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  • When you fall –

    I heard a very interesting story on the blahblahblah radio station* as I was traveling home from a delightful trip to the Stone Mountain Highland Games in Atlanta (always fun – and so very pleased to have been invited to judge the competition, to teach a workshop, and to perform!).

    The story on the radio related that there will be a marathon runner in this year’s Marine Corps Marathon 10K (which, for any couch potatoes in the crowd, is nearly 6¼ miles!). What made it interesting is that the runner is retired US Army Master Sargent Cedric King, who stepped on a large explosive while in Afghanistan, losing both of his legs.

    As you might have guessed, he had a hard row to hoe making a comeback from that. But he did.  And now he’s a distance runner. What he said in the interview really struck me – from the beginning when he said that this event – and its outcome – are what made his life take a turn for the best.

    Yikes, I am relentlessly upbeat, but even I am awed by that attitude!

    In the interview, he said some things that I thought are important and applicable to us. Now, I don’t in any way, equate the challenges we have as we try to learn, master, and perform our music with all the things Master Sargent King went through. However, he has an inner strength and a focus that could help anyone become better at anything they chose to focus on. Here are my take-aways (I was driving, so I couldn’t really take notes, these are my impressions rather than quotes!).

    1. Master Sargent King pointed out that when you have a long way to go, focus on getting through the next step, not the next mile. We often become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of ink on the page or the vast amount of sound in the air when we’re trying to learn a tune. Or the idea of putting together an entire package of music (for competition, for a gig, for the next lesson) can be crushing. But if you remember, production of music is serial – you can’t rush listening, it can only go in the way your ears take it, one note at a time.  You can work on it one thing at a time.  The next step, and only the next step, will get you there. It is good to keep the end in mind, but you can only get there in small, individual, steps.  No one gets there in one step, unless they have musical seven-league boots!
    2. He also pointed out that when you have to recover, you might have to relearn things you’ve been doing for years.  So what?  No need to be embarrassed.  So you have to relearn those things – get to it (and it will get easier). This is a toughie – because we all want to avoid embarrassment. And while we typically don’t actually fall when we’re doing our work, we can metaphorically fall (although, I have actually fallen off the bench before – not pretty, and very embarrassing!). I think of this with two kinds of “falls” – the first is when we have allowed bad habits to worm their way in and we need to “break it down”, go back to the basics, unlearn our bad habits and relearn better approaches – whether to be faster, more accurate, or to avoid pain and injury. It is disheartening, but if we pay attention to our “recovery time” we’d see that it’s not that bad. The second kind of fall is when we are self-taught or have had less rigorous instruction (you can’t blame the teacher if you left before you had learned all that teacher had to share) and you realize that despite your advanced harp years or experience, you don’t know how to perform basic elements (Did you know how to do an arpeggio accurately? Not everyone learned that). In that instance, you have to seek instruction and share with someone that you need help learning (whatever) “basic” element that you haven’t already learned. Embarrassing, but not fatal – go, get the help you need to learn when you need to learn and move on.
    3. Mr. King talked about getting right back up, don’t spend any time down.  When you fall, get right back up, don’t pause, don’t rest, don’t think about it, just get up and get at it! Again, I wouldn’t say that our “falling” is nearly as challenging as his, but we all have something that intimidates us. His point is that if you fall, get right back up because every moment that you stay down makes it harder to get up.  Wait too long and you’ll be on the floor permanently. Don’t let the mistake in your student recital, the flawed execution at Harp Circle, or the lengthy comments after your competition set keep you on the floor. In fact, if you haven’t failed, you’re probably not trying! So, get up, dust off, review what happened, learn, apply and move on. If you get up every time, you’ve got this!

    Remember that everything around you is likely to have an application to your harp life – just listen – and be grateful. Your struggle for flawless scales is nothing compared to recovering from a life altering injury. But your attitude will certainly make it go easier. Have you fallen? How did you get up and get moving? Let me know in the comments!

