we have other tools too.  Some we use more than others – electronic tuner, nail clippers, splines, music stand (and music) and more.  And then there are the tools we have but we resist using – like a recorder…or a metronome! 

Why do we resist using these tools?  Usually because we think (or we’re fairly sure) we’re not going to like what we learn when we use them.  It always feels like they are scolding us!

The metronome seems to hold pride of place as the most hated tool we have.  And I get that.  My parents gave me my metronome when I was a tween a million years ago when studying piano. It is a glorious wooden-cased Seth-Thomas.  But as much as I love that thing, I have hated it for years.   I was always late.  Or early.  Or just couldn’t get the subdivision right.   Or I was so busy  just trying to “hit the tick” that I’d forget to play.  And snaps?  Just wasn’t happening.*

Metronome Friend or FoeSo many mistakes – so very frustrating!

And I know I wasn’t the only one.  In fact, I’m writing this because one of you asked!  It is easy to feel like the metronome is not just a foe, but a diabolical one!

As “basic” as a metronome is, a lot of people don’t know how to use one.  And that’s exactly part of the problem.  After all it’s easy, right?  All of this will apply regardless of your choice of metronome.  Electronic or mechanical, they all do the same thing.

  • What is a metronome? A metronome is…(drumroll)… a glorified clock.  No, really.  Ok, actually it’s a simplified clock.  It measures time (that’s what “metronome” means).  Just like a clock – but in the increments you might need.
  • Why would you use one? A metronome is both regular and variable.  Regular in that it will beat out the tempo you set.  Variable in that you can change that tempo.  Typically, the tick represents a quarter note.  You can go slowly for laments (at about 40 beats per minute (bpm)) to reels (at about 125 bpm) to drum and bass (at about 180 bpm).  But more importantly, it helps you to be less variable.
  • How do you use it? The basics are, again, easy.  You select a tempo and play along.  Easy-peasy.  But it’s not.  My breakthrough came when I determined that I needed a tick for each subdivision rather than for each beat.  Setting the tick as a quarter note was confusing to me – if I was subdividing (counting in “ands”) then I needed two ticks per beat (a tick for the “1” and another tick for the “and”, a tick for the “2” and another tick for the and, etc.).  By adding these additional ticks, the metronome was ticking and tocking to match the way I was counting.  It also acts as a regulator so all of the tune is even.
  • When to use it? The best answer to when to use a metronome is – anytime!  But how you use it may vary depending on when you are in the music.  When you are just beginning and learning a piece, I’d suggest you don’t use it.  At all.  It’s too early, you’re probably barely hanging on to each note, the order they come, etc.  You probably don’t have the brain space to add that level of precision counting!  You can add the metronome in after you’ve gotten more comfortable with the music.  Initially you might use a slow tempo to assure you’re getting the rhythms right.  Once you’ve got that squared away, then you can gently increase the tempo to bring the tune up to speed.  In this phase, at the tender tempo, you can assure that the tune is even throughout, that the trickier parts aren’t slowing you down, and that the end and the middle are as strong as the beginning.  Then you can begin to approach the tempo noted.  Go up in small steps (one notch at a time on a mechanical or 2 – 4 beats at a time on an electronic) and as soon as anything is out of whack, slow down a little and approach the speed again (I go back 3 increments when I make an error).  This little bit of speed at a time ensures that you learn the tune rather than relying on momentum to get through it**.  Once you have the tune at speed, you can spot check your tempo on occasion to assure you have kept the tune the way you want it.

So, hopefully you can see that the metronome is your friend.  Even when it feels like it’s winning.  With the metronome (and any other tools you know you should use but keep avoiding) the more you avoid it the more you probably need it.  But anything that helps you gain clarity can not only help you grow but will do it as a friend (an honest friend!). 

What about you?  Is your metronome your friend or your foe?  How do you use yours?  Let me know in the comments!

