Daylight Savings Time Ends

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Yea – it’s coming winter and the days are shorter and the nights are ever so long – so there should be plenty of time to practice! This weekend you will set your clocks back (OK, some of you did that last weekend) and you start the season with that extra hour of sleep unless you use the hour to practice rather than to sleep).

But those early nightfalls can actually make it more difficult to fit a practice in because it is prime time to snuggle into a blanket, drink hot chocolate, and read a good book! And nature is telling you to go to bed, so it can seem like no matter how much you know you need to practice, you just can’t fit it in. Do you have that problem? Maybe it’s just me, but if you feel it too, here are six things you can do to get through the time change relatively successfully:daylight-savings-ends

  • Change the batteries in your smoke detectors – you know if you don’t they’ll start that annoying chirping in the middle of your practice and disrupt you!
  • Be sure to prepare your car for the winter – you don’t want to be caught without your harp cart, your space blanket, a flashlight, gloves, or shelf stable snacks! And if you live in a cold place don’t forget other useful stuff like a shovel, and jumper cables.
  • Pick out your favorite practice sweater! Make sure it’s comfy and allows you play without binding!
  • Keep your hands warm before you start playing your warmups – it is difficult to get through a warmup if you can’t feel your fingers!
  • Make sure you have started using a good cream or lotion on your hands – your skin is not only your first line of defense but also the part of you that touches the harp – so take care of it. Split skin and strings do not mix.
  • Be kind to you – some people take a little while to adjust to the changes in the day. If you are sleepy or logy or notice you’re not playing very well – give yourself some time to adjust (no, that is not permission to skip practicing!)

Enjoy the lengthening nights, the coming cold, the looming busy winter season – all starting with this beginning of autumn marked (again) with the clock falling back!

Christmas is coming

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Are you ready?  We know it’s coming – it happens the same time every year.  It’s easy to be only sort of excited. On the one hand, it’s easy – you know all the songs and you can kind of get away with playing the same stuff every year.  On the other hand, that can get sort of boring, never learning anything new and always playing the same stuff.

So, what’s a harper to do?

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Well, you could take the easy way out – no one would know.  You’ll entertain your audience, even if it is the curtains and the cats.  You will coast through the season and all will be well. You’ll play stuff you’re comfortable playing and your stress level can stay (relatively) low. But you would know you hadn’t learned anything new.

Or you can take the difficult way and play all new music – the crazy carol written in 12/8, that jazzy arrangement of your favorite post-war song, that new, lever change filled music that was published lately.  You’ll have to work really hard (actually, you should have already started), you will be stressed out nearly every time you play and you will be uncomfortable until January!  But you will know that you have stretched yourself.

Maybe the best path to take is the middle road – add some new pieces while continuing to play your favorites.  That way, you can have a little growth, but from a strong base. You will know you have had a little stretch and you will still be able to perform confidently.

At your various outings, play those tunes your audience will be happy to hear.  And don’t forget that nothing makes Christmas music more enjoyable than mixing it with other music. Even the cats will enjoy that!

Don’t Miss! WAFHS Getaway

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The 2016 Washington Area Folk Harp Society (WAFHS) Annual Harpers’ Getaway will be held November 4 – 6, 2016 – you don’t want to miss it!

As always, there are two excellent presenters coming and you won’t be able to help but to learn a lot. There’s also the concert, the fellowship, and the venue – all things to look forward to. But there isn’t much time left to register.

The presenters this year are the irrepressible Haley Hewitt from Boston and the amazing Judith Peacock Cummings from Seattle via Scotland.

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The Getaway is at Shepherd’s Spring near Antietam Maryland in Sharpsburg, MD. There will be excellent learning opportunities, lovely social opportunities, and of course, the Silent Auction!

Deadline to register is October 21. Go to http://wafhs.org/getaway/ for the details and the forms. Don’t miss this opportunity!

It’s the little things

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You know that I am always suggesting that you develop a journal. I have told you that writing things down will help you in the long run. And I bet you believed me. And I’m nearly as sure that you still haven’t started journaling.