    * you can read the whole story at https://wtop.com/marine-corps-marathon/2018/10/marine-corps-marathon-before-he-could-run-this-soldier-had-to-learn-to-walk-again/slide/1/

     

  • What are you afraid of?

    Many of us took up the harp (or knitting, or golf, or baking, or something else) as a hobby – something we enjoy. Something that makes a pleasant way to spend time whilst also making us happy. Because these activities are fun and happifying (why yes, I did think that I had just made up that word…which made me happy, but it’s in the dictionary – it’s a real word which makes me happier still), sometimes the pleasure drives us to keep at it – allowing the activity to consume more and more of our time and other resources.

    To whit
    “What is the right number of harps to own?”
    “One more!”

    The pleasure. The fun. The happiness. The enjoyment. The drive to learn more, experience more, enjoy more – the thirst for the activity, only slaked by more of it. Ah, so sweet! Playing the harp is a most excellent hobby!

    And then, someone prevails upon you to play at church, or a wedding, or a tea, or a funeral. And you agree. It’s just this one event. You’re helping someone else. You’re bringing solace, or contributing to joy, or setting an atmosphere, or creating a milieu. What fun.

    And then it hits you. You’re not a performer. You’re not a pro. What have you done?!?

    The safety of being an amateur falls away.

    And you’re left, terrified. What will you play? Do you have enough repertoire? What if you make a mistake? W-h-y did you agree to do this?

    The fear creeps in…like a freight train!

    Does fear grip your joy? Does it chase away the happiness? Does the color drain from your delight?

    But wait! What are you afraid of? No, really. STOP!

    Identify – and name – your fears. By naming your fears (e.g. “I’ll be laughed at”, don’t name it “Harry”), you begin to hold them up to the light. To see what they actually are and to work around them. Maybe start by reminding yourself that loads of people share your fears. And no, that’s not different for you – despite you telling yourself that…just like all the other people do!

    Afraid you’ll make a mistake? Some mitigations are available against this. Practice more, only play things you feel strongly confident about, create (and practice) repair points throughout the music, practice “playing through” the mistakes you make, and practice improvising on the tunes. Don’t plan to play anything shaky (do not plan to “pull it out of a hat” while performing – that very rarely goes well!). And build your program to support you – start strong, back every (relatively) weak tune with a “comforter” (a strong, well learned tune) and end strong. Practicing these things will help you feel more confident and help to fight off the fear.

    Afraid you won’t be good enough? You’ll be fine – build a strong program, prepare and practice, remember it’s only one day (and that we all have good days and bad days, even your harp hero!). Remember the point of each practice session is to get a little better, stronger, more poised than the practice before. No, you’re not _____ (insert name of current harp crush), but they didn’t ask her to play their event, did they? Nope – they asked YOU! Get out of your own way and play!

    Afraid of the audience? That they may laugh, or boo, or leave? Or worse, that they feel nothing. Remember that you are communicating, and they are eager to get the message! Remember too that you are giving and it is not a contest. If you intend to give, what you give will be just right to meet that intention. Also remember that while about 20% of kids (and even fewer adults) have music lessons to learn an instrument, over 80% of adults report wishing they played an instrument! They are too impressed, in awe, and/or envious to laugh or boo. [SIDE NOTE: I hope you have one of the most amazing antidotes to this – to have an audience member seek you out to tell you how much they enjoyed your music. It will make your heart swell with pleasure and pride! And before you dismiss their comments as them “just being nice”, remember this – that person so enjoyed your music that they fought their own fears to come up to you, possibly face your rejection of them(!), to share with you that you made a difference to them (sometimes effusively, sometimes haltingly) and that they are grateful. Honor that, use it build your own confidence – and DO NOT THROW IT AWAY! {Haven’t had this experience? Be patient}]

    Afraid you’ll embarrass yourself? The only way to do this is to be unprepared and to not bring your best effort with you. Do the work, and don’t let the fear stop you.

    What are you afraid of? Don’t be! Instead enjoy all the things you learn, feel, and share and really get into it. And don’t let fear steal your joy – just enjoy.

