HARP in Space!

This might be old news to you, but I just learned that NASA has a HARP! 

Ok, for NASA, HARP means Heliophysics Audified: Resonances in Plasmas.  What?

HARPs in Space!

Loads of science-y words to say Hearing the activity of the Sun.

No, really.  The idea is to capture data from the sun and the plasma it puts out, and then listen to it to find patterns.  Patterns that would be harder (or impossible) to find visually.  Or by a computer algorithm. 

The sounds represent the same thing as you see as the Aurora Borealis – how cool is that?! 

As musicians we know all about patterns in sound.  Sound patterns are our stock in trade!  And NASA is inviting you to participate to help explore the data!

This is one of a number of NASA projects open to Citizen Scientists to help them analyze data.  Data is something they have tons of so they need help getting it all poked at.  They provide the open-source tool with which you can poke at (and possibly reveal) what’s hiding in the data from space.  They point out that it’s like using sonar to see the ocean.  They’ll even train you to find stuff so you can identify what they are looking for.  You could find something no one else has identified – again, how cool is that?

Would you like to be a NASA citizen scientist and participate in the HARP project?  If this is interesting to you, you could easily participate!  You can get more information here or sign up to participate here.

Do you think this is as cool as I do?  I’d love to know if you decide to participate – and what you find! Let me know in the comments! 

Thanks, Bunches

“Your underwear only bunches when you’re on your way to the bench.”

And it’s true, isn’t it.  It’s only when you’re on your way to the bench that you notice it.  In the short walk that takes you to the bench (and takes forever (cut to bad old movie footage of a hallway progressively lengthening as you walk)), that is when the riot happens in your brain.  You’ve been complete calm, comfortable, and bunch-free…right up until that point.  AND THEN YOU FEEL IT.

And you can think of nothing else. Every neuron in your brain, no, in your body, is reporting that on this phenomenon.  It is all you can think about.  You certainly can no longer hear the tune in your head.  It’s drowned out by the freight train of fearsome awareness.

There is no escape.  No matter how well prepared you felt.  No matter how long you have been playing.  No matter how politely the cat and the curtains applaud your efforts.  No matter how many seats in the theatre.  This is the end.  And you can barely walk for the bunching.

But that’s not true, is it? 

When you begin to breathe again and stop hyperventilating, when your muscles relax and release, you realize the freight train is not running on a different track and the danger has passed.  And when the noise abates, the riot calms, and you can begin to hear the strains of the tune once more.  Without the clenching of your teeth and other muscles, you let go of the bunching, and you become more comfortable…as you settle on the bench.

I’d be bunches of happy to hear what you think! Let me know in the comments.

This bit of wisdom comes courtesy of my dear friend Kris.  We were planning our Moving Forward weekend (formerly known as Harp Quest, but we felt like we wanted to leave that sitting there for a bit and focus more on Moving Forward) and we found this statement – in multiple places – in our assembled history (which includes student feedback, our own feedback when we’re still sweaty and exhausted from teaching, and our musings after a good meal and a glass of wine).  It really is our collected wisdom to date, and we review it to launch our planning to…you guessed it…Move Forward!

We are offering Moving Forward to our students this summer.  The first weekend (25 – 27 August) is for less experienced harpers – you are early in your learning and still getting a handle on playing and are looking to learn, laugh, and meet other harpers like you.  The second weekend (8 – 10 September) is for more experienced harpers.  You are intermediate or advanced and are looking for a challenge as well laughing, learning, and hanging out with other harpers like you.  For either weekend you are interested, engaged, excited and enthusiastic while not judging, pulling back, or withdrawing.  Enrollment in each weekend is limited because we are going to be very focused and have group and one-on-one time.   If you have worked with me in regular lessons, irregular lessons, or in coaching you are invited.  If you’re interested in being part of this or in getting more details, let me know – in the comments!

Home again, jiggedy-jig!

Harpa are back home after a wonderful trip to Scotland!  I was traveling for over two weeks and loved every minute (even the ones that will eventually be funny stories!). 

This trip Harpa were (from top left): Sue Richards, Beth Kolle, Therese Honey, and (from bottom left) Donna Bennett, me, and Martha Hill, and for the Edinburgh International Harp Festival, Kelly Brzozowski.  We posted photos of our visit on the Harpa Facebook page here. 

We started our trip at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival which was an incredible experience.  We participated in courses and workshops (the latter are long format, the former are shorter) learning Scottish, Breton, and Irish music as well as learning to release our inner Diva (laugh not – we didn’t think we needed help with that either, but wow did we learn a ton!). The high point for us was playing a concert – no pressure to play for a room full of harpers – no pressure at all.  But we performed beautifully and were really pleased with it.   We also attended some amazing concerts by friends old and new.  It was delightful.

