Category Archives: Practice

Practice Hacks

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Practice Hacks

Everyone is passing along hacks for everything that happens in life.  Whether it’s a no-brainer like putting a paperclip under the tape so you can find the end the next time or a head scratcher like using Doritos as kindling when you need to start a fire (think that one all the way through), hacks are advertised as little things that make life easier (and the implication is that you should have thought of it already).  By extension, they make you smarter (for doing the weird easy thing).

There are even people talking about Practice Hacks.  But here’s the thing –

There are no practice hacks!

Yup, I said it.  There are no practice hacks.

Wait, before you become forlorn because I’m not going to give you cheap and easy ways to improve your practice, and before you start looking for ways to prove I’m wrong…

While there are no practice hacks, there are a number of ways to make your practice better!  These are all easy and cheap (or free).  And nothing I’m about to reveal should be a surprise! 

What are these mysterious methods that aren’t hacks?  How do you make your practice better? Here are a few things you can do/try/add to your daily practice:

  • Think – Structure your practice time so you spend a little bit of time thinking about what you want to do, what you need to do, and what you left to do from the last time before you actually start to work.
  • Plan – Based on your thinking, plan what you are going to do while you practice. Don’t leave it to chance.
  • Write – A practice journal in some form allows you keep track of what you have done, how it went, what you should do next, questions to ask at your lesson, and any other thoughts you have during your practice. This really is just for you so feel free to write anything you like here.
  • Listen – When I first started playing, I was working so hard to play the notes that I didn’t actually hear them! I had to learn to listen while I play – and you can learn that too. Sometimes when I practice, I focus on making the sounds and sometimes I set aside time to focus on listening so I can hear what I’m doing.  If you find you run out of brain space before you get to listening, then use your phone to record and listen to it separately – you’ll be amazed by what you learn!
  • Be present – Practice is often painted as drudgery.  But really, your practice time is time you’re spending on you with you. And you deserve it.  So be there for you. Put your phone away, turn off the tv, close the door, and be present for yourself.
  • Be prepared – If at all possible, have your instrument ready – out of the case and in front of the bench. It is always amazing to me how off-putting the harp can be if it’s enrobed in its case!  Also, have your journal, some pencils, pens, and post-its at the ready.  Make your tea ahead of time.  Preparedness is not just for Boy Scouts and the Coast Guard!
  • Be (time) Wise – Don’t think you must have 2 hours every day to make progress. Even if you only have 10 minutes here or there – those 10 minutes can add up.  And on “those” days if all you get is 10 minutes – use it!  Don’t talk yourself out of practicing because you don’t have a long stretch of time available.  By the same token, don’t write off an entire week because you missed a day or two.  Although we think about time in days, weeks, and months, these are artificial constructs.  In this case those constructs are not helpful.  The reality is that time is continuous – so you can continue too!
  • Chill – It is easy to get caught up in comparisons. Everyone you know has already learned that tune.  Or everyone is playing it way faster than you can. Or you have a simple arrangement, but everyone else’s is complicated.  Chill – it’s not a race! You do your thing, enjoy the successes of others, and play!
  •  Actually Practice – Practicing can encompass a lot of things, but the one thing it must include is that it is a time to knuckle under and do work. Focus and pay attention and do the things you need to do.  As mentioned above – it is time you are investing in you, so make it worth your while!

Like I said, there are no hacks.  There are no short cuts.  There are no ways to avoid the work.  But there are ways to use your practice time well and make progress – but you probably already knew that!  What are your “practice hacks”?  I’d love to hear – let me know in the comments!

Bzzzztzzzztzzzzzzzzz

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Practice Improvement

Do you ever feel like your practice needs fixing?  Like you should be doing something more but you’re not sure what?  After all, you do all the things (as the meme says).  And it’s our busy season coming, with friends, family, church, civic organizations, even strangers on the street, all asking for music for events or just to create a holiday vibe.  It is a gift to share your gift.  So the question is, is your practice ready or is your practice static?

Practice Improvement

Unfortunately, we can’t just wrap bows around our hands (or our brains!) and be ready to present our gift. So we practice.  And practice. And practice some more.  We listen to the gurus (I’m going to be presumptuous and add myself to that list!) and try to follow their advice.  We do the technical work, and we write down everything, we make recordings, we do repetitions, we make exercises from fumbles, we repeat and repeat and repeat.  Just like the “people who know things” tell us to.