* And in case you’re wondering, yes, I still have my beautiful wooden cased Seth-Thomas.  And yes, I still use it.  And yes do I love it – it always reminds me that my original fan club – my parents – knew what i was capable of, even when I didn’t.

** I tell my students to go back 3 increments when a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g is not right.  That includes a wrong note, a messed up fingering, a wobbly rhythm, a wonky phrasing, or anything that’s just not right.  The first reason is that you are doing this for you so don’t cheat yourself – expect your best.  The second is that you don’t want to keep practicing an error, so eradicate errors as soon as you identify them.  I guarantee you will not be able to perform the tune sooner by cutting corners!

Quantity or Quality?

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Which is better – Quantity or Quality?

Sometimes Quantity is all it takes.  Cash is a good example – most of us would rather have a high Quantity of it than a few pristine pieces (unless you are a numismatist!).

And sometimes Quality is really what’s needed.  A cashmere sweater is a good example – the Quality is important and will make a difference.

But what about when it comes to your practice time?  Then, which is more important? 

Quantity or QualityI frequently implore you to have a practice journal and to use it to make better use of your practice time.  I suggest to you that you learn by ear, that you learn by reading, that you do whatever you need to do to learn the music and to help yourself become a better musician.

And if you focus on that you’d think that I think that Quality practice time is essential.

But think more on it.  Think of all the times I have also implored you simply to sit at your harp and touch it.  To noodle, even if you didn’t feel like playing.  To stay in touch with your instrument, even if for a very brief time.

And if you focus on that you’d think that I think that Quantity practice time is essential.

And you’d be right!

WHAAAAAAT?

Yup.  You’re Quality and Quantity of practice time are both important.  Because each results in different gains – and all the gains are helpful.

First, we can start with the much-maligned Quantity of practice.  Don’t “people who know” always tell us not to waste time on garbage practice? Typically, yes, they do.

But let’s take a page from successful writers (did you see what a phenomenally bad pun I laid in there? Yes, I did!).  Successful writers often differ from less successful writers in that they write more.  And they have “tricks” to do that.  They set aside time to write, they guard that time jealously, they use the time to write (not to sharpen pencils or check internet sources, or daydream, or to surf Facedegram for “inspiration”).  And when they have no idea what to write, they just write.  And they just write junk until something better comes to them. Because sometimes Quantity is helpful.

When you’re practicing, this is time that you might not be “productive”, you’re not focusing on the intervals, or pursing musicality.  You might not even be trying to learn the tune – you are just playing.  But you have showed up.  You are at your harp.  You might be playing just junk – and that’s ok because it’s you, playing and spending time on the bench.  And if you keep sitting there playing, maybe the junk will transform into something else.  Or maybe not.  What you don’t know is when the “something else” will show up as “something better”.  Just because it doesn’t appear right at that moment when you’re at the harp doesn’t mean that it won’t appear later, or in another tune, or just by preparing your mind for something yet to come.  You’re going for Quantity.

So, yes, Quantity practice days are good.  Some of the time.

But what about Quality?  This is so talked about I feel like I almost don’t have to mention it.  But I do. Because you need to have defined what a Quality practice session consists of.  And this is trickier than it sounds – because Qality today may be Quantity tomorrow (and vice versa, see “something better” above).  Quality is not a monolith.  There are some general parts of practice that will help define a Quality practice session, but they are just big categories (warm up, technique, learn new stuff, solidify somewhat learned stuff, polish solidified stuff, performance practice, etc.) and within in each of these you will need to define what is Quality for that particular practice session.  For instance, this is where you define what “settling” is – you don’t want to settle for good enough when you’re seeking Quality (but you would if you’re in a Quantity practice session).  In a Quality practice session, you will not accept settling, you will expect yourself to accomplish something (have the phrase learned, smooth out the fingering in the tricky spot, have figured out how to get the left hand moving in rhythm, etc.) and you will work until you get it. You’re going for Quality.

