Jenius Creations

Category: Practice

  • Boot Camp Week 3 – Five Weeks to Better

    If you have been playing along at home, you have probably already started seeing differences in your practice and your playing. I hope this encourages you to keep at it. Consistency may be the most important practice element of all, and it is certainly one of the most underrated!

    As before, you can focus on this week’s activities or you can add this on top of the previous weeks – whatever works well for you.*

    Stretch – Bow, no, b-o-w! Because so many of us are dedicated (or foolish) we may sit at the harp for long stretches of time. Many do not realize how much work this can be for the hips, back, legs, and core. One soothing, relaxing stretch is to bow. You can do this from the bench or while standing. From the bench, sit away from the harp and with both feet flat on the floor and knees apart (wider than if you were playing), hands resting on your thighs, hinge forward from the hip with your back flat (this is easiest if you keep your head up). Move slowly and deliberately into the stretch. Keep your core strong.  Go as deeply into the stretch as you are able.  Breathe. Now, slowly lower your head, round your back and let your arms dangle. Breathe! You can stay here as long as you like (and as long as you continue to breathe). When you’re ready, s-l-o-w-l-y roll up to your starting position. If you prefer to stand, start with your feet shoulder width apart, weight balanced, knees soft, and hinge forward as above. Be sure to monitor and maintain your balance.

    Technique – Ornaments. Sorry, this is not the fun of decorating but the work of adding ornaments to tunes. To practice ornamentation, you need control. To get light, accurate, beautiful ornaments – you must control your fingers and the strings to control the weight and length of the notes. As you know, ornaments are light, quick, and ahead of the beat. To get them light and quick, practice them. Today we are looking at cuts (you can, of course, extend this to other ornaments, but let’s focus here for now). This is a variation of the intervals you did in Boot Camp Week 1. Select your favorite key and scale and work your way, in intervals of a second, from root to octave and back again. Play the first note (the cut) just ahead of the beat with the second note occurring on the beat (because I’m sure you are counting, even if playing scales!). Be careful to work slowly and make the first note light and quick; the second will be heavier and have all the weight of a proper note. Quicklight/HEAVYFULL. When you have it in the right hand (where you are going to use it most) do it in the left hand.  While you might not ever make an ornament in the left hand, practicing that level of control will only serve you well. Once you have that down, move to different intervals (use the 3rd, the 4th, the 5th, etc.) and learn which ones you like best. If some are more challenging than others – well, now you know where you need to direct more work!

    Practice Element – Dynamics. Since we’re already working on control – let’s extend that to dynamics. Being in control of the harp gives you a better firmament from which to build more musicality and presentation. Dynamics often get short shrift or just forgotten. Now this might be forgivable (m-i-g-h-t) in a set of dance tunes, it is unforgiveable in songs and airs or any classical music. The dynamics are one of the easiest things you can do to help you sell the story, so they are definitely an important part of playing. The point of injecting dynamics is to enhance the inflection of the tune. Dynamics don’t always have to be dramatic – even small changes really make an impact to your listeners. To start practicing dynamics, first think about the markings for crescendo/decrescendo – a very long arrow – that’s how you want to play. Let’s stick to a major scale and play it with those arrows – start very small and build the sound as you go up to the octave. Each note should be just noticeably louder than the note before. On the way down, do the opposite with each note just noticeably softer than the previous. This week there’s a twofer – after you’ve done those scales, follow it with a three-scale – place your fingers for the scale and play each note three times – p, mf, f (always with the same finger) up the octave and f, mf, p on the way back down. When you’ve mastered one hand, move on to the other, and then do both together – always careful to assure you have the volume you intended. Too easy? This time do the same scale but as you go up play f, mf, p (and when it’s too easy go to four fff, mf, mp, ppp) and come down at p, mf, f (or ppp, mp, mf, fff). Bored? Now play the scales with two hands – play the left hand p and the right hand f, then switch. Be careful but gentle – and do the work you need to do. Soon you’ll have the skill to be as dynamic and dramatic as you wish – for each tune – exactly as you mean to deliver it!

    Hang in there – you’re more than half the way there and you’re building a solid practice habit!

    *Remember that I’m not that kind of doctor, so please be careful, work within your own abilities (which isn’t to say don’t stretch yourself but also, don’t hurt yourself!). Be careful and only do what you can do. This blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion about trying to stay health and other sub­jects related to playing the harp. All the con­tent pro­vided in this blog, and in any linked mate­ri­als, is not intended to be, and should not be con­strued to be, med­ical advice. If you have a med­ical con­cern, con­sult with an appropriately-licensed physi­cian or other health care worker. Never dis­re­gard pro­fes­sional med­ical advice or delay seek­ing it because of some­thing you have read on this blog or in any linked materials. If you think you may have a med­ical emer­gency, call your doc­tor or 911 immediately. The views expressed on this blog and web­site have no rela­tion to those of any academic, hospital, practice or other insti­tu­tion with which the author is affiliated. Don’t be thick – these are just suggestions – take care of you!