But sometimes even all that might leave you feeling like you still don’t quite have it. Like all that practicing you should be doing isn’t getting you where you want to be.  Ever feel like that? Oh, it’s just me? Ok, well…yeah, I didn’t think so.

There’s just one problem with what I’ve described, and with “doing as your told” in general.  And that is that you can’t be static – not moving, not changing.

You have probably cobbled together (from all that guru advice) that you should do your technical work, then do your learning, then do your polishing, then play for fun and call it a day, invariantly, in that order.  But that may be where your unease is coming from!

You can’t always practice the same way all the time.  Mostly because you don’t always need the same thing from your practice each day.  There are so many factors that go into what you need to practice each day –

  • what you’re working on
  • what you’re working toward
  • what you’re doing the rest of the day
  • how tired you are
  • and more – all those things that impact everything in your day

So how should you practice? Well, start by knowing that, just like your learning, your practicing cannot be static. It has to change to fit what you need. 

But how do you know what you need? Well, as a beginner you might have to depend on your teacher to tell you – after all, you’re a beginner so you probably don’t know where to start and a teacher will certainly help with that.  But as you become more accomplished, you will be able to notice what works for you (and what doesn’t).  Before we go on, noticing what works is not the same as convincing yourself that practicing all the easy stuff is good and working on something you don’t want to do/don’t feel comfortable doing/is challenging can be skipped…these are usually the things you most need to work on (don’t ask me how I know this).

Practicing is the time to find what works for you – and what doesn’t.  It’s the opportunity to try different approaches to your music – play faster, play slower, try shoving your way through, break everything down, listen to a recording, read the music, listen to a recording while reading the music, work backward, work phrase by phrase, walk away and come back with a clearer head, sit until you get it, repeat 3 times, 10 times, 100 times, sing it, play it on another instrument (all things some guru has probably suggested to you before).

What do all of these approaches have in common?  They require that you pay attention.  No formulaic, mindless practicing!  Be critical (but not self-critical!).  Note what seems to help you move forward for each of a variety of situations.  Be open to changing as needed – and as the situation requires.  Follow your progress like it’s your favorite facetictweegram influencer!  Remember to start with your goals in mind so your can modify your process to get there  Focus on your progress and don’t be static!

What have you noticed impacts your practice success?  How do you modify your practice? How do you keep track of what you’ve done that worked and what didn’t?  Let me know in the comments!

Don’t slag off

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If you’ve been reading my blog for more than about 15 minutes then you know that injury prevention is important to me.  If it hasn’t been 15 minutes yet or you don’t remember seeing these posts check out this post, this one, and this too. 

Injuries aren’t fun.  After all, they hurt!  But more importantly they can take you away from playing.  It’s difficult to sit on a hard bench when your back aches or is “thrown out”.  Having a crick in your neck can turn into a headache while sight reading.  Overuse “ouchies” in your hands can curtail your practice so that you don’t spend as much time at the harp as you planned/would like to/need to.  And an injury that is untended or uncared for can lead to enforced time away while you recover.

Hopefully, you’ll take good care of yourself, and this post will be irrelevant for you forever.  However, it is estimated that 70 – 80% of musicians have developed an overuse injury – which suggests that the odds are ever in your favor … to get hurt.

While that’s sobering (and a little disheartening) let’s move to the next question – if you’re injured and need to rest and recover – away from the harp – do you just slag off and wait?

No, of course not! 

There are loads of things you can do to keep your recovery time useful and moving forward!  Here are ten:

1. Read a book.  Whether it’s Sanger and Kinnaird’s Tree of Strings, Rensch’s Harps and Harpists, or McCaffery’s The HarpMaster of Pern, you can stay connected to your instrument by reading a good book.

2. Read a score.  We’ve talked before about sight reading practice – this is a perfect time.  You could sightread by reading a note and then fixing your gaze on the appropriate string to be played, or you could point to the string as you read.  You can also work on your sight singing (or hearing the music in your head).

3. Learn your intervals – do a little ear training.  Find and identify particular intervals in music you already know.  Go online to find ear training exercises.  It does get easier – I promise.

4. Compose.  You can do this in your head and sing what you come up with into your recorder.  When you’re healed you can move your tune onto the harp.

5. Study your theory. Find a good theory book and work through it.  Don’t skim – do the exercises!

6.  Listen to music.  Find new things to work on later, when you’re healed.  It’ll give you something to look forward to. 

7.  Read all the posts in this blog! (No, really)

8.  Go for a walk (or knit, or some other thing that’s sort of meditative and quiet) and sing your rep in your head to keep it in there.