    Do you get fearful when you sign up to perform? How do you go about getting past it? Was it worth it? Let me know in the comments!

  • Who are you trying to impress?

    I know someone who has always tried to gain the attention of their parent. In the parent’s home are the typical family photos. On one wall are two photos of that parent with one of the siblings, commemorating an event. On the other two walks, there are 53 photos and certificates of the first person, doing the same activity, alone. After all these outings and exploits, and their documentation, the parent still has not noticed.

    It’s heartbreaking. So much message, so little communication.

    But it got me thinking about accomplishments and goals aims.

    There are a number of questions to address in these situations – and the answers could be very helpful – if they are honest answers.

    1. Who are you trying to impress?
    2. Have they event noticed?

    You may find that you are trying to impress other people – your teacher, your partner, your parent, your friends. And you may be successful in capturing their attention. And they may be impressed. But why do you need to continue to strive for their acknowledgement? Are they even qualified to render a useful opinion? So, why does trying to impress those people still leave you feeling hollow?

    Did they notice your work at all? Do they continually accord you accolades for your accomplishments? Or have they grown fatigued by having to lavash you in praise? Have they run out of ways to tell you how much they love your playing? If they provide critique – do you actually listen? Is the feedback helpful? Do you use that feedback to learn and grow?

    The reality is that a lot of people spend a lot of time trying to impress a lot of people, who for one reason or another, aren’t even paying attention. It’s a big collection of so what.

    It can be hard to break free from trying to impress others. Because in the end – you only have to impress yourself. Easier said than done.

    So, how can you go about making that change? First, don’t be fooled – it is a difficult change to make. Second, you can make it, you just need to be kind and thorough.

    Why do you need to impress you? You are your harshest critic. You are probably more unkind to you than anyone else could be. And you are the only one paying attention all the time. And you must be at peace with your accomplishments. You have to impress yourself to achieve the satisfaction you seek. There is a path – you have to practice it.

    1. Acknowledge that while others may enjoy your music – you really need to impress yourself. Once you can state (and believe) that, you’re on your way.
    2. That was a big step – because once you do that, you are responsible for all your steps forward, steps backward, and steps nowhere – and that is great!
    3. So, what will it take to impress you? Write these things down (see, don’t you wish you had already that practice journal?). Include not just what, but also how you might get there. Not sure of the path? Guess!
    4. Now define those paths and break them down into do-able things (things you will accomplish. Warning – some of these might impress you on their own!).
    5. Write out a schedule – when and how you will do these things.
    6. As you act on this schedule, note what you do, how you do, when you do and when you’ll do again. Adjust as needed.
    7. Lather, rinse, repeat.
    8. Update, modify, renegotiate until you are impressed.
    9. Don’t rest until you are impressed – with you.

    PS just doing these things should impress you – you’ll be so much farther along than others who haven’t made these strides.

    PPS Don’t worry if sometimes when you try to impress you, you don’t actually scare you!

    Once you realize everyone isn’t paying attention, and neither do they care, you’ll be able to learn to impress yourself! What other ways can you impress yourself?

    In the end – only your opinion matters – you are who you have to impress.

    Once you start, how did you help yourself be more impressed with you? Let me know in the comments!

  • Be Brave!

    There’s a reason you always need to check your fortune cookie, even if you don’t eat the cookie! There’s some potential wisdom in there. Alan Alda appeared in my fortune cookie the other day. Well, his well-known quote did. My cookie said, “Be brave enough to live creatively.”

    Do you think that you are brave? Have you recognized your own bravery? It’s highly likely that at this point you are shaking your head, laughing, saying “I’m not brave!”

    But – you are. Many of us began playing the harp as adults. Minus the devil-may-care approach of children, that may be the first sign of your innate bravery. The willingness to try new things requires a leap of faith – one most adults are not willing to take.  So, you have already exhibited a great deal of bravery!

    But, as Mr. Alda said, being brave is actually essential to making art – in our case that would be our playing, our being musicians, our being artists.  And being brave continually is central to achieving everything you strive for with your harp.