You’ve probably told yourself that journaling would be good for other people – those that have less experience than you do, those that have more experience, those that are professionals, those that are hobbyists, et cetera, ad nauseum.

incremental-progressBecause journaling is like cod liver oil – yes it’s good for you, as long as “you” refers to someone else!

But look at this way – writing it down will help you remember…where you’re going…where you’ve been…what you’ve been through to get from one to the other. And this is important because it will allow you to see small, incremental changes in your playing.

Because no one makes giant leaps every time! We all progress in little (tiny? minute?) steps. And those small steps ahead are difficult to see – especially if you (actually do) practice every day! It is a forest and trees problem – it’s just perspective. Regardless of the metaphor – we are not especially good at seeing our little victories. Ever notice how your nails always need cutting but you can never catch them growing?! Same thing!

You wouldn’t wake up and say, “I think I’ll run a marathon today”.  You know it would take a lot of work and exercise.  You would build up – slowly, over time, while you adjust to the work.

You do the same thing with your music – with incremental progress you will be able to do amazing things – by working at it a little over a long time. That’s not news – so you might as well help yourself by making your progress clear.

In effect, you can use your journal to catch your nails growing! And to see those little progress markers in every day.

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You might have seen that there are only 90 days remaining in the year (fewer by the time you read this!).  Have you made significant progress toward your harp goals for the year? Do you remember what they were? Did you write them down? Did you make a plan?

Fear not – all is not lost – there are, after all, nearly 90 days remaining to make some progress.  So you can end the year with a strong (and deserved) feeling of accomplishment!  And if you are no longer aligned with the goals you set (or if you never got around to setting goals), here are seven things you can still finish this year to end on a high note of accomplishment!

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  • Now is not the time to be wishy-washy – identify specifically what you want to work on (e.g., “I want to play Glenlivet at 200bpm” rather than, “I want to play faster”).You can file your paper music – Alphabetically? Chronologically? By type? Up to you, just do file in a way you can find it!
  • Make your 3 x 5 card index of tunes so you can keep more of your repertoire in your fingers (see this previous post).
  • Identify “little things” that need to be fixed in tunes you are already playing – and dedicate the remaining year to fixing them (you know, smooth out that fingering that always makes you miss in the fast tune; actually do the exercises and etudes that will allow you do perform a technical element accurately; commit to memory that chord progression for that air that you love but always stumble in).
  • Identify appropriate, strong, measurable goals for next year – and write them down! (and there is nothing magic about 1 January – you can start now)
  • Commit to actually practice every day for the rest of the year.
  • Write down what you do each day so you can see your progress.

Just keep focused on what you’d like to accomplish and make a plan to spend the end of the year moving toward that!

It’s a mistake to worry about mistakes!

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John Cleese, legendary funny person and noted actor is quoted as saying, “Nothing will stop you from being creative so effectively as the fear of making a mistake.”

And truly, that is not funny.

We are often our own worst enemies, telling ourselves repeatedly that our mistakes are not creative, just errors, cowering in our harp space not playing so we don’t miss, harboring the fear that we are not good enough to be creative, that other people are creative and we just appreciate their gifts because while they make charming mistakes. our own mistakes come out more like farts.

Hogwash!

not-creative-hogwashSo how will you get around this?

  • Acknowledge that mistakes are not failures. Not getting where you meant to only means that you have an opportunity to learn from where you ended up.
  • The cool stuff only arises from “mistakes”. Pay attention to where you landed and how you got there – some of the best tunes only get captured by turning on the recorder and collecting everything that comes out of your harp, good, bad and indifferent.
  • There really are no mistakes – there are sometimes elements that are not as pleasurable as others but they are stepping stones to the next note.  And if music is too perfect, it gets boring.
  • Acknowledge that, like fine wine, sometimes an idea needs to age or mature before it is really what you wanted.  Give yourself time for creativity to happen.  You have no idea how many times the creator tried before you get that perfect “Pinterest” photo!
  • Failure – what’s the worst that could happen? While you’re alone in your harp space something you didn’t intend comes out? Get over it and move on! Unlike the movies, creativity is not going to smite you with virtue…you’re going to have to work at it…and take the good with the bad.