9. Restring your harp (if it needs it).  You might need practice changing strings and this will do it.  At a minimum, it will build your confidence for quick string changes!

10. Have coffee with a harp friend to enjoy their growth, commiserate on your injury, and stay connected to your harp world.

If you’re not injured, celebrate – but take care too.  Hopefully this assures you that, should you become injured you will be able to keep working.  And it might give you some ideas if you find yourself there.  Not every injury will require weeks to recover (for instance, I am quite good at cutting my index finger just before gigs).  I’m sure there are loads of other things you could do while you heal.  If you’re already hurt, which of these have you done/are you likely to try or do you have other ideas?  Please share them in the comments! 

What do you want less of?

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We are strivers.  Don’t believe me?  Of course we are – we are always trying to be better harp players.  We try to learn new music.  We work to polish the music we already know.  In other words, we strive to improve ourselves – we’re strivers!

And, all in all, that’s a good thing.  We work hard doing something we love, and we have very good reason to be very proud of our accomplishments.  Add to that my unending exhortation that you practice, and you might be very confused by the headline.

Because I do always suggest you find more time to practice, that you be more organized, that your write down – oh, I don’t know – everything, and that you put yourself out there more.  More, more, more – I’m always asking you to do more.

But not this week.  This week, let’s turn that around –

What do you want to do less of? 

Now, before you do the dance of joy, think carefully about what you’d like your answer to be.  Because it’s worth examining not only what you’d like to do less of but also why you’d like to do less of it. 

For instance, if you said you’d like to do scales less – why?  And how?  Do you just not want to do them at all? Or do you want to do fewer of them? What would you gain by doing them less? 

What if you said you just wanted to spend less time practicing?  Again, why? Not enjoying your time at the harp? That would be sad.  Or is it that you feel like you spend all that time and maybe aren’t getting where you’d hoped you’d be?

You can do this little exercise – asking what you’d like to do less on – with just about every little thing that makes up your practice.  This might lead you to ask “Why?” again.  Here are five reasons to figure out what you’d like to do less of (and then actually do less of it):

  • I want to spend less time sitting at my harp practicing. Is it the practicing that you want less of? Is it that you want to spend more time playing for enjoyment? If that’s it – maybe you need to manage your time at the harp a little more tightly – being sure to reserve time at the end to play for fun, to reconnect with your harp, to remember why you were practicing in the first place, to remember why you fell in love in the first place.
  • I want to spend less money buying books. Ok, is this really a bad thing? Well, maybe a little (full disclosure, I believe that the correct number of books to have is the same as the correct number of harps – one more). If you find that you have too many books to use, or that the number of books you have is overwhelming, or that you’re just not using them, consider parting with some of them.  First go through them and learn what it is about the books you don’t use that is keeping you from them (are the arrangements too hard, too easy, not your style? Was it your favorite book for a while but now, you know all the tunes and you do (or don’t) play them so you don’t need the book? Or did you never really take to the genre?).  Now you can keep the books you need and want and dispose of the ones you don’t.  How should you dispose of them?  Well, you can have a book swap with your harp friends.  Or have a book sale. You could donate them to a school program.  You could sell them off.  So many choices, all oriented to making sure you have less (actually fewer) books to deal with.
  • I want to spend less time working hard. Sometimes we hang on to ways of working that may be “tried and true” but aren’t necessarily useful. If you are still making yourself play something 25 times perfectly before you will move on, you might be stuck there.  There is no correct number of times to do something, so you might need a new metric for when something is learned.  I’m sure it’s more than one repetition, but it’s probably not 25 either.  I tend to be more focused on how the pass went (was I confident of the notes and their values? did I get the fingering with ease? did I feel like I had the time I needed to get from shape to shape?) than on how many I had banged through (or keeping count of how many I have done).
  • I want to spend less time on mindless exercises. Ok, let’s start with the “mindless” exercises…exercises should       n-e-v-e-r be mindless. They are not developed for vacuous completion. Each of them will teach you something, if you let it.  Before you do any exercise (be it scales, arpeggios, or technical studies) you should know what it’s meant to help you with…and whether that is something you need to work on.  My rule of thumb is that the more I think “I hate this” the more I need to do it – I’m hating it because it’s not easy, so I need to really knuckle under and do the thing. You’re probably more mature than me, so you probably have a better way of gauging this for yourself.
  • I want to spend less time getting nowhere. Well, nowhere is often defined less by where you’re getting and more by knowing where you’re headed. Have you actually defined what you’d like to be doing or what the path there might look like?  Why yes, this does sound suspiciously like having goals and knowing how you intend to achieve them.  You could spend less time in aimless practice by spending a little more time figuring out where “there” is.