    Being brave is a lot of things. Some things being brave is not (or does not require):

    • Wearing a cape (of course you can, if it helps you, but it is not necessary)
    • Being unafraid (bravery is not being unafraid, it is being afraid and taking action anyway)
    • Not knowing what you’re getting into (rather, bravery stems from knowing the risks, but then schooling yourself and taking on those risks)

    It’s this willingness to do something in the face of fear and uncertainty that demonstrates your bravery!

    You’re still shaking your head, aren’t you.

    You think I’m wrong. But still, you’re thinking you might look pretty sporty in that cape! (By the way, thinking about wearing that cape – fairly brave!).

    What bravery is – is persisting in the face of ambiguity and uncertainty.

    There is a lot of ambiguity in making music. Confronting that ambiguity is part of the art of making music. You address it every time you play. How will you render the tune?  What will your interpretation be?  Should you always bring the tune forth the same way, or can it vary based on a number of factors (possibly including how brave you’re feeling that day)?  Are you technically capable of delivering the tune the way you imagine it?

    And the uncertainty is rampant as well. Are you making the tune show it’s best self?  Is your audience responding to your presentation? Have you done all the work?

    Being brave takes practice. The more you do it, the easier it gets. This is something you already know how to do – make a plan, keep notes of your progress, figure out your best system for success – and just keep at it! Playing the harp is unlikely to be the hardest thing you ever have to do in your life – and practicing being brave at the harp will probably help you be ready for the really hard stuff!

    As noted above – there is plenty of opportunity to be brave. So, embrace it. Acknowledging that bravery is required is probably the first step in being your bravest self. And who knows, you might even enjoy being brave enough to be creative!

  • Just one thing

    I don’t just play the harp because it’s there. I really enjoy it. I look forward to the time I get to spend, whether it’s practicing for an event or just playing around. Of course, sometimes it’s work. And I do remember the very early days so clearly – when the certainty that you’ll never “get this” is ever so much higher than the surety that you will. But time passes and that feeling subsides.

    Given that, but even so, I was taken aback when a new student asked me what would be the ONE thing that should be done within the allotted daily practice time that would take that student from a beginning beginner to intermediate harper in the short term?

    It took me a bit of time to think of an answer. The easy – and inaccurate – answer came to mind immediately. I wanted to say – PRACTICE is the one thing. But that’s not only unkind and flip, it’s also wrong! Because practice – in and of itself – is not the one single thing that will make that movement from beginner to intermediate quick or even possible.

    What?!? you say! That doesn’t sound like something you would say here in the blog. After all – look at all the blog posts you have written about the importance of practicing! You must have made a mistake there. But I haven’t. And I’m not contradicting myself either.

    Because there is a one thing that every student can work on – starting from the first practice after the first lesson…and on and on until it’s time to stop playing (is that even a thing?). What would this magical one thing be?

    FUNDAMENTALS!

    Now, I’ve nattered on about fundamentals before, but…from the mouths of harp babes (as it were) we hear the true questions emerge – and the answer is the same – always the same.

    So, no matter what level you find yourself – there are always fundamentals to revisit and address. If you’re just beginning, your one thing might be assuring that every finger goes back to your palm. And if you’re more than a beginner but not very advanced your one thing might be placing ahead. And if you’re very experienced, I really hope you’re not smugly thinking that this doesn’t apply to you because you can always be working on thinking ahead, and leveraging those skills you practiced as a beginner to inject more musicality into your tunes.

    So take a minute to really think about what your one thing to focus on should be. Don’t be flip – really assess what you could best work on to improve yourself enough to move to the next level. Don’t forget to capture it in your journal so you can see your development. And having this in your journal will allow you to move from the first One Thing onto the second One Thing, the third, etc. Because you know there will always be a just One (more) Thing to work on.

    What’s your one thing? Let me know if the comments!

  • What do you see? Obstacles and Goals

    Joseph Cossman, the well-known entrepreneur, is quoted as saying, “Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal”. That’s worthy of being embroidered and hung over your harp.