  • Boot Camp Week 2 – Five Weeks to Better

    So, you made it through Bootcamp Week One! If you were able to insert this into your practice – good for you! And remember that you are doing it for you, so even if you only get in a couple of days – you’re making a better you!

    This week, you can continue the stretch, technique and practice element you learned last week, you can do this week’s set, or you could add them together. It’s up to you! Stretch – Cozy Corner.  Stand with both feet on the floor, weight balanced between them near an “outside corner” (the kind that point at you). You can also use a doorway. Keep yourself lifted, head up, back comfortable and straight, shoulders relaxed. With your arm out to your side, place your forearm on the wall. Slowly draw in a deep breath into your abdomen, hold for a moment and slowly lean into your corner, turn away, and let your breath out. Do this for a couple of breaths, and then do the other side. Be relaxed and be careful to be in control so you don’t hurt your shoulders. Do not stretch farther than your flexibility!*

    Technique – Placing. One challenging thing is to learn to land on strings that are already vibrating so as to stop them, but not too quickly! If you don’t stop the strings, you get horrible buzzes. But if you stop the strings too quickly you get noise. This week, to practice placing, we’re going to use chords. Start in your favorite major key and counting in 3. Wang off a really loud I chord on the 1 beat. Use the second beat to admire your handiwork (or to be slightly more successful, use the time to figure out your next move!). On the third beat, land back on that same chord – quietly, gently but firmly. Watch your fingering and use it for both the first and third beats. Play the chords you are comfortable with. Just beginning? Stick to I-III-V chords. More advanced? Do I-V-VIII chords. Really advanced – do something jazzy – but make sure the third beat is playing the same notes as the first! Work slowly and carefully to assure you’re actually stopping the strings like you mean to (don’t work on luck!). Once you’ve got the hang of it, work your way up the octave repeating the chords. Go slowly and carefully. No buzzing, no misses (errors), stay on the beat, make smooth transitions, and mind your hand and arm position and that your wrists are in a neutral position.  No tension!  Keep your shoulders down and your head up. Start with each hand and when these are good, go on to both hands. If this is too easy, you know the drill – place your hands and then close your eyes. Still too easy? Start with your eyes closed to find the start point. Again, do not accept a marginal effort – “good enough” isn’t. Do the work – for you. Not getting what you expect? Slow down more.  Go only as fast as you can do it correctly.  Do not rush. Remember to enjoy the sound, to feel the harp, and enjoy the experience! This can be difficult, so don’t sweat it if it takes a little practice – you will get there if you keep working on it!

    Practice element – Reading. This week practice reading. One of the great things about reading is that you can do it anywhere! And if you practice reading enough – when you’re not at the harp, you’ll still be able to “hear” the music in your head as you read. If you’re just learning to read – PLEASE BE KIND TO YOU! Think back to when you learned to read words (or think about a child you have witnessed struggling to learn to read). It was difficult – learning to tell one squiggle from another, and learning what each specific squiggle meant was hard. And you spent a lot of time learning to tell them apart and remembering what they meant – and sounded like. This is just like that! And, if you’ve had some time away from the paper, you might find that you’re a little rusty at reading – and need to “sound out” some of the squiggles. There are a number of ways to practice your reading. For this week, select music that is not familiar, but is at your level of proficiency. Sit at the harp and do-not-play! Rather, glance at the page and randomly select a squiggle.  Then play that squiggle on your harp. The point here is not to learn the piece but rather to practice identifying the squiggles and their meanings. If there are lever (or pedal) changes – touch the appropriate lever. If there’s a middle C indicated, touch the middle C. Don’t just pick the easy ones – if there are ledger lines and you’re not good at that, work on those. Spend time reading the music and identifying where the squiggles go. You can also play the note so you can learn what each squiggle sounds like. If possible, spend 15 minutes each day practicing your reading. With that slow steady approach, you will be able to read more accurately and more quickly. Use your timer to assure you only spend 15 minutes.  By squiggles, I’m sure you know that I mean notes, but also any of the other markings – accidentals, dynamics, key signatures, etc – you need to practice it all to get really smooth.

    Keep at it again this week and you will see improvement. If you can practice both week’s activities, you’ll see that last week’s seem much easier this week! Just imagine what’ll happen next week!