As much as I love playing my harp, do I also enjoy mindless hours grinding on music in various states of disrepair? NO, I do not.  If you also do not, I’d suggest you spend a little time figuring out what you’d like to spend less time doing so you can spend more time practicing in a way that moves you to where you’d like to be.  AND that you spend enjoyable time with your harp.

What would you like to strive to have less of or to spend less on?  There are so many possible answers – what’s yours?  Let me know in the comments!

How to Never Run Out of Things to Practice

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Do you ever have that feeling like you’re casting about trying to decide what to practice?  You know you should be practicing, but maybe you don’t know what to work on.  Even if you have a teacher who helps structure your practice time, do you feel hesitant on where to start on other stuff outside your lesson?

No?  It’s just me then?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Never Run Out of Things to PracticeIt can be a little challenging to think of what to practice, especially at those points on the calendar (like now) when we know we should have already started on holiday repertoire (but maybe haven’t).  Or at the end of the year when you’re staring into the abyss of the upcoming year, but not knowing what you might want to come out of it with.  Or thinking about the upcoming competition season and preparing to perform, but not being ready to buckle down.

There are all kinds of reasons that we can be a little stumped on what to be practicing at any one point in time.  And if you’re an externally motivated person (that is, if you need something or someone outside of yourself to get you kicked into action), it can be very difficult to determine what you should be practicing, which can lead to procrastination….or worse, just not practicing!

So, this week, a few ways to help ensure that you never run out of things to practice!

1. Keep track of what you’re working on, how long you’ve worked on it, and your assessment of your progress to date. Why yes, this is just another thinly veiled suggestion that you keep a journal, but it will help you keep in mind what you’re working on right now (and how well it’s going) as well as whether you need to keep working on it.  It also gives you an idea of which tunes might need to be parked so they can marinate for a little while (that’s fancy talk for “put it away and bring it out again later”).

2. Keep a list of tunes you would like to play. Just note them down, preferably with as much detail as possible (title, composer, anything else that helps you find it later). You can’t possibly learn all the tunes at once, so you will be well served to write down the ones you’d like to learn…later.  Don’t worry about it getting too long – you can always add to it, or cross titles off as you go along (and you get the added bonus of crossing titles off as they move to your “learning” list! and you begin to practice them).

3. Focus on what you’re practicing now. When you’re practicing, don’t think about what you’ll practice next.  Think about what you’re practicing now.  Save thinking about what you’ll do another time…for another time… and actually practice while you’re practicing. If you have a great idea while you’re practicing, jot it on your list of tunes you’d like to play and then get back to your originally scheduled practicing.

4. Make connections between music you already know and that you have to learn. It is always useful to be a thinking musician. It’s an illusion that great musicians just sort of channel stuff.  They are actively involved in the music they play.  They analyze the music.  They don’t let it just wash over them!  Thinking about what you already know, what you’d like to learn and how they’re related will help you find tunes you like and will make practicing easier (because similar patterns will be easier the second time and even easier the third, etc.).

5. Be curious. It’s all well and good to know what you like and play that, but be curious about it – what is it about the music you love that captivates you? How far away from the exemplar can you go and still love it?  What other music has those same traits?  Does it appeal to you, and will you learn it?  Being curious means you’ll find new things to play in places you wouldn’t necessarily look which not only broadens your repertoire but also will expand your thinking.

6. Refer to something you practiced before. Why yes, you can always practice something you used to play to death but haven’t in a while.  Keep those oldies but goodies in your hands and in your memory so they’re ready to go when you are!  Those tunes are, after all, the core of your repertoire.

Don’t be left feeling like you don’t know what to practice or how to get started. These six simple steps will help you pull it together so you can never run out of things to practice.  What else should we add to the list?  Let me know in the comments –

Travel on my mind

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Since we celebrated World Tourism Day before, travel has been on my mind.  Ok, that’s not entirely true, because travel is         a-l-w-a-y-s on my mind!  I should have a little framed cross stitch like this:

But anyway.  While traveling is always fun – especially if you are not one of those passengers who scream at Flight Attendants, Gate Agents, or other passengers – traveling with your harp does have some challenges.  I talked about some of those here and here.  Those have to do with the transport of your harp.  This week, let’s talk about when you get there.