    And this point couldn’t be more true than when you have heard a beautiful piece of music that you desperately want to play….and then you see the sheet music. Few things are more disheartening than that initial visual assault of the dots. All those pages! All that ink! All those notes! All at the same time! Chords and ornaments and complex rhythms – who has that many fingers?!?

    I always tell my students that there is nothing they cannot play. There may be a wide gulf between where they are just now and the skills a particular piece requires – but that just means that the path to playing that piece lies in not being afraid of a little hard work. It also means that it might take some time to master the music, but – there is nothing you cannot play*.

    Clearly, the music is playable (remember – you heard it!). So, the real challenge is to focus on the music. And to stop staring at the obstacles.  Keep an eye on the goal – see past the dots. What are the obstacles, typically? And how do you see past them? Here are some that are reliably likely to trip you up:

    1. Poor, or as-yet-undeveloped technique. When you hear lush beauty, it is backed by strong, solid, developed and practiced technique. Always be working on your technique including learning things you haven’t had to use before. For example, if you’re self-taught or just haven’t gotten there yet – do you know how to do a glissando correctly? Always be on the lookout for things you haven’t learned how to accomplish properly and include them in your overall practice plan.
    2. Lack of practice reading. If you are not a strong reader, even looking at relatively simple music notation can be intimidating. And looking at a complex piece of music (whether it has a complex rhythm, a lot of big chords, or notation that’s new to you) can really throw you. Reading, like every other aspect of playing, requires practice. Identify music that you can read with some effort, and practice. Work and time will get you to that place where you are comfortable identifying the notes and their names, the intervals by their locations, and repeated patterns used throughout the piece. If you need it – do some flashcards time.  Learn and practice analyzing the page and you will get better at it – and that will make it come more easily too.
    3. Not making the time to get the music. If you are growing into a piece of music – you need to give yourself time. Time to analyze, to work, to practice, to become comfortable with the music and the playing of it. If you are working on a stretch piece – or if you have identified a long-range goal, be sure to give yourself the time you need to do the work, including any things you have to learn to master the piece. If you are a relatively new harper, there may be a large number of things you need to learn – and that’s ok – as long as you give yourself the time to learn all of them!

    There are other obstacles, but for now, keep your eye on your goal. Don’t lose sight of the path. Give yourself permission to divert and learn. And periodically you can return to the piece. And make sure you know what you can see.

    * don’t be obtuse – of course there are arrangements that may not fit on your harp, but assuming the arrangement is appropriate to your harp (that is, if there’s pedal markings and a lot of accidentals, you might want to pass on trying to play it on your lever harp – but even then, if you’re really up for a challenge, you go ahead and give it a try!).

  • Lights! Camera!! IMPROVE!!!

    I frequently suggest that you record yourself playing because it gives you an opportunity to evaluate your progress. An audio recording can be so helpful because it lets you truly hear yourself. And all it takes is a free app on your phone or tablet.

    Of course, you can listen to yourself while you play, but there are so many impediments to actually hearing yourself while you’re playing – you are in the moment, you have to wrangle your harp, maintain your posture, manage your breathing, ride herd on your fingers, remember the music, and so much more! All that makes it so hard to listen and to hear while you’re producing music that it is no wonder you miss so much and it is clear that being able to listen and attend better can only help.

    But recently, I’ve come to appreciate the amazing utility of video recording! It has all the benefits of audio recording that allows you to hear yourself. But video recording also allows you to see so many additional things – so clearly!

    Does your teacher consistently (or repeatedly) tell you to get your thumbs higher? Even though you practiced and practiced.  You did all the the work – why can’t she see that? Do you get the same thing with placing? Do you get told – a lot – to place ahead all while thinking that your teacher isn’t paying attention, because you know you place! After all, you did practice – over and over – so why doesn’t she see how high and well placed your fingers are?

    The video tells all!