    *Remember that I’m not that kind of doctor, so please be careful, work within your own abilities (which isn’t to say don’t stretch yourself but also, don’t hurt yourself!). Be careful and only do what you can do. This blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion about trying to stay health and other sub­jects related to playing the harp. All the con­tent pro­vided in this blog, and in any linked mate­ri­als, is not intended to be, and should not be con­strued to be, med­ical advice. If you have a med­ical con­cern, con­sult with an appropriately-licensed physi­cian or other health care worker. Never dis­re­gard pro­fes­sional med­ical advice or delay seek­ing it because of some­thing you have read on this blog or in any linked materials. If you think you may have a med­ical emer­gency, call your doc­tor or 911 immediately. The views expressed on this blog and web­site have no rela­tion to those of any academic, hospital, practice or other insti­tu­tion with which the author is affiliated. Don’t be thick – these are just suggestions – take care of you!

  • Practice Boot Camp – Five weeks to better!

    May is the “gateway” month – the last month to prepare for all the summer harp fun you’ve been planning. Workshops, competitions, gatherings, schools – there are so many opportunities to meet new people, learn new music, have more fun. And there are also so many opportunities to hurt yourself – carrying your harp more than usual, straining your brain, working your fingers, arms, back and legs!

    So let’s use this month to tune up for the long summer. By building a stronger practice over time, you’ll be able to make more progress in your practice time.  And because you’ll be stronger, you’ll be able to get more from all the events you’ll attend.  Each week we’ll add a new stretch, a technique, and a new practice element focus you can be ready to learn, laugh, and love your harp! Let’s get started*.

    Stretch – Breathing.  Stand with both feet on the floor, weight balanced between them (you can also do this sitting with your weight evenly distributed). Keep yourself lifted, head up, back comfortable and straight, shoulders relaxed. Slowly draw in a deep breath into your abdomen, hold for a moment and then slowly let it out. Do this 5 times. Be relaxed and enjoy the deep breaths.

    Technique – Intervals. Be sure to watch your fingering. Progress, in your favorite key and scale through the second, the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, octave, ninth, tenth, and back down. Go slowly and carefully. No buzzing, no misses (errors), even pace, smooth transitions, and mind your hand and arm position and that your wrists are in a neutral position.  No tension!  Keep your shoulders down and your head up. Start with each hand and when these are good, go on to both hands. If this is too easy, place your hands and then close your eyes. Still too easy? Start with your eyes closed to find the start point. Do not accept “good enough” – this isn’t for your teacher, this is for you – do your best. Not getting what you expect? Slow down more.  Go only as fast as you can do it correctly.  Do not move faster than you can go accurately, do not rush. Enjoy the beauty of the tones, the feel of the harp against you, the experience of producing amazing sound. And don’t get upset if you can’t do it perfectly – remember – we’re practicing…and you’ll get better with practice!

    Practice element – Sitting. This week practice approaching the harp and sitting on the bench. Don’t just flop onto the stool! Lower yourself gently and in a controlled manner. No hands. Ensure that you’re sitting up straight and relaxed. Both feet flat on the floor, weight distributed across your hips. No twisted spine. No shoulders around your ears. No wrapping your feet around the legs of the bench. No rolling your hip forward. Now, stand. No hands. Sit and stand five times – slowly, controlled, relaxed. If you’re not able to do this five times, do as many as you can and work your way up. When you’ve done that, reach for the harp and pull it back like you’re just learning – straight toward your nose before pushing it off to your shoulder. Again check your posture. Set your timer for some random number of minutes and begin to play something you know fairly well. When the timer goes off, check your posture and make any needed corrections. Practicing your posture will allow it to become automatic so you don’t have to think about it when you’re playing!

    Slow and steady wins the race as they say – if you don’t feel like you are doing well, keep at it for the week – you will see improvement. Next week, we’ll add another stretch, technique and practice element.  Leave a comment and let me know how you get on!

    *Remember that I’m not that kind of doctor, so please be careful, work within your own abilities (which isn’t to say don’t stretch yourself but also, don’t hurt yourself!).  Be careful and only do what you can do.  This blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion about trying to stay health and other sub­jects related to playing the harp.  All the con­tent pro­vided in this blog, and in any linked mate­ri­als, is not intended to be, and should not be con­strued to be, med­ical advice. If you have a med­ical con­cern, con­sult with an appropriately-licensed physi­cian or other health care worker.  Never dis­re­gard pro­fes­sional med­ical advice or delay seek­ing it because of some­thing you have read on this blog or in any linked materials. If you think you may have a med­ical emer­gency, call your doc­tor or 911 immediately.  The views expressed on this blog and web­site have no rela­tion to those of any academic, hospital, practice or other insti­tu­tion with which the author is affiliated.  Don’t be thick – these are just suggestions – take care of you!