Because while 99.999% of the 7 billion people on the earth l-o-v-e the harp, the remaining 0.001% will be booked into the room next to yours.  Never fails.

I should start by pointing out that I have played on the balcony of my hotel and thereby met new, interesting and interested people.  Just like if you’re playing at home, few things draw people to you like playing your instrument and sharing your music. 

However….and I learned this the hard way, sometimes people are not so happy to learn you play an instrument.  Once, I was in Memphis TN (yes, known as a music city) with that powerful sound generator, my Harpsicle – when someone called the front desk to complain.  Yup, it happened.  Funnier – someone else was practicing the bagpipes in that same hotel…some people’s kids.

So, keep in mind that quiet and discretion are important while staying in accommodations like hotels, motels, and B&Bs.  But how do you get quiet and still get to practice or play?  Here are a few ideas:

The first is a physical intervention. Weave a scarf or tie between the strings. Push it close to the soundboard.  This acts as a muffle and therefore makes your playing quieter.  Don’t put off selecting your scarf for the last minute – the scarf (or tie) needs to be long enough to run the length of the strings.  It also needs to be narrow enough (for a scarf) or thin enough (if you use a tie) so that it doesn’t bunch up (which results in too much “thup-i-ness” that I find distracting). This is not as easy as using your hat to muffle your trumpet, but it is infinitely better for the harp (after all, we’re not playing the trumpet and I’ve tried waving my hat in front of the harp, but it didn’t make it any quieter!).  I wish I could tell you I thought up this tip but I learned it from Therese Honey.

The second method is to use a musical technique. This one seems to be tricky – just play more quietly!  You might have seen this marking before –

pppp

But have you ever tried using it?  Ok, now I’m being a bit snide.  Dynamics are a thing… and you can use them in your practice.  You could play as pianississimo as possible and see what happens to your playing.  You can also do this at home, no need to wait to be booked into a hotel.  There are some things that happen when you play quietly.  You will be able to play slightly faster (yup).  You may be more accurate – because you’re being careful.  You may find that you even have time now to close (whodathunk?).  And because of all that you might find that, overall, you’re just playing better.  In addition, learning to control your volume will make you a better musician.

Both of those work well for practicing or playing for enjoyment.  This last suggestion is really for practicing rather than playing for enjoyment – you can “placeplay”.  I do this with my students (and I’m pretty sure they hate it, but it works!).  “Placeplaying” is moving through the finger shapes of the tune.  Place the first shape, then close the fingers (don’t play, just close) and place the second shape.  Remember that between these is actually another shape where the shapes overlap which is its own separate shape.  Keep going: place – close – place – close – place – close – place – etc. through to the end of the tune.  Keep placing but do not play.  I love this because you learn things about the tune while you’re doing it.  You can develop a new appreciation for the tune through this – you see shapes you missed, musical ideas you can see but not hear and you learn to think about the tune on a different level (like how although auditorily a “musical idea” is finished, on a physical level you’re actually in the middle of the idea).  This is also an excellent way to learn a new tune – because you have to break it down and really look at it.

So, there you have it – three ways to play your harp in a hotel room and not bother other guests.  Have you found other ways to coexist with other travelers?  Hope you’ll share in the comments!

Do You Count? 

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I often think about tunes in “layers”.  All the layers are important, but some are easier to master than others.  The layers include the notes, the fingering, the phrases.  And then there’s the counting.  There are loads of elements that define the music, but time might be the most challenging to really get learned and honed – to get right. 

Do you Count?

When you get to brass tacks, music is really a sequence of sounds and not-sounds (rests) over time.  And so, to be true to the melody, share the message, and communicate with our listeners, we have to keep the count.  

Sometimes, as harp players, we become inured to the silence – we get so little of it with our wonderful resonant instruments. Harps love to keep on playing and that lovely sound “hanging around” may make us lazy – it may feel like it will be easy to get away with not counting.  But that is an illusion.

Counting can be a challenge when you first begin to learn a tune.  There is so much to learn and all of it important.  We have to keep the important stuff in mind – actively use it.  Time is challenging but it can be so rewarding!  It will help your audience follow your message, it will make playing with other musicians a greater joy, and it will help ensure your tune is what the original composer meant it to be.

Previously, I have said that I don’t advocate rigid adherence to the beat.  That wasn’t really accurate.  Rather, it is essential to know that timing of the piece and work within that.  With poignant airs you might bend the time to build the expression, but that works best by manipulating the times. Laments need to be sorrowful, but it should never be lamentable!  But the difference will be in how you deal with the time. 