    This picture is of one of my students – recording herself while she played. And she was astounded! She was able to see her hands – in situ. And even though she’d been looking at them – now she could see them! She watched in amazement…and horror! Because she saw what I see – and comment on – in every lesson. All the while she thought she had done all the things I suggested, thought that she had nailed it – only to be told, again, that her thumbs were dropping. Suddenly she knew! And she said at her next lesson, “when I fixed all that, it really was easier to play…just like you said!” (such words a teacher loves to hear! ♥)

    The amazing part of this is learning that your teacher isn’t a broken record (nor a hateful shrew!). But it is understandable – while you’re playing you have so much to which you must pay attention that you have no spare capacity to attend to one more thing. It is a brain thing and we all have these limits. It’s not good or bad, it just is.  And video can help you overcome it!

    Note – these don’t have to be high quality “National Geographic” videos – prop your phone or tablet on your music stand, get some good light – and voila – you have videos that are good enough – to see what you are doing when you think you’re doing everything right!

    You can use the videos to see what you’re doing so you can improve. The video also provides a record so you can (hopefully) see improvement – and see bad habits as they are developing so you can nip them in the bud before they become habits. And you can bring the video to your teacher to help you squelch untoward stuff before it hardens and to show what has transpired since you last met.

    If you don’t have a teacher you can use your video to tame your inner critic while identifying what needs work. You can evaluate your video and then work kindly with yourself to improve. And if you have the opportunity to have a lesson after a workshop, you can share the video with the visiting teacher to help give a better idea of where you are and what you need help with – which will make your lesson go so much better!

    So, by using equipment you already have (phone or tablet), you can significantly improve your playing, help your teacher help you, and create spare capacity to think – all of which will serve you well to improve your playing. And all it takes is – Lights! Camera! Improvement!

    Made a video? Want to share? Leave me a comment – can’t wait to see it!

  • Go Ahead – Make My Day

    Teaching is a very fulfilling way to spend one’s time. There are few things as motivating as seeing a student “get” something the first time, to share the joy of a person playing more confidently or accurately, to experience the culmination of a student’s hard work right there in your studio.

    I enjoy sharing the harp with others. I always get a thrill when I see progress and it’s enhanced when they see that they have made progress! Such a feeling!

    Part of teaching is to share hard earned knowledge. By passing on the wisdom of previous harpers and other musicians, we teachers seek to help students build shortcuts through those tedious (but necessary) things. We don’t want to watch you struggle. It’s not that we won’t help you get out of the struggle – but if we can help you avoid it, then you have that much more energy to tackle the next challenging thing!

    And so, weekly, we tell you to keep your thumbs up, your hands closed, your elbows up, your back straight, your head up. We entreat you to place your fingers, to slow down, to pay attention to the myriad details that are central to making each note.

    And why do we do this? Because we want you to succeed. We want you to master the instrument – in as straight a line, as quickly as possible. We have been there – that’s why we’re sitting beside you!

    And I know that you believe yourself to be doing all the things I ask of you. That you wonder if I’m not being a little bit too harsh with you. Or perhaps that I have run out of things to say and so I repeat myself. After all, you have got this!

    And so I sit beside you and try to come up with new ways to say all those things that I have noticed you might improve upon. I don’t want to beat you up about the same things week after week. I don’t want to beat you up at all! I want you to play as well as you can, as soon as you can – and then move on to learn even more. If only I could get you to place and keep your thumbs up!

    Teachers share this frustration – the gap between what we tell you and what you think you have done. And we laugh because we know that we can tell you something a thousand times but if a workshop presenter comes through and says it, you will likely come back to your lesson, clutching this pearl of wisdom and share it with us – as though we hadn’t suggested it in the past. It’s actually sort of a laugh we share. I actually put together a workshop based on this idea. And really, we don’t care where you get the information – as long as you use it!

    One thing I often suggest to my students and to you here is that you record yourself. Your recording doesn’t have to be fancy – you can use your phone, a voice recorder meant for meeting – you could you use a cassette tape. It doesn’t matter, as long as you can hear yourself!