  • When… you… just… can’t..…get on the bench

    It’s nearly the end of March, the time when we feel like it should be warm and glorious. These are the days that beg to be enjoyed. And the weather guesser said it is Spring. And yet, it is cold, dreary, and windy. It doesn’t feel like it will be glorious any time soon. And although the forsythia has bloomed, the ground is still too cold to do Spring-like things. And so, we look longingly out the window, weary of donning coats we’d prefer to take to the cleaner to put away until the winter comes again.

    Given this, we should be delighted to stay indoors, in the warm, holding a cup of tea, practicing like mad. And yet, these are days in which it seems very difficult to bear down and practice. Competitions aren’t for weeks and weeks (NB Scottish + Welsh Harp Day is 5 May!).  It’s that lull between the holidays and the mad Summer weddings season. So, why is it that we…just…can’t…even…get to the harp?!? Or if we do get to the harp, we diddle but don’t really practice – why?!?

    Maybe it’s inverse cabin fever – or maybe the doldrums of not having anything urgently pressing on our calendars? Or maybe we need the rest?

    No matter the reason, this is a time when we also pile on guilt because we know we need to be practicing. But even that doesn’t seem to goad us to action. Let’s face it – we…just…can’t…….get on the bench!

    So, how do we get out of this? This is slightly different from your regular practice, if only because you are specifically trying to lure yourself onto the bench. So, it’s more about getting there than being there. Once you get there – you know what to do!

    Here are seven ways to help you get to the bench and get moving again:

    1. Make an effort to say hello. No, seriously, walk up and just say hello to your harp. This might seem silly but try it. Humor me. Maybe even touch it. This is especially important if you don’t have a dedicated space for your harp and you must move it to play. Sometimes, saying hello is all it takes to remind you that – why, yes, you would like to play, just a little.
    2. But maybe the simple greeting doesn’t evolve to playing. You could simply sit on the bench. If you are really a hardcore case, convince yourself that you are timesharing – sitting on the bench is a start toward practicing AND it is housekeeping – dusting is important too. So, it could qualify as home care. But, often simply placing your behind on the bench leads to playing.
    3. If the first two haven’t lead to you playing (or left you racked with scandalous guilt), maybe commit to playing for just 5 minutes. Get out your trusty timer, because you wouldn’t want to cheat! Just spend those 5 minutes playing a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g (really – anything!). Make sure you enjoy the time – because it could lead to longer bouts of playing.
    4. Still not making it to the bench? Make a date with your harp. Write it down on your calendar. This is not the time to get up an hour early or to skip dinner. Just make – and keep – a date with your harp. It could be a 5-minute date, you could meet for coffee, it doesn’t have to be long, just be sure you keep the date.
    5. Get a buddy (especially useful if you know someone else in the same boat). Work with your buddy to be accountable. Although this might work best with another harper, your buddy can be anyone trying to be accountably motivated – to exercise, to diet, to read more, whatever. You can help each other by checking in each day to assure you both stay motivated and do what you mean to.  Knowing you’ll be embarrassed to have to tell someone else that you didn’t get to it is very motivating for getting it done!
    6. Accountability buddy too cheesy for you? Be accountable to yourself! Keep a log of your progress.
    7. Plan a treat. While you could give yourself a cookie every time you make it to the harp, a better treat might be to select a piece of music you would like to learn. That might take more time than you’ve allotted at this point, but it could be a nice carrot!

    Whatever you choose as a means to help yourself get motivated – the real point is to get you back to playing! And cut yourself a break.  But if it helps, remember that regular practice – even for a short duration – will move you farther along than long, but sporadic, practice. Whatever you do, don’t hector yourself. You’re not quitting after all, you’re just reminding yourself how much you enjoy playing.

    The Spring will come, and with the sunshine and longer days, you will look forward to getting back – so use these tips to help pass the time ‘til you get there. Do you have other ways to get yourself back when…you…just…can’t….? I’d love to hear them (in case I need a new way the next time I’m in the same state!).

  • Mindfulness – Knowing you

    Mindfulness is everywhere just now. There are mindfulness apps, there are coaches, and there are plenty of scolds telling us that we need to be more mindful.

    This is however, much like so many other things. There is no end to the line of people telling you what you should do. You need to eat low fat low carb clean whatever-is-popular-today. You need to have these countertops, this color cabinets, and definitely not have an avocado refrigerator! You have to wear skinnies, or was it wide-leg? Oops, nope, it’s ankle pants.

    There are a lot of people telling you what is right for you. But you probably already know what is right for you!

    Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention. Of being “in the moment”. Of focusing on what you are doing right now. Of not being fixated on on what has happened before or what might happen later, but only on what is happening.

    And in our current world, it is easy to get caught up in not being focused. And so, there are loads of people willing to tell you how to be focused. But the most important part of mindfulness is knowing you.