Some of the best stuff ever has arisen from having the wrong levers set, not quite remembering how the tune starts, landing on the wrong chord, or some other mistake. So, make a beautiful noise and work with it – nothing that comes out of your harp is a failure!

Where do tunes come from?

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I often get asked about tunes, their provenance, their history – in other words, where do they come from?  Whether you are just generally curious, preparing for a Scottish Harp competition, or you simply want to correctly catalog your tunes, knowing where the tunes come from can tell you a lot.

First the easy answer – tunes come from all over and are held everywhere (and sometimes nowhere).  Many people learn the tunes they pick up in lessons or workshops, enjoy them immensely and go on.  Some learn tunes from popular books (such as Sylvia Woods’ many collections or the copious books available from MelBay, Afghan Press* and others) and play them for their own enjoyment. Some musicians learn tunes, play them, and are there for the tune and nothing more.  Take off your judgment hat – because there is nothing wrong with that!

tune-collectionsThe second answer is a little more nebulous – tunes are everywhere.  Some are breathtaking, but difficult to find and others are in every book you pick up (or so it seems) – so where do you find new tunes?  Here are seven places to look for your next best loved tune:

  • You can go to workshops – some workshop tutors are known for their scholarly approach to the tunes and you can learn a great deal at these events.
  • You can listen, listen, listen.  Find tunes you like being played (and remember to look beyond the harp – there are spectacular tunes out there being presented by pipers, fiddlers, whistle player, concertina, guitar, piano – it’s the tune that’s the thing, the instrument is simply the vessel.
  • You can hunt up stuff on the internet Part I – there are a lot of interesting nooks and crannies in the web, patience, perseverance, and a good scratch pad are all you need (the scratch pad is to note the search terms you have already tried and to capture ideas for additional search terms as you go.
  • You can hunt up stuff on the internet Part 2 – there are also some easy to find caches of tunes including thesession.org or www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/ or abcnotation.com.  these are a bit “wiki-er” so they are a great place to start but if you are searching for authenticity, I’d suggest keeping on looking after you find a tune you like.
  •  You can hunt up stuff on the internet Part 3 – YouTube – while this might be a corollary of the first bullet, you can often find a couple of different renditions of a tune (which for me makes it easier to “hear” the melody).  This works best if you look for a specific tune title and then daisy chain yourself through a bunch of links.
  • You can chat up a music librarian or the reference librarian at the local university or community college – it’s amazing what is in those libraries.  Of course this is much easier if you live near a music school but, don’t let those plain facades fool you, libraries hold some amazing stuff!
  • You can  build your own assemblage of published collections books.  There are loads of collections, printed in various ways (I have hardbound, softcover, pdf). Some are old (like use gloves and turn pages ever so carefully old) and some are new (like smell the ink new).  Some are noted for piano, fiddle, pipes – remember it’s the tune that’s the thing so the notation just gives you an idea where to go.  Many of the collections include other important information that is helpful – the story of the tune, the composer, the times, all of which might be helpful for arranging the melody when you decide to present it.  And you know, the appropriate number of books to own is much like the appropriate number of harps – one more!  You’ll find these collections on line, in (regular) bookshops, and in used book shops.

Do your homework and you will be delighted to find your next favorite tune!

* I don’t have the good sense to do affiliate marketing so this is just my opinion – there’s no kickback from Sylvia or Mel Bay or Afghan Press, this is simply an observation.

Harp 2017 is coming

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We are excited to be doing a Harpa trip in 2017!  (If you want to go on the Harp the Highlands and Islands Tour, start planning – we’ll be going in 2018!). We are scheduling the trip for 11 – 25 May 2017.

Join Sue Richards (Concert Mistress), Beth Kolle (Harpa Founder), and me as we travel to the Isle of Skye, the Borders and more.  We will meet old friends and new. And we’ll be playing lots of music. We will also perform and give back through concerts for good causes.  Bring your harp and have a good time – we will have some ensemble parts to share.

