It’s that time of year – the run up to the holidays.  Everyone is stressed!  If you are like most people you are way behind in your shopping, your decorating, your baking, and possibly running short of good will toward your fellow man. 

In the midst of what is, for most people certainly, chaos, it is important for you to take a little time for yourself.  Do something you enjoy.  Breathe.

Why don’t I feel like that?

If you’re reading this, it is likely that you find playing your harp to be a great way to take some time for yourself…as long as you are not preparing for a gig or struggling to play a piece of music you find challenging.  This is a great time to play those Christmas carols you love, the tunes you know really solidly, and to indulge in the simple pleasures of the easy tunes (Twinkle, anyone?).

Take some time to remind yourself why you play.  Use it as a time to fall in love with your harp again (especially if the two of you haven’t been seeing eye to eye when your stress level has increased!).  Play barefoot to let the vibration tickle your feet! Just play with your harp – and enjoy.

And if what is best for you is to take a little time away from your harp – do that.  Read a book, take a walk, bake come cookies.  Do something you enjoy just for the joy of it – to help refresh yourself.  You know the new year will bring new goals and challenges – so take a breather now!

Some days, the time is fluid, the needful things all seem to be complete and there’s your harp, all ready to be played.  But other days are like the third day of a diet – you know, the day you start to backslide, cheat, eat M&Ms because they’re small and they don’t count.

Those are the days on which your life gangs up on you – there’s so much to do and no matter how hard you work, you don’t get the needful things completed, the only thing that changes on your “Things to Do” list is that it keeps getting longer, and when you fall exhaustedly into bead, you jolt awake with the thought, “oh, [bother], I never practiced today!”  And, because you’re exhausted, as you slide into sleep, you feel guilty and just a little fatter (well, the harp equivalent). 

Make a promise to yourself to be gentle with you, praise your good, and accept that less good.  Know that sometimes you need a little break to return to your love affair with a light heart.

What does the space in which you practice look like?  Is it warm and inviting, beckoning you to come play?  Or does it look the bigger cousin of the kitchen junk drawer? 

What you put around you impacts your time at the harp.  And since none of us has enough time at the harp, we need to make sure our surroundings help us maximise that time rather than gnawing on our conscious or our unconscious thought.
 
No matter whether you have an entire wing of your house devoted to enshrining your harp or if you have your harp wedged into a corner, you should make sure that your surroundings help you play, practice, grow, and enjoy.

So, here are four things you can do to improve your space so that you enjoy being there more and get better performance from yourself while you are there.

1.  Make the space inviting and comfortable.  This is clearly personal and you should make the space yours.  There are number of things that can make the space better for you.  Make sure you have good lighting.  Have enough space to safely play and store your harp.  Will the dog run through and knock it over?  Do you have enough room for your bench.  If you have a small space, be sure you have enough room for good form and technique throughout the range of the harp (when you play the top strings, are your elbows brushing the walls? Then move!).  You may have to move the furniture around (but since its not a harp, I’m sure no one will notice or care!). 

2.  Have on hand the things you will need – eventually.  You know you need a tuner and lighting and space for your harp.  But there are other things you need to store nearby as well – music? music stand?  extra strings? a string chart? whatever other bits and bobs you want to have there.  Make sure those things are easily accessible so you have them when you need them.  For instance, if a string breaks during your practice, it might not be enough to have the strings close by, you might also need string ends, candle gum, pliers, et autre accoutrement.

3.  Of course having things near by means your must have a place to put those things.  And that you actually put them in their place when not in use!  Organizing your things will keep the space tidy so it won’t be a distraction while you’re practicing. 

4.  Use the space you have to do the things you do.  If you don’t just play but also have people listen, you’ll need a comfortable place for them to sit. If you do a lot of arranging, you’ll need a place for your pens and pencils, manuscript paper, erasers (if you’re at all like me!).  If you do recording, you’ll need the recorder itself and a stand or table.

Each of us uses our harps and the space in a very personal way.  Make sure you organize your space so you can accomplish all you want to without having to “fight” the room to make your accomplishments.

Winter is a time of colder temperatures with brisk, dry winds, and rain, ice, snow and combinations of all of them. I’m sure you don’t need a weather report from me. We all have to get through the winter season where we live. The winter does bring some challenges for us as harp players. We have to take self-care seriously to assure we don’t get hurt. Here are two areas that will help you get through the winter successfully.

Start with the skin. Your skin is the largest organ in your body. It protects you from a lot  including your harp – and other, bad stuff. It is your first line of defense. It protects you from disease. It is sturdy but delicate. You need to give it appropriate care. Being sure to wash your hands frequently is good for your health. But putting moisturizer on frequently is really good for your skin. Just like we get thirsty in winter because cold air and heating systems dry the air, our skin is also thirsty. Moisturizer will help keep your skin supple.  A shea butter, cocoa butter, aloe vera or other moisturizer you know works for you is good to have on hand all the time.