    You likely already know what works for you. Answers online may help but will not change that essential you.  And if you’re paying attention, you will have a pretty good idea of what you need to work on. Rather than telling you to breathe or meditate or do yoga, I’d like to suggest a few other ways to be mindful during your practice and playing. How do you get your mind to focus on playing the harp rather than on all the other stuff you could be thinking about?

    1. Breathe. Ok, I know I said I wasn’t going to tell you to breathe, but I am always amazed at how many people truly don’t breathe when sitting on the bench. I have gone so far as to draw breath marks into the music or to add a breath into the phrase as I teach a tune. Breathing is something that requires a little attention when you’re focusing on something else (like learning or mastering a tune).
    2. Check in. Just as when you arrive in a hotel, you have to check in so they know you are there and you can get settled, you can check in with yourself – see what baggage you have brought (and leave it on the floor), make sure you are comfortable, that there is enough light, and that you know when your time there will end.
    3. Attend. Actually pay attention to what you are doing. Don’t think about work or what’s for dinner, why you can’t play the same things as Betty Sue, or what you’re going to play for your Carnegie Hall audition in 150 years. Pay attention to what you are doing right then.  Scales? Focus on your fingering, placement, sound quality, and control. If you’re doing etude work, assure you’re getting out of the etude the point of the activity rather than just banging through it.
    4. Be content. You are practicing. This would suggest that you are building a skill, a repertoire element, or a performance package. The key word there is building – developing. Be content that you are making progress. Don’t waste time being upset, chagrinned, angry, or despondent that you have only made as much progress as you have – rather, be content that you have made progress.
    5. Don’t settle. Why yes, this is the tempered opposite of the item above. Don’t settle for anything less than your best effort. Don’t accept sloppy scales, a fumbled second phrase, trailing fingers, or anything else that smacks of not paying attention. Don’t flog yourself but do genuinely work while you’re on your bench. This is a path to being content!
    6. Mind the time. While it would be ever so nice to have four hours a day to practice, that is impractical for most. So be sure you know how much time you’re going to dedicate and use it. Use all of it. But honor your plan and only use all of it, but no more. This will help you be focused on what you’re doing rather than wondering, “How much longer? Are we there yet?”

    Of course, you can also have a mindfulness practice of more standard mindfulness stuff – that can only aid your focus when practicing. But you know you – do what works for you.

    What other things do you do to help yourself focus and be mindful when you’re on your bench? Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear what you do!

  • What do you want to be?

    Did you know you wanted to play the harp when you were young? Did you see one played when you were small and know it was for you? Have you always known? Were you able to get a harp and take lessons?

    Or did you know but it was out of reach? Did you start playing as soon as you were able?

    I don’t know when you first thought about playing the harp, but when I did, I was old. Well, older. Certainly, a well-established adult. Honestly, before that, playing the harp never even occurred to me. Never even thought about it. Until I was playing.

    I hadn’t even thought about being a musician. I had left all that behind me when I went to university. I mean, I dabbled, but I didn’t think of myself as a musician.

    And even now, on occasion, I have to shake myself to believe my good fortune!

    Regardless of when we started or how we come to the harp, here we are. Right next to one another. Playing together. How cool is that?!?

    One of the things I enjoy about our community is that togetherness. We all start where we start, when we start. We are where we are. We’re going where we choose. But we have lovely company along the way. The question remains however – what do you want to be when you grow up?

    Only you can answer the question. And as before, the answer is unique to you – and may hold all the information you need to improve the time you spend at the harp. There are, as before, as many answers as harpers, but a few are –

    • You strive to play for your own pleasure
    • You want to make a career change
    • You want a side hustle
    • You want to ease other people

    All of these answers are great choices for when you grow up! No matter your current age. But how does knowing that help you practice – to continue your growth?

    Well, in this case the answer is always the same. You still need to work on your technique, your repertoire, your stamina. Yup, no slacking in the fundamentals! And no slacking – period!

    If you play for your own pleasure, strong fundamental will help you to get past the ugly part (you know that part – in every tune – that is “more challenging” than you thought it would be when you started) and on to the fun part so that you can enjoy the playing.  Practicing fundamentals will assure you get through those tough parts more easily.

    If you want a career change or a side hustle – you’ll be performing – and getting paid – so you want to be confident and solid…which comes with strong fundamentals!  Practicing those will help build your foundation so you will feel more confident.

    If you want to ease other people (in hospital, hospice, home care, etc.) then you really need to be in command of your instrument and repertoire to play just the right thing, at the right time, exactly as you mean to. You got it – you need those fundamentals!

    If you were hoping I would say something different – like that if you want to play for your own enjoyment, you could do less practice or easier activities, sorry but no. But if you want to play – play, practice from the fundamentals. That’s where the fun starts – and how you get to be what you want to be.

    What do you want to be?  Let me know – I’m curious!

  • Why don’t you play?