It is essential that you learn to count.  Ok, I know you can already count.  You have to learn to count while you’re playing…and keep counting, maintaining your counting throughout your playing. Only when you have mastered this tool of communication can you begin to modify its application as appropriate to tell your story.  I know counting can be hard – it’s one more thing to do while you’re also trying to remember what notes come next, which fingers to use, that you need to breathe, etc.  Pesky layers!

So how do you add counting to that task?  Carefully.

First, start slowly.  This really is another task you will have to perform while also doing all the other things you have learn. Counting is another thing you have to think about as you bring the tune together – make sure you go slowly enough that your brain can keep up!

Second, practice.  Counting while you’re playing takes practice.  You want to practice counting enough that it becomes automatic – no matter what you’re playing or where you are in learning it (just starting, polishing, anywhere in between!).  One method I suggest is to include this in your practice away from the harp.  An easy way to practice is while you’re walking or running.  This gives you a physical beat to follow so you can work on counting.

Third, be consistent.  You can’t practice counting the tune once and be done!  Make practicing counting a regular part of your practice.  If you really are not counting at all – start with simple tunes you already know.  As it gets easier, move on to more challenging tunes and tunes you are learning.  You will get better!

Finally, always be working on it.  Once you can consistently and accurately count, start making things more complicated and related to other music.  Remember to count to the smallest note value (e.g., the eighth notes if they’re present or 16ths – you will have to do some analysis).  Use whatever counting device works for you – vocables, fruits and veg – whatever works!

Of course, there’s (always) more to the story, so send me your questions and share your insights in the comments.  In the meantime, stand up for your music – make sure you count!

It helps to have a plan

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What are you going to do this week?  It’s a fairly innocuous question.  But it has the potential to be a very good week.

But a little bit of preparation can ensure that it is a very good week.  All you’ll need is about 15 minutes and some paper. You can do this on whichever day is your night before your week begins.   You know that writing it down helps bring the thoughts out and makes them real. 

So, what should you capture there before you start your week?  Here are some ideas:

1. What would you like to accomplish this week? Try to be specific so you’ll know if you’ve done it.

2. Make a plan for each day.  Remember that you can include all the things that are part of practicing including analyzing new music, listening to tunes, practicing at the harp, practicing away from the harp, rhythm work, improvising, all the things! Don’t forget to plan which days youl might be away and have little time to practice as well as the days that you know you just really are not going to make it to the bench.  Be realistic!

3. Show up – every day.  If you have plan, it is certainly easier to stick with it.   

4.  Don’t waste your time – since you have thought about what you’ll be doing, do it – fully.  Don’t skate through your practice. 

5.  Be present.  Put your phone away, turn the tv off, close the door (if you have that luxury).  It’s a brief part of your day – be a part of it.

6.  Take the good with the not as good (and include the inevitable flow of your development into account when you plan your week. 

7.  Set your priorities – out loud.  You have already set them, whether you articulate them or not, so you might as well include them in your thinking.

8.  The clock is your friend.  Not only do you want to be sure to have identified when in your day you will sit to play, you also need to know how long you intend to play.  Not only do you want to avoid packing it in too early on a rough day, but you also want to keep the rest of your life going too!

9.  Make a note – when you’ve done for the day, jot down what you accomplished and what you need to do the next time (which might be a tweak to the plan).

10. Don’t let a little bit of structure make you forget that you enjoy this!

You might also strive to always play at the same time of day.  I don’t suggest that only because that I can’t really support that.  My schedule is never that regular.  If you have (or crave) a very steady schedule, then definitely do try to keep to a scheduled time.  But if it doesn’t really drive you, don’t worry about having a regular time – so long as you regularly make time.

Do you have a plan? Will you try some these?  Which ones?  Let me know in the comments.

Admiring your handiwork

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Is there any more satisfying feeling than letting out a beautiful harmony?

Admiring your handiworkWhen you’re beginning it will be the satisfaction of actually playing the single note – the right note at the right time.  Even better if you used the finger you intended and the note that sounded wasn’t a complete surprise! *

As you become more experienced and more practiced, you add more notes to the harmony, but that joy of the sound doesn’t really dim.

And all of that would be great…if there was only one harmony note or chord required.  But inevitably, the arranger had other ideas and puts a long succession of harmony notes together.

And that’s when the hitch enters the git-along!

The more surprised and delighted you are by the notes hanging in the air, sparkling and glistening like a goldfish in Fairy Dust, the more likely you will be captivated.  And why shouldn’t you be?  After all – goldfish!  Fairy Dust!  Delight!  You did good – your handiwork is admirable.