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You don’t have to be a harp player – we welcome other (small) traditional instruments and appreciators.  We are delighted to be going back to Scotland and the opportunity to see some new places.

While the schedule is still taking shape, but we are looking a trip along the lines of the following:

Day 1 – Collect everyone in Edinburgh and head to St Andrews

Day 2 – Head to Ft William via Aberfeldy, Falls of Dochart, and Glencoe

Day 3 – Go on to three days on the Isle of Skye

Day 4 – See Scenic Skye including Dunvegan Castle

Day 5 – Visit the Talisker distillery, the Fairy Falls and Eilen Donan Castle

Day 6 – Travel to Loch Lomond, and the Trossochs and Glasgow highlights

Day 7 – Spend the day in Glasgow

Day 8 thru 13. While we’re finalizing the specific days, we will visit Ayrshire and Dumfries (Burns country) and will have five concerts including performances at:

  • Culzean Castle (for National Trust for Scotland)
  • Robert Burns Birthplace Museum
  • Dumfries House (for the Prince’s Trust)
  • Others are still in work

Day 14. Return to Edinburgh

Remember that we will have only 14 seats on this trip. You will (as before) need to bring your lever harp (we learned last time that hiring a harp there was in the “just too darn hard” category).

As we have updates they will be posted on the website. I’m already taking places so let me know if you are interested soon.

As always, questions welcomed and encouraged.

I’m so looking forward this trip – I know we’ll have a great time! Hope you join me –

Contact me for more information and to reserve your place.  And watch this space for updates.

A la Mode

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Sometimes, you’re trying to put together a set of tunes – some jeels and rigs or a march, strathspey, reel set – and you might be at a loss on how to begin.  You could just slap a few tunes together, and there are many ways to go about this. But for now, let’s think about theory and how knowing a little more about music structure might help us make some better decisions.

First, we are harp players so we’ll already be doing a lot with our hands, so we need to put together tunes that don’t require lever changes (or maybe just a couple but, really we’re going to try for none).

Second, we want the tunes to sound like we put them together on purpose rather than like we were grasping for any tune that would come into our head next to be played.

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So, how are we going to use theory to help us out?  Isn’t theory just a bunch of dry, boring, un-understandable blahblahblah that I will never use?  The answer is a resounding – NO!  Learning theory gives you the tools you need to put those tunes together – in a good way, that will make musical sense, will save you some lever changes, that brings your audience along with you – you want all those things!!

What theory lessons would be helpful for putting that set together?  Well, you’re already part of the way there if you really, r-e-a-l-l-y don’t want to make lever changes! Because when you set your levers, you have automatically put the harp into seven different scales – and there’s probably a great tune in one of those seven scales (ok, really there’ll be about a million great tunes in a couple of those scales and possibly none in the others – but…made you look!).

What are these seven scales?  You already know, but you might not know their names.  The first is the scale you think of when you set the levers – no sharps or flats? You’re in C and you know it.  But you’re also in…

Ionian mode (sounds pretty exotic).  If you move everything up one note (start on the D) you’ll be in the Dorian mode.  You know this one, that’s what Scarborough Fair is written in.  Up another and you’re in Phrygian (someone suggested the theme for Dr. Who is an example).  Start on F you’re in Lydian, but being on G and now you’re in Mixolydian – and if you’re playing trad, you’re used to playing here with its “flatted” seventh (the “pipe scale”).  Start on the A and you’re in Aeolian (also known as relative minor or the natural minor) and again if you play trad, you probably know a lot of things in this scale). One more, start on the B and you’re in the Locrian mode which you would probably avoid because it sounds “wrong” to western listeners.

So, find some tunes that are in Ionian, Dorian, Mixolydian, and Aeolian and you’ll be well on your way to building a set – with no lever changes!*

*there are plenty of other considerations to putting a set together so don’t be surprised as you go along trying this find that the set doesn’t quite work – we’ll talk about other elements to building sets another time – I’ll let you digest this first!