    There are loads of reasons we play – all of them good and each holding a key to improving your practice and possibly enjoying playing even more. But sometimes –

    We don’t play

    We don’t make it to the bench. We can’t d-r-a-g ourselves to the harp. We try, but things get in the way and we just don’t get there.  Sometimes we just don’t want to. Sometimes it’s for a day.  Or a week.  Or much, much longer…

    Thinking about why we don’t play can be very helpful (that was pretty obvious!). And knowing why we don’t play might actually be more helpful.

    Spend a little time thinking about it – when you don’t play, why is that? There are as many reasons as there are musicians, but here are four possibilities –

    1. Busy-ness. We all have so much going on every day. And there are only so many hours.  And it’s already time for bed, and… I know. I get it. I live there too! Sometimes we don’t realize how much work is required for this love affair with our harps. Or other stuff has crept into our schedule, putting the squeeze on our practice time. Or maybe, when we allow ourselves to sit, to sink into the lovely comfort of the space playing creates, we fall under the spell and spend “too long” there. So, the next time, we tell ourselves we don’t have time.  And soon we’re not practicing at all! But this strategy doesn’t work.  We know we need consistent practice, otherwise we lose ground. Rather than beating yourself up (either for not practicing and for practicing and not getting other things done) – allot, and keep to – a daily, short appointment with your harp. There isn’t much time, but if you could devote just 15 – 20 minutes each day, you would see progress…and still have time to make dinner and watch (insert your favorite TV show here). Make yourself a star chart (like you’d make for your kid’s chores) to reinforce your success!
    2. Fear of Failure. This is such a silly coping strategy, but I see it over and over – you have a gig coming up and need to learn a piece. The date is looming large and you keep putting off starting on it – yikes! And this is a downward spiral because the longer you put it off, the more likely you’ll be right, and you will do badly. But (here’s the insidious part) if you put it off and do badly – at least you’ll have an excuse. It’s crazy but true. So, in that 15 minutes a day you’ve allotted for practice (see above), be sure that about 1/3 of it is devoted to learning something new. This means that you have allotted this time to work on that thing you need to play at that event that’s zorching up but perhaps more importantly – it means you are well practiced at learning new things (so at least that part isn’t scary!).
    3. Overwhelm. I know – playing the harp looked so easy. And when you started – it was. But as you go on, there’s so much to learn, and remember, and work on, and do, and it all requires practice! I mean, really – you must practice tuning and reading and body position and hand position and breathing and melodies and harmonies and phrasing and listening and hearing and – oh, never mind, I’m so tired thinking about it, I’m exhausted – I think I’ll go watch a little tv. You do need to practice all these things and more – but – the more you practice them, the easier they become.  They become more manageable. In the same way, you can manage your practice time. Give it structure. Know what you want to accomplish. Have a plan. You can use a practice planner (like this one) to be sure you know what you will do. You can also ask for help if you’re lost – ask your teacher or schedule a coaching session (I can help) to decide on an approach you can work with. Then you won’t flounder deciding what to practice – you’ll know what you’ll work on, for how long, over how many practice sessions, and when you’ll be satisfied.
    4. It’s that time of life. Sometimes other things take center stage – an change to your family, a new job, a relocation, a new hobby. Or sometimes you just need a break – a change of scenery.  “It’s not you, it’s me” you might say to your harp. Your harp is like a true friend – it will understand your focus has shifted. And like a true friend, it will be there as you go through these changes. And you’re lucky – your harp will be there to give succor and support when needed. Don’t feel badly about not playing if you’re focused on something else. Would your friend (or your harp) deny your new joy? Or reject you when you come back? No – of course not! So, don’t beat yourself up – enjoy your new focus and come back to your harp for those 15 minutes each day or when you’re ready.

    There are so many good reasons to play, don’t let a couple of little things derail you. Just don’t let them throw you so far off you feel like you can’t return. And don’t ever think you’re alone – we have all been there – and we’ll be glad when you’re back!

  • Why do you play?

    We all know playing an instrument is “good” for you – impacting brain function, helping you learn more and differently, reducing stress, helping you meet new people, and of course, just having fun. Bud do you ever stop to think about why you play?

    The good news – there are no wrong answers to the question.

    The better news – there isn’t just one answer (or at least, there doesn’t have to be).

    The best news – there is a test and you ace it every time you sit on the bench!

    It is likely that we all play for different reasons – our own reasons. It is also likely that our reasons are similar. Perhaps most importantly, all our reasons are good.

    But do you ever think about what your reasons are? I mean really think about it. Not the tossed off answer you give to people who gawp when you tell them, “I play the harp.”. Not the easy (and likely irrelevant) answer. I mean the answer from deep inside you. The answer that pushes you to work, to learn, to practice. That (or those) answer(s) hold the key!