But that pesky arranger…now you’re expected to do it again.  Probably in a different place on the harp.  With another finger.  And probably at the same time as some melody note!  And again. And again. And again.  Measure after measure.  And then…the repeat! 

Are they mad?!

Sadly, bringing the tune out means you have not really got time to admire your handiwork at the same time you are delivering one admirable handiwork after another.  So unfair!

One of the mysteries you get to unlock relatively early in your journey is this sublimation and accumulation of little joys for a big burst of delight at the end of the piece.

What?   Ok, here’s the translation, sans waxing lyrical –

When you are playing, once you have closed for that note (or chord) –

Move along! 

Get where you are going next!

There’s nothing to see here! **

Because there is a next chord and the one after that, etc. ad nauseum. 

This needs to be practiced – this moving from one beautifully executed thing to another. Because if you think about playing a tune like it is a puzzle to put together, or a problem to solved, or a recipe to follow – your brain needs to sequence through the information – left hand here, right hand place and play – now left hand, back to right hand, and on again.

As soon as you play the left hand, your brain drops thinking about that harmony and that left hand like a hot potato and rushes on to the next thing (probably a melody note or whatever comes next in the sequence).  And it doesn’t think about the left hand again until it must!

All in all, no big deal – you do this all the time.  It’s called serial processing.  But what’s happened?  Well, you played the left hand note (or chord).  You’ve closed beautifully (right?).  And you left it there hanging over the soundboard.    So now, it’s later and time to get to the left hand on again.  AND IT’S NOWHERE NEAR WHERE YOU NEED IT!!!  Because you left it there, hovering over the sound board, handiwork to be admired. 

So, how to fix this?  Well – you practice!  Practice moving while you have the time, and train your brain to process in a controlled serial fashion.

To start with, SLOW DOWN.  Serial processing means you’re dealing with one thing at a time.  You might think you’re a multitasker, but nope, it only looks like it.  For highly practiced activities you can switch rapidly between them but that’s not multitasking. If you’re not well practiced at moving, you will need additional time to think about it and then make it happen. 

LOOK AT THE INTERFACES.  This is how I think of the timing – it is the interface between the left hand playing, the right hand playing, the melody, the harmony, and time.  Getting all of these to line up is tricky, especially at first.  Start by finding where they all touch each other – this is a good place to start. 

LOOK FOR THE HOLES. This is where no notes are being played in either hand – this helps form a scaffolding for your thinking and makes a good movement time!

SLOW DOWN.  Don’t ask me how I know you’ve already sped up!

MAKE THE SHIFT.  As you begin to play, think ahead.  Play slowly enough that you can think.  Once you’ve placed, you don’t need to think about where your fingers are.  And if, as soon as you play, you move to the next place and get your fingers on to the next shape, then you don’t have think about it again until the next time!  This is one of the things that more experienced players are better at…. because they have more practice and they have learned to think ahead.

See what we did there?  We shifted moving and placing further forward in our thinking sequence rather than letting the notes come at us like a fusillade.  But you do need to practice thinking like that.  The sequence becomes play –> move –> place –> play –> etc.  Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

All of this is predicated on your already having learned the melody enough to being to add the harmony.  This is also equally applicable to either hand and to reading or playing by rote.  It does take practice.  And it is totally worth the time to avoid feeling rushed and unconfident.  And once you master this, you can focus on other things that will improve your musicality. 

Have you really learned how to move along rather than admiring your handiwork so you can get where you need to be next?  Do you have other strategies?  Let me know in the comments!

* Sometimes you tell me that you feel like I am speaking directly to you.  That’s because…I am!  No matter where you are on your journey, the difference between us is likely just time and focus.  I was a beginner at one point – an adult who struggled with making time to practice, showing up for lessons embarrassed that I hadn’t had enough practice because I was busy doing other things, but willing to take the lash (which, of course, never came, because I had wonderful, cherishing teachers who gently corrected my technique and repertoire and encouraged me to become the harp player I wanted to be).  I thought it would be easier.  I love playing my harp.  I was afraid of a lot of things – playing in public, music I hadn’t learned yet, embarrassing myself, not getting better, failing – the usual stuff.  And I remember it like it was yesterday – because it was (figuratively).  I share my thoughts here so that you can learn from my mistakes…and go on to make your own spectacular mistakes that I hope you’ll share with me!  We’re all learning – I’m just willing to talk about it! 😉

** We’re talking about the left hand/harmony but this is also applicable and just as important in the right hand/melody.

Zoom!  Bang!