Moving on to your hands – keep them warm – physically. Wear your gloves or wristies* There are lots of free patterns online if you want to knit your own or you can buy inexpensive versions in knits or fleece. They are very helpful, even in warm weather, for keeping warm before performances.

While I always tell you the importance of warming up, in the winter it is essential to warm up before you play. Just like the rest of you feels the cold, your hands and forearms and their muscles will feel the cold. And if you are a more experienced human (read: older) you may feel the cold even more keenly. So that warm up to start your practice is even more important than at other, warmer parts of the year. In addition, consider adding a warm up to your office work in winter. Typing, writing, and other small motor activities (think texting) can also take a toll on your hands so think about warming up for those as well.

I’m also partial to holding a good cup of hot tea!

*”Wristies” is a patented and trademarked item, developed, according to the website, by a smart and enterprising 10 year old Girl Scout! Not an endorsement – I’ve never worn Wristies ™ but I like the idea and the story. Here I am suggesting any sort of fingerless warmer that helps you preserve your muscle warmth).

We’re working our way through the holiday season. There are things to do, gifts to wrap, gigs to play, cookies to bake, parties to attend, and we haven’t even gotten to New Year yet – yikes! You know what you need to do throughout all this, especially if you’re going to play your best – REST!

What does rest mean? For some it will mean take a week off. Don’t play, don’t think about playing, don’t do any goal setting or planning (bet you never thought you’d hear me say that). Just Rest. Maybe have a professional manicure or a massage to help care for your hands and their little muscles. Take a little “me” time for your harp too – you could  have your harp regulated or change the strings if they need it. I’m happy to recommend my favorite local luthier if you don’t have one (just send me a comment and I’ll share that with you).

We all know the importance of rest, even if we ignore it. Rest helps us recharge. It helps us get some distance from what we normally do – our everyday lives. And rest encourages us to return to our harps with a fresh perspective gained from missing our heart throb.

Use your rest time well. Schedule it when it is best for you. Now is a good time because we’ve been playing a lot, but you may have another time that is better for you, maybe at the end of the flurry of summer learning experiences when you have a lot in your head? Then the rest gives you a chance to sort through what you’ve learned and determine what to keep, what to shelve to work on later, and what was a good learning experience but not something you need to keep.

You can use your rest time to do other things – talk to your family members or read a book. Remember that these pursuits can also improve your playing by helping to broaden your perspective (and to rekindle relationships you’ve left slide while practicing – are those your children?!?!)

A little rest will do you good. And when you’ve finished resting you’ll be refreshed and ready to get back in, work hard and improve your playing.

Last week we talked about the importance of warming up – a necessary activity each and every time you sit to play. But when you’ve finished your practicing, you need to close with a cool down. Cooling down is always included in a good practice session.

The cool down helps the body recover (remember that musicians are the athletes of the small muscles!). In extreme cases, the cool down helps avoid muscle soreness. It also brings your practice to a controlled end (rather than a frenzied rush off to the next activity on your list) which may help you remember what you’ve learned throughout the practice session.

You may know how to cool down from athletics (running slower or walking or stretching) but how do you do that at your harp? It won’t take more than 5 – 10 minutes and it is just as important (and maybe more important) than the warm up was.

To begin your cool down – play more slowly and less loudly. You are still looking for a good closure of your hands to get the relaxation of the muscles that comes from playing with good technique. Finish up your practice time by playing something you like and know every well – something that doesn’t require practice. Relax. Keep your technique strong while you let your play unwind. When you are ready to stop playing move on to stretching.  Be sure to stretch as your hands and arms, as well as your neck, back, and legs.  We spend so much time focused on our hands that we forget that our entire body is contributing to our playing and needs to be included in our warm up and cool down.

It is important to build your own practice for cool down.  When you have build the cool down that works for your, you can perform it like a ritual after each practice session and after each performance. Using a ritual-like approach will help you leave your practice or a performance thoughtfully.

And sometimes, especially during the holiday season, you just don’t have time to spend at your harp. On these days, your practice could be condensed to just a warm-up and cool-down. At least you’ll have sat down to your harp which is better than missing the day entirely.

Cool down and stretch so I won’t have to write you a blog post on icing injuries!

Warming up is one of those things we all know we should do.  But we want to get to the fun stuff, to playing tunes, so we skip warming up.  Or we give it short shrift and move on to more fun things. We might even feel guilty about skipping the “work”, but we skip it anyway. After all, we don’t have a lot of time to practice and we don’t want to waste any of that valuable time doing something that doesn’t really help us play any better.

Unfortunately, this is a penny wise pound foolish approach. Every moment we spend warming up will contribute to our playing better. Warming up assures that our muscles are ready for strenuous work. Taking a gentle approach also helps us to do more with a reduced probability of injury from overuse of cold muscles and connective tissue.  The warm up improves our flexibility in our hands and arms.  If dancers just launched into practice without warming up, they’d be on ice, anti-inflammatory pain relievers, and bandage wraps.  We are like dancers.  But while they are working large muscles, we use those muscles (albeit differently) AND we use some of our very small muscles.  And we don’t want to end up on the ice/aspirin regimen, do we?