    Your answers don’t need to come out of your mouth (unless you are an irrepressible extrovert!). Rather, they can be the mind fodder of quiet walks or long drives (like the kind you might make going to the 40th Annual Ohio Scottish Arts School this summer (more on that later)). These answers are worth pursuing because they hold the questions we should ask ourselves each time we practice. Here are a few to consider:

    I play for my own enjoyment. This sometimes means “I don’t want to perform”. This answer appears to lead to the easiest practice – if you aren’t working to perform for others, you don’t need to work too hard. But in actuality, this might be the hardest to practice for! If you are the only listener (absent the cat and the curtains), you may discount any progress you show. You may set the bar too high (or too low). Or you might stagnate – playing the same music repeatedly but without feedback you might not be driven to continue to develop, explore and experiment. You must just be sure your practice actually meets the answer – that you are actually enjoying the time at the harp. Don’t stagnate but explore new things to find those that you enjoy most and develop those.

    I’m a performer at heart! This might be the easiest answer. People are naturally curious about our instrument and are often in awe of musicians. They may wish to be close so that they get to participate in the experience. You know you can focus on preparing a performance package but be sure to include some “me” time in your practice. Your performance will be improved by including this time. This might include a return to fundamentals for a focused meditative time, revisiting old material and brining a new perspective to it, or dedicating one practice a week to having fun rather than perfecting and polishing.

    I like being unique/playing a rare(ish) instrument. This may be the most seductive answer because it doesn’t seem to require much practice at all. To remain unique, you need only say you play and others will still be in awe. You might not defer from playing but you are also not committing to being a performer, so the bar isn’t set too high. But you might be tempted to slack off or cheat yourself out of valuable practice time and the opportunity to do more than scratch the surface and thereby miss so many occasions to surprise and delight yourself! Commit to a more active role in your musicianship – play well enough to let your uniqueness come blazing through your fingers.

    I play to put some good in the world. One could argue that doing good requires that you be good – at playing! Whether you do good in the world as a volunteer or as a professional, one off or every day, your practice needs to assure you are strong enough to get through the session and to move about the world with your harp. Include strengthening exercises for your whole body as well as exercises for the “playing parts” (after all – all of you is in this together!).

    I play because I must! The harp evokes your soul and emotions in a way no other instrument can, and you are compelled to play it. In addition, the harp is so forgiving to beginners that sitting and evoking is easy. But be sure to practice and master many techniques to assure that you can successfully – and consistently – evoke any emotion you choose, when you choose so that you can meet your need.

    There are obviously many answers – these are but a few. No matter your answer, be sure you back it up with a solid practice that permits you to give your best answer! You are going to ace the next test!   What’s your answer?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

  • Reading is reading!

    You cannot practice your reading enough! There, I said it. It’s also true that only by practicing your reading will you ever get any better at it. Just like you practice making the right timbre and holding the notes the right length of time, and getting all the notes in the right order, you can also practice your reading. Doing so will help you immeasurably to read more music, more easily.

    But saying you need to practice and actually doing it may seem like a big leap. After all, how do you practice reading? Well, here are some ways you might go about it.

    1. Set aside time in your practice to do reading. I love my kitchen timer – set the timer for 5 – 10 minutes (depending on your overall practice time). Then spend that time focused on reading. If you’re a beginning reader, you might identify the names of each note. When that becomes easier, you might name the note while finding it on the harp. Or you might name each note value (find all the eighth notes, then find all the quarter notes, etc.).  You might start with naming all the rests. You’ll know best what you should work on by what gives you the most difficulty when you’re trying to read.
    2. Choose wisely. If you are a beginning reader, you might want to start reading a beginning book (it is helpful to think about how you learned to read as a child – remember those books – loads of pictures and very large type? Find the music equivalent!).  As you become more experienced at reading, you can more on to more complex music, or looking at ensemble  scores! You might be willing to read music for other instruments (although I would suggest you stick with the treble and bass clefs!).
    3. L-O-O-K at the music! Analyze it. Look for the patterns that repeat, find the motif that is moved around (a pattern that starts on different notes in different places). Pay attention to all the ink – it’s all there to tell you something – spend the time to figure out what it is! Look at the beginning. Check out the end to get an idea of what’s going to happen (this is analogous to reading the last chapter of a book!). I really like finding the patterns and using those to convince myself that it won’t be as much work as I think it will be (especially true with the dot density is high and there is a lot of ink on the page!). Work on building the habit of doing this analysis each time you open a piece of music (and avoid the trap of opening the music and just trying to play it).
    4. Think of the whole. When you’re beginning to read, you may need to look at each note individually and each line or space of the staff (do you remember when you were young and you had to sound out each letter – like that). It is overwhelming! However, I promise, with practice you will become better, faster, stronger at seeing the whole (the staffs, the notes, the inflections, etc.) and processing the meaning more quickly! This will make reading easier and more fun, and definitely less work!
    5. Pay attention. Once your reading becomes more effortless, you will be tempted to read more quickly and bang through the music as fast as possible. But remember a couple of important things – faster is not necessarily better and you are reading to take something in – but what are you going to do with it after you take it in? Keep that end in mind and pay attention the whole way through!
    6. Find the “sight words”. In word reading there are “sight words” – words you have practiced so many times you can read them without reading them! Words like – word, so, many, times, you, can, read – well you get the idea! In the same way, the more you read music, the more these musical “sight words” (patterns) will become clearer. With practice, you’ll see an octave and won’t even thinking about it, you’ll know it’s an octave. A triad (1-3-5 chord)? Bang on. Know an F from an A?  Piece of cake.