The most important thing about Quality and Quantity is that they are both needed – at different points for different reasons.  You can’t skip one and rely solely on the other.  And no, one is not better than the other – they are two faces of the same coin.  They both have value.  And there is room for both in your practice sessions. 

I’ve heard from some of you (not in so many words) that in the last year you have been stuck in Quantity practice rather than Quality practice.  And some of you are pillorying yourselves over it.  If this is you, stop.  Instead, think about all the time you have spent on your bench – not losing ground, not giving up, not letting your playing slip away.  That is Quantity practicing serving its very useful function.  You will resume Quality practicing when your time is right.  And not a moment sooner.  And that’s ok.

So, if you find yourself “stuck” and not moving forward but you’re still playing, rejoice in your Quantity practice.  When you’re ready you’ll resume Quality practice.  And if you’re preening over your all Quality all the time approach, you might want to think about the occasional Quantity session, if only to enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Are you stuck in Quantity time or Quality time?  Or do you have a mix in your practice sessions?  What do you use Quality time for?  How about your Quantity time?  Let me know in the comments – I’m looking forward to learning from you!

Spring Sharing

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This week, Spring is trying to hard to break forth!  The time has changed (and so we’re probably logy as we have discussed here and here.   It’s never a great time – we have to adjust to the change in the daylight and the clocks, and our schedules and our rhythms and the apparently never ending discussion of disposing of time changes all together.

But this year also continues the ongoing pandemic with the promises of vaccines and longer days and potential end to the ridiculousness all around us.  But the reality is that it isn’t over yet.  This gives us the opportunity to ask ourselves how we can contribute – to make this Spring a little easier for those around us. 

Now, I know that Spring isn’t ready to burst out everywhere, but in my little corner of the world, the days are growing more glorious, sunny and warmer.  And I’m excited about inviting my neighbors to join me for regular weekly concerts #LiveintheDrive. My neighbors are stalwart, coming out each week to share time together while I played – just short, informal, but fairly regular, concerts – just me and my harp – for friends. 

So, I’d like to encourage you to do the same thing where you live (when the weather is cooperative – it is Spring after all – possibly the most contentious season!). 

There’s something in you that the world needs.

Before you begin the litany of NO, I made you a little plate of courage (below) to which you should feel free to refer if your resolve wobbles. It’s really just meant to remind you that you have a gift and the sharing of that gift just might improve someone else’s day.  It is your opportunity to do something to care for others.  Don’t just spend time – invest it.

If you’re really enamored with this graphic, leave me a message and I’ll send you a full page printable of it*.  Or you can leave it here and visit the site when you need a reminder to overcome your practicing hiccups, your performing woes, your fears, your insecurities…and just share your music with those near you!  I hope you’ll put yourself out there to care for others.  And if you’re willing, send me a photo of you sharing, or just tell me here what you decided to do!

 

*I’m sure there’s some law somewhere that will require me to tell you that if you are not currently subscribed and would like the printable version that I will add you to the subscription list. But hey, you’re already here and that will just save you a step. 

Apples or Oranges

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Do you want to be a better musician?  It’s a not unreasonable question.  But if I answer honestly, I would say, “Better than what?”

I DO want to be better. Better than I am today.  And even better than that on the day after.  At this point, I’d like to call your attention to two things about what I have said –

  • The inward focus – I’d like to be better I am
  • The forward look – Tomorrow, I’d like to be better I am today

Let’s start with the inward focus.  The question, “Better than what?” is really important.  I hope that you’re in a place in your harp life that your better-than-what is you.  Better than you yourself are right now, not focused on anyone else. 

This can be a hard thing to learn.  Especially if you spend any time on any kind of media – the information (and the temptation) is ever present.  Whether it’s your harp hero or someone you don’t even know on Facedegram who’s been playing for 15 minutes and has already uploaded 50 videos of their triumphant harpysteria*, it can be easy to develop an envy of someone else’s progress (and their unmitigated willingness to share it). 