Warming up is key if you are young or old, new to the harp or expert, in a well heated space or in a freezing rehearsal hall. The things you do to warm up with help you be more flexible and limber and will help you improve your form and tone as you work on the music you so desperately want to practice.

So before you sit to play, be sure to warm up. If it is cold in the room, wear a sweater and wristies or fingerless gloves (think of them as the legwarmers for hands that they are – fashionable and practical). Go slowly and build warmth in the muscles and tendons of your hands and arms. And don’t forget that you are a whole – so warm up your back and legs, as well as your core. Gentle stretching will also help once you have begun to be warm. Some excellent ways to warm up your hands and arms include playing scales and arpeggiated chords in your favorite key. Start slowly and quietly and as you get warmed up you can increase your speed and volume. Watch yourself as you do these to assure that your hands are performing (thumbs and hands in a nice position, close your fingers to achieve release at the end of the movements, breathe, head up, spine erect). This is a time for contemplative performance – monitor yourself, being mindful of your actions, while allowing your body to warm up to the expectations you have undoubtedly set. When you’ve had enough of scales, move into etudes or other simple pieces that you know well.  Keep monitoring your play and work to warm up not to perfect the music.

And enjoy this time you set aside for yourself. Know that these “useless” activities are the foundation for the rest of your practice, an investment in your rehearsal time, an insurance that you’ll get to keep playing!

As I look around the area I live, it is clear that the harvest is complete.  This is the week that we are grateful and celebrate our good fortune.  As harp players, we have much to be thankful for – a gorgeous instrument that is held in trall by many and is gentle with us, the dedication to playing it, the talent to bring to it, and the desire to share the contents of our hearts through it.  Enjoy the holiday (or its spirit if you are in a different country).  Take a moment to reflect on kismet bringing you here!

Last week I started talking about improving your condition so you could play better. But how do you do that, exactly?

No matter what you decide to do this summer, make sure you condition yourself. Be prepared to spend more concentrated time on your bench. Remember that workshops are hard work – you do a lot of concentrating. So spend some quality time taxing your brain before you go – you want to be ready to take in more. This is not the time to start trying to sight read Faure’s collected works to perform – but you could spend a little more brain time as you get ready to go. Learn some easy pieces by ear, read something new (not to performance, just practice your reading).

You’re going to be physically tired – you’re going to be working hard. And you’ll be spending your time doing things you don’t normally get to do – sitting at your harp! To have the stamina to spend that time on your bench, you should work up to it! Be sure your fingers, arms, shoulders, back and tush are ready for the demands you’re about to place on them. Spend more time at your harp in preparation. Be diligent about those exercises – get out your favorite book. I am currently switching back and forth between Grossi and Friou – use what works for you.

And don’t forget to stretch. You’re doing a lot of hard work to prepare. Stretching will help keep you limber and flexible and stronger – more able to enjoy the workshop time. Be physically and mentally ready for your workshop – don’t let little nagging bits of unpreparedness ruin your summer workshop. Be prepared so you can soak up loads of learning. You may not be ready yet, but if you start now you’ll be ready to have a great workshop experience!

It’s that time of year – the Holidays!  Lots of music to dust off to play for all of December, new tunes to try to get in shape to play in the venues we have booked (be they paying or family), as well as keeping up our “real” repertoire(s). 

If like many of us, you are playing for your own enjoyment, playing to put presents under the tree, playing at churches, corporate parties, holiday events, and all your regular gigs, its going to hit you eventually…you are doing a lot!

it is really important to take good care of yourself at this time of year – we are all stressed up with somewhere to go – and the strain of adding to our usual busy routines can start to show – developing cracks in our usually pristine veneers…

Practice – be sure that you are getting enough practice but that you don’t ramp up from a tepid 15 minute a day run through to a sold 2 hour practice too quickly.

Stretch – add stretching your hands, arms, neck and back to your daily schedule.  I don’t know about you, but “reading neck” is my biggest problem about this time of year.  Since I usually don’t spend a lot of time glued to a music stand, this period of seasonal (read, I’m not bothering to memorize it) music is killing me!  I don’t normally have my head turned in that direction for about 10 months of the year…so I really feel it now!

Rest – allow yourself enough time to prepare (corollary – know yourself and how long you will need to prepare for season – and give yourself that time so you can be ready) and build enough rest time into the schedule.  This is both physical rest (I am certain you’re getting your 9 hours every night – right?) and mental (don’t think you will actually be able to learn 50 performance ready Christmas tunes in a week).

Enjoy – no matter your level of harp performance, you have a life beyond your harp (you do, don’t you?) so be sure to enjoy all the aspects of your life – use your creative outlets, enjoy the holiday season, have a cookie.

Remember that taking care of you is the best gift you can give yourself and your loved ones – it will make you a better person and a better harper.