    I know, if you’re just starting out, this seems like magic or malarkey, but it’s not – it’s just practice!  Reading music can be challenging. I used to hate sitting next to a “paper trained” person at a workshop – they’d rattle through the music at a clip and I’d still be placing the first chord. It can be disheartening. This may be more so if you’re coming from another instrument – either a one liner (like fiddle or flute) or a flatliner (like piano).

    Be patient and actually practice and you’ll see improvement very quickly. Or you can go back to wishing – it is a strategy, but it doesn’t work very well!

  • Being a Beginner

    Today, I’m sitting below a poster with a quote from Marcel Proust,

    ”The voyage of discovery is not in seeking

    new landscapes but in having new eyes.” 

    It dovetails nicely with some of your comments to last week’s post – thanks so much for those!

    DB brought up the concept of the “beginner’s mind”.  This is the concept that a beginner may acknowledge that they don’t know much.  Beginners are open to learning and new experiences and don’t cloud their vision with preconceptions.  They don’t think they’re experts.  You might remember this phase from your early harp life?

    DB went on to say, “it seems that what separates the “masters” from the dilettantes is a maintenance and mastery of the basics, through a strong curiosity of what “new” thing they might or might not discover in that practice.”

    KB suggested that, “Paying close attention to what causes something to go wrong is essential to avoiding the same problems repeatedly. Issues with hand position, fingering, placement, focus, etc. lead to mistakes. Find the underlying issue, then fix it through targeted practice. It works for both my playing and my knitting!”

    This too is something we often do that appears to move us forward but actually holds us back – we are often satisfied with a “fix” but don’t do the additional work to find the underlying cause.  Without doing the technique work, you might never find that little nuance you need to get the fingering down or to drop your shoulder or read just a little ahead of where your playing or any of the other little things that are holding you back.

    DB pointed out that, “in many ways the lesson seems to be rooted in always finding time, and maintaining a strong curiosity in practicing the basics, no matter how far away from the basics, we think we’ve progressed.”  How can you do that in your everyday practice?  Here are six ideas to move you forward:

    1. You can acknowledge that you will learn things at different rates, that some things will be harder than others to you, that you can only calmly evaluate and learn.  You can only take it one step at a time.
    2. You can stop with the comparisons! You should not be playing like everyone around you. And remember that, like high school, facebook, and reality tv, nothing is what it seems when you look around you – just because the person next to you is sailing through something with which you are struggling doesn’t mean that they didn’t aslo struggle (just earlier) – it only means that you didn’t see it!
    3. Actually LISTEN to the feedback you get – the best teachers use the praise and guide approach – they will provide actual praise (from which you can learn what you are doing well in terms of performance and practice) and guidance (from which you can learn what you need to do more of, learn how to do, or learn what to stop doing).
    4. Remain a beginner – ask questions.  Do not assume that you know something just because you have been doing it. There is always something to learn that may (or may not) be good for you to incorporate.
    5. Ignore what doesn’t fit. Some of the best advice I received early in my harp life was from my teacher at the time who told me that I should play what I liked and leave the rest on the floor.  Her point was sound – if you don’t like classical music, don’t play it!  (NB this is not the same as, “it’s hard and I don’t want to do the work!”.  But you are more likely to work hard if you’re mostly playing music you like. Don’t cut yourself off from a genre just because it’s challenging – learn what it can teach you and port that to what you do love).
    6. Don’t worry! We (especially adults) worry that we’re not getting better, that we’ll never be good enough, that everyone else is making more progress. Let-It-Go!  Focus on you, what you need to learn, what you want to learn.  There is no need to train to go to Conservatory if your goal is to have a nice set of music to play for your friends and family. And if your goal is to go to Conservatory, then focus on the necessary development – but either way, channel your energy into learning, asking questions, and enjoying. Don’t waste it worrying.

    Keep working on being a beginner – question, wonder, enjoy! Discover the landscape with new, beginners eyes.