But none of that matters.  What matters is you.  How YOU are coming along.  How YOU are developing.  How YOU are progressing to where it is YOU want to go.  How YOU have improved today.

This can be particularly vexing if you’re not at the beginning of your harp life.  When you’re harp-young, every day you can find something to notice that is a little better than it was.  Your tuning isn’t from some alien planet anymore.  You actually landed on the string you meant to on the first try.  You no longer confuse the sound box and the pillar.  You closed on the string rather than snapping back from it like it bit you.  Heck, you used more than one finger!  Every day has success potential.  When you’re harp-young there are so many things to improve and they’re so obvious, even to you – a newb.  Every day when you practice you can see some improvement. 

But after a while, as you progress, you begin to realize that while it was easy to not sound like an injured animal right off the line, the internet didn’t lie.  The harp is one of the most difficult instruments to learn to play well.  Your obvious improvements (the kind you can’t miss) seem to be farther and farther apart.  And it’s easy to forget the small advances after they happen**. 

This is also a time when many people begin to go out and meet other harpers (or in the time of plague, seek them out online).  You have an opportunity to see others play and you might begin to compare yourself to them.  I have a story to share on why this comparison is such a very bad idea.

In my harp youth, I was on the verge of quitting (again).  My incredibly wise teacher strongly suggested that I attend an adult beginners event and specifically suggested a workshop with the fabulous Sue Richards.  I was extremely nervous, and struck up a conversation with the person sitting next to me.  I shared that I had only been playing a few months and I thought she said she had too.  I held my own for the first tune and was extremely pleased with myself.  But when we got to the second tune, I was lost.  My brain was full.  My new friend, with whom I had kept pace in the first tune, sailed through the second, even playing the left hand harmony!  I was devastated, clearly in way over my head, never going to learn the play, I should just go home.

I learned later that I had misheard her – she wasn’t a beginner.  She was a professional.  And already knew that tune.  She was so encouraging to me throughout the workshop – but my confidence had gone.  I was comparing myself to her – and falling miserably short.  I thought I was never going to learn to play the harp.

I spent a while nursing that hurt and comparing myself to everyone else I met.  Except there was one thing even I couldn’t overlook.  When you meet other people – it becomes clear that you have NO IDEA what they are on the inside.  Playing a week?  Or 20 years?  Or 20 years, but really only 5, due to interruptions?  Practice 15 minutes every other day or 4 hours every day?  Health issues?  Complicated existence?  Love the harp?  Like it? Endure it?  YOU DO NOT KNOW.

And if you don’t know – you can never compare apples to apples.

If you can never compare apples to apples –

why bother to even look at your orange?

The only thing to do is look forward – where are you going?  Everyone else’s progress has no bearing on yours.  Nothing is as it seems (especially on facedegram) (and quit scrollcrastinating – go practice!).  You can only work on your goals, your dreams, your growth.  Your harp playing. 

When I finally got it, I practiced in my time. I learned at my pace.  I got bold in my tempo.  I kept meeting people – some more developed than me, some not yet as far along. 

Sometimes I see someone play and feel a twang of impatience at my own growth.  But then I remember that what they are doing is not what I was hoping to do.  It’s just cool…and I’m happy for them!  Sometimes I become aware of someone comparing themself to me…and try to encourage them focus on their goals rather than mine. 

This is the real reason I’m always suggesting you focus on your goals, your progress, and tracking that – so you’ll know you are making that progress and don’t fall victim to the comparison trap.  How about you?  How are your apples? Let me know!

* Why, yes, I did notice that I’ve already made up two words in one sentence.  Go with me, it’s one of my superpowers.  Facedegram is any social media cesspool brain drain and harpysteria is not a person who makes harps in a coffee shop, but rather is a portmanteau of harp and hysteria.    

** Those tools I’m always suggesting?  All ways to help keep focused on what you want rather than on what someone else might.