Author: Jen

Jack London is quoted as saying, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

Every day we have to build our motivation to get onto that bench. Every day we have to work to maintain our proficiency and to get just a little bit better. Every day that we decide to skip sitting on the bench to do that work takes us a little farther away from what we want – in our heads and in our hearts. And every day a big something, or a hundred little somethings, get between us and that bench. And every day that we don’t make it to the bench makes the next day just a little easier to skip.

And so, every day, we have to get inspired, motivated to get on that bench. But, as Mr. London said, we cannot just sit idly by, awaiting the momentous arrival of that inspiration. Rather, we have to hunt for it…and some days, we need that club! We have to do not only the work that we set out to do, but we also have to do the additional work of digging in and finding our inspiration – the right fit for each day, and applying it to ourselves.

Some days the inspiration can be learning, another day it might be fear (the dreaded upcoming competition perhaps?), and on another day it might suffice to be the joy of being at your harp. The toughest days are those in which you can’t identify the right inspiration – but that can be just what you needed that day – some distance – but not distance from the harp!

So, don’t wait for inspiration to fall from the sky – make your own.  Apply it to your day – with (or without) a club! See you on the bench.

Technique. Even the word makes us think, “Ugh, not that!”. It is almost the same as running out for the ice cream truck only to find it selling liver and onions!

But good technique is essential to playing well and to protecting your body. You can build good technique with, you guessed it, practice. Building good technique will allow you to get more out of you. And good technique is applicable to any instrument, not just harp. Here are five ways good technique is important to you:

• Injury prevention – Musicians of all levels report nagging injuries. Many of these are overuse injuries and many can be prevented by good technique. Be sure to close and open your fingers, sit upright (also handy for breathing), be relaxed, keep your head up, etc.
• Speed – we value fast playing but so many people get in their own way on the road to playing faster because of poor technique. Improving your technique will help you get faster.

• Agility – just like speed, so often people get in their own way because their poor technique has left their hand cramped, their arm glued to the sound board or their shoulders in their ears (either because of tension or their head is cocked).
• Flexibility – I mean options – having good technique means that you’re in a position to have options should you experience a “jazz improvisation”. And that good technique will typically result in fewer of those experiences!
• Improved practice time – most people don’t want to spend time on technique because it’s boring and they would rather get on to playing, but just a little time on technique will yield extensive benefit to the rest of your practice time.

Working on your technique may not be fun but it is fundamental. And building good technique is imminently easier (and less time consuming) than correcting bad technique later!  Spend just a little time each day and enjoy years of making music the way you want to!