    So, imagine my delight and surprise when one of my students came to her lesson last week with the opening – “I recorded myself playing as you suggested” (internal gasp! She was listening!). What floored me though, was what came next, “ I’m not keeping my thumbs up – just like you keep telling me” to which I wasn’t sure what to say. “Told you so” didn’t seem like a useful way to move forward!

    But what was the most endearing and important was what she did next. Throughout her practice sessions that week – she continued to work. And continued recording – so s-h-e could see that she was making improvements! What a delight to hear! What an affirmation! What lovely hand position! And what fantastic tone!!!  She totally made my day!

    So, please – use the information your teacher shares with you – the techniques, the tools, the tips. And incorporate all those nuggets into your work time. You’ll learn more, you’ll see improvement, you’ll know where to focus as you move forward and learn more about how you play. And you’ll make your teacher very, very happy.  But remember – it’s not about the teacher. It’s about you – learning to play, enjoying playing, and doing the work that you need to so that you can play better!

    How do you capture your practice, incorporate your teacher’s suggestions, and evaluate your playing? Leave me a comment about how you move forward – I’d love for you to share your ideas – and progress – with me!

  • It’s August – stay strong!

    It’s stinkin’ hot. It’s boiling! It’s August. And you know what that means? It’s nearly Autumn!

    Cooler days. Clearer skies. Longer nights. And, oh yeah, the winter holidays are coming. Whether you have a house full of family for Thanksgiving or if you have booked a full schedule of holiday party gigs – you will need to be ready. And now is the time!

    Let’s face it, no matter the reason you play, it is easier to play if you are ready – and if you feel ready. Nope, this is not another post on practicing. Rather, let’s take a broader look. The mere act of sitting and bringing the harp to you requires an element of strength, stamina and self-possession (read balance – but didn’t that string of S words feel good to read?!).

    Most of us are not about to build and keep a rigorous workout routine. But, what if it helped you to play better, longer, with less fatigue? Then it would be worth it!

    Now, I’m not a physician, a physiologist, or a physical therapist*. Ok, really, the word “physical” may actually cause me to break out into hives! But, a little bit of physical exertion could make all the difference in being able to practice (or perform) for as long as you like at each sitting – without your back hurting, feeling exhausted, or falling flat before your time is over (any of which is embarrassing).

    So, what should you do? Well, first, consult your physician – no doing stuff that’s not good for you (or worse, stuff that’s contraindicated for your condition!). Assuming you are well enough, consider adding a few things to your day. All of them are brief. Any one of them may help. If you’re an overachiever, you could try adding all of them!

    1. Go for a walk. Walking is good for many reasons. It’s a gentle exercise. You already know how to do it. You probably already have the shoes. Head out for 30 minutes. If you’re a total couch spud or have a condition, start where you are and build up to 30 minutes. Research suggests that 30 minutes a day will be enough to help you become more fit. If you’re not sure what to do, there are loads of programs available online that can suggest an appropriate buildup and level of exertion. Don’t want to walk outside?  Go to the pool and walk there (pool walking is easier on your joints and – did I mention that it’s hot?  it’s certainly cooler to walk in the pool!).  Or you can get on a treadmill. Walking is good on many levels – good for your heart, works your body, gets you some fresh air. It can also give you a chance to clear your mind. And it can be part of your practice – the rhythm allows you to think about your tunes with an active metronome.
    2. Stretches. I’ve talked about stretching before [here and subsequent weeks] and it bears repeating. But I wont’ – click the link and read those!  Stretching helps you recover but also helps overcome the stultifying sameness of sitting all day (even if you’re sitting at the harp!).
    3. Calisthenics. If you’re of a certain age, you might remember calisthenics from PE class. No, it doesn’t require a lot of equipment, space, or time. Just some exercises that help make you beautiful  and strong (from the Greek kali – beauty and sthenos – strong).  You know all these – pushups (full on, or from your knees, or against the counter or wall – it’s not a contest!  Do what you can); squats (like you’re sitting on a chair but not using your arms or moaning on the way down or up); jumping jacks; crunches or planks; and maybe some arm curls and extensions, and a few back rows. You don’t have to be all CrossFit about it! Just move and work a little everyday. That will help you become stronger which will improve your harp playing and may impact other parts of your life too (carrying laundry? groceries? moving your harp? A load of things will be easier). You can put these all together – walk to the park and use the playground equipment to exercise – or you can also do them as they fit into your day – just as long as you fit them in!