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As a harper, I have been reading with interest the “sudden” spate of articles on the ills of working from home for over a year.   As a Human Factors Psychologist and Systems Engineer, I am only surprised it took this long for the articles to hit.

Everyone who couldn’t get away from me has received lectures (from my professional perspective).  I have related the importance of chair height and table height, arrangement of keyboard, monitor, mouse, lighting, and other elements of the workspace.  I have hectored friends, neighbors, and people I don’t even know about drinking enough water and not drinking too much coffee; the importance of avoiding incessant snacking; building a schedule; getting some outdoor time; and keeping work-work and home-work separate (not trying to do household chores between meetings) – all things I know from my professional specialty and as a person who has worked from home for over 15 years.

But now, I’m going to direct all that energy at you … and suggest a way forward!

I know you’re used to me prattling on about injury at the harp, but one thing you might not have thought about is what our current altered reality has done to us.  There are so many things we either did differently before or things we haven’t been able to do at all over the last year.  That that time away can build the potential for losing focus and technique…all of which may result in injuries – at the harp or away from it. 

Just this week I have learned of harpers who have sustained injuries away from the harp that are impacting their playing – ugh.  One is a student who fell off a skateboard.  Even if that wrist isn’t broken, it will need to heel.  And that will be weeks away from the harp.  Another was telling me about a big work project – at home, on a laptop doing work that would normally have been done at the office on a desktop – with its ergonomically designed desk and much bigger keyboard.  So now we’re working on caring for the overuse injuries from typing in this new position – injuries to the same structures that are central to playing the harp. 

As we have all languished at home, it has also been easy to allow our basic skills slide.  If you don’t have in person lessons, your thumbs might fall, your shoulders might cave, your chin might jut, and your spine might crumple.  In addition, so many of the cues teachers can pick up on from in-person lessons are missing or are flattened online.  So, it is likely that there are elements of technique that are dissolving from your daily practice and are not highlighted in your lesson.

And that’s not good – ragged technique and poor posture are not just a challenge to overcome – they can be a gateway to injury.

So, what can you do?  Have a zoom call……with yourself!

If you’re not familiar with zoom (zoom.us) it is a free application that allows you to have a video interaction with others. *

At the beginning of each day I do a zoom meeting with myself to verify my cameras are pointing in the right direction, that the lighting is good, and that everything is set up before my first student.   As I’m teaching, I watch my student.  That means that if I need to look at my harp, I would have to look away.  But, I can see my harp on the screen which means I can still see both my student and my harp.  After all, I want to be sure they are able to follow and understand what I’m doing or to verify that I need to do it again.  One day while teaching, I noticed (and was really pleased with) my hand position (I know, silly things make me happy).

And that got me thinking about how on the screen I could see things I can’t see from “behind the harp”.  Moreover, I could make small changes and see the effect right away.

You can do the same thing.  How?  You just have to host a meeting with yourself.  Yup – host a meeting, but don’t invite anyone else!  You have the full screen, you can see yourself clearly, and while you watch, you can make small adjustments.  As you make these adjustments (move to the middle of the string? raise your arm just a tiny bit? create greater space between your thumb and fingers? actually preplace or use the fingering you worked out? the list could go on…) BANG! – you can immediately see the effect of each change.

And seeing can certainly be believing.

I often suggest that you video your practice so you can see what you’re doing…and what you’re not doing.  It gives you a different perspective (and may make teacher comments mean more to you).  I also always remind you of the big red delete button…because the point of the video is to learn, correct and go on, not to hold it for posterity.  However, I also know that many of you still don’t do this.  So this similar (but completely ephemeral) idea seemed like a good one.  Watch yourself play but don’t record it.  See what you’re doing (from the vantage point of your teacher) and make small adjustments until what you see matches what you’ve heard in all those lessons – high thumb, relax, close, place…breathe!

DO ALL THE THINGS!  SEE ALL THE THINGS!

I also find that the meeting view is better – clearer and brighter – than on the video.

So, are you willing to zoom with yourself to help be bang on?  If you do, let me know how it goes and what you learn.  And if you’re not willing to try, I’d like to hear that too.  I’m always looking for better ways to teach and I learn so much from your comments!

 

* And no, of course I’m not getting any compensation – but this is also not an endorsement.  I have used zoom, skype, facetime, and messenger – as long as you have the function without actually having someone else on the line, it’ll work.