    It does help to add these activities to your journal so you can see how you’re coming along – to see your strength improvements (and if you wall off the wagon – you can see by how much – and how quickly you came to where you were before your wagon departed…and how quickly you can get back on it!). Noting it in your journal will also help capture when you notice the impact of this to your playing – as well as when you notice you just feel better.

    You don’t have to be a gym rat or an aerobics bunny to benefit – but your playing will tell the story of how you are staying strong!

    *as always, I am not a health care provider – check with yours before beginning a-n-y type of exercise or before changing what you are already doing! 

  • What are your worst habits? Four ways to identify and then fix them

    Habits are supposed to serve us. They are behaviors we perform without thinking.

    Habits can be good – like brushing your teeth, putting on your seat belt, or going to bed on time.

    Or habits can be bad – like eating ice cream every day, biting your nails, checking your phone during dinner.

    Habits are like callouses – forming slowly over time. They form when we’re busy paying attention to other things.  And so, insidiously, they creep into your processing, your playing, and you never notice.

    And while you are not noticing, the bad habits grow stronger. Until one day – you see a photo, a reflection, or a friend laughingly points out that you look like a troll with a harp! Or worse, you develop pain in your neck, shoulder, hip, hand, arm that you d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y notice after you’ve been playing. Or sometimes you notice it when you’re away from the harp – and you wonder what you’ve done.

    Bad habits can be general – you’re slouching on the bench or your head is thrust forward as you look at the strings. Or they may be quite specific – your hands are not closing on your elbow is dragging your forearm along the edge of the soundboard, your feet are not flat on the floor. But all bad habits are called “bad” for a reason – these habits are not serving you or your harp playing!

    What? You’re not screaming in pain? No one has laughed at your bad posture? Maybe you don’t have any bad habits…or maybe you just haven’t noticed! Insidious, remember?

    How would you know? Here are four surefire ways to find your bad habits –

    1. Check it out.  Hang a full-length mirror where you can check your look while you’re practicing. This is not a decorating tip (although you can also use it to help light your space better too!). Whether you hang the mirror or get a cheval glass on a stand – put it where you can look up and see what you look like while playing. This requires no help or technology.
    2. Have a photo shoot.  Enlist a friend or family member to photograph you “in the act” when you don’t expect it. This is the same idea but might be a little less discombobulating – having the photos will also tell you things you might rather know before you sit to your next practice session.
    3. Star in your own show.  Videotape yourself – this is relatively easy now – just prop your phone on your music stand and prepare to learn all sorts of things (that you might rather not know – but will help you!). The second step is the most important – watch the video! See what you’re doing when you aren’t watching.
    4. Play freeze tag.  Remember freeze tag? When you begin to practice, set a timer for some random number of minutes. When it dings – freeze! Then very carefully check yourself out – look at your hands, arms, legs, head and back – are you where you want to be? How’s your posture? Make corrections, reset the timer, and go back practicing. If you are sitting for a long practice session, plan to do those a number of times including toward the end of your practice when fatigue will contribute to bad habits – you might even have some that don’t come up until later when your fatigue enhances them.

    Any of these ways will help. A combination of them will give you a fuller picture of what you need to fix.

    How do you fix your bad habits? Go back to the fundamentals! They are called fundamentals for a reason!

    When you started playing, you learned these fundamentals – go back to them. Pull out your beginning book – whether it’s Sylvia Woods, Deb Friou, Bonnie Mohr, Maria Grossi, or any of the other beginning books – and head to the beginning, working slowly and carefully on the exercises that first helped you to learn those fundamentals.

    Of course, there’s a whole other set of musicality bad habits but we can deal with those another time. Work on the fundamentals of playing first.

    What are your worst habits? Let me know and we can compare notes!