Once EIHF was finished we headed off to the Highlands. We had three more performing opportunities, including a sold-out show at the Tollbooth in Forres.  At one time, the Tollbooth was the court and county lockup (not the automated money-snuffler we think of today).  It’s a historied building and we were privileged to play in the Courtroom.  While there we also got to share tunes with Cheyenne Brown’s adult students – some that they had performed earlier at the Inverness Music Festival!  Is there anything better than meeting other harpers?  The bummer was that, like any vacation, you never have as much time as you think you will, so we didn’t get to spend a great deal of time with them and we were done playing before we knew it.  At performances I always feel like I’m trying to cram 10 hours into a 1-hour sock. <sigh>

We also performed in Lossiemouth and at Ballindalloch Castle.  I still had the “1-hour sock” problem at each of them, but still got to meet and perform for some lovely people and in support of good causes.  In and around those performances we had the business of vacationing to deal with.  We enjoyed tea (twice! once on a steam train), saw castles, did some shopping, devoured fish and chips, found lovely ice cream, ate more than a few scones, and wandered cathedral and castle ruins. 

We had an awesome trip! We all have great ideas for the next one and we’ll get to planning that soon.  Until then, check out all our photos! I am still the worst at taking pictures, but I did post photos on the Harpa page, my “professional” page and my page (same photos, different accesses).  The Harpa page is where you’ll find all the really good photos that other people took. 

I also need to make a shameless plug for the Dusty Strings Flight Case.  It is light weight (I carried up and down stairs all week!), sturdy, good looking, and protective!  You might think it’s expensive but if you consider how much physical therapy, back surgery, or shoulder surgery might be (from carrying your old, heavy flight case), it’s downright parsimonious!  The harp traveled well (including the time it lingered in Ireland while I came on home).  I particularly like the detachable front wheels that made “driving” a breeze.  The snug fit left me confident that my case could “take a licking and keep on ticking”.  Brief chats with ground crew also suggested that it’s (relatively) light weight made it easier for them to deal with.  Even TSA seemed to have no problem working it.  My one regret?  I looked at the shoulder strap connections before I left and decided I wouldn’t use them – wrong!  I am not quite tall enough to effortlessly carry the case up flights of stairs.  I had to bend my arms more than was comfortable to clear the stairs so it took me about one day of going up and down stairs to really wish I had brought a strap.

I hope you check out and enjoy the photos.  If you want to know more about a specific part of our trip, let me know.  And if you have questions about how you too can travel with your harp – I’m happy to try to answer.  Let me know in the comments!

No-brainer

Sometimes, things just line up. I just broke my computer and frankly, I’m too lazy to type an entire blogpost using my thumbs.

Then (on my phone) I got an email reminding me that this week (Monday to be precise) is National No-Brainer Day. That brought two thoughts to mind. First, that sounds like an excuse to spend time just playing to have fun! And what better way to get that into your day than to spend your regularly scheduled practice time having fun? That’s right, there is no better time! And second, what a great way to get a blog post out without having to do all that typing – make a graphic to remind us to have a little fun!

It was…
A No-Brainer!

So, sorry not to bombard you with words this week. Instead we have a graphic I could gin up with my thumbs (good thing they are prehensile).

If you love the little graphic let me know, it can also be a poster (which I would be happy to send you to enjoy).

How will you celebrate National No-Brainer Day? Let me know in the comments!

And please forgive any egregious errors, my thumbs have a mind of their own!

Harp Day 2022 was presented by Harp Ireland (Cruit Éireann in Irish) which is an Irish charitable organization established in 2016 by a bunch of harpers with a good plan!  They focus on promoting the instrument and its music while attracting more performers and audiences.  They have been busy!

Harp Day 2022 was this weekend with the theme – Harp Together.  It’s one of those activities that makes participation in their activities more accessible to all of us, around the world.  It’s not a hardship – after all Irish music (and Irish culture) is loved around the globe!  And if there’s one thing we learned over the last couple of years – we have enjoy getting together via whatever means is available to us.  I liked what they had on their website about it:

For the sixth year in a row, Irish harpers extend a warm invitation to harpers everywhere to join with them in celebrating the 1000-year-old Irish harping tradition, which is recognised on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Now you can catch up with all the good stuff.  Harp Ireland has put loads of good stuff online, freely available. 

It was exciting to make a video to be a part of the celebration.  A group of us was gathered for something completely different but decided it would be fun – so we did it!  I was delighted to be playing with Sue Richards, Therese Honey, Donna Bennett, and Martha Hill and we had a hoot playing an American tune – Sandy Boys.  You can see it here, at 1:02:23 – but definitely watch the whole thing.  There are four videos so pace yourself! You can find all the videos here.

I think my favorite part of the finished product – beyond the fun of watching some incredible harping – is that they also put together an interactive map so you can see where everyone was coming from.  Since we made the video in North Carolina, we are represented there even though we’re from around the US.  It’s delightful to see everyone in their locations https://www.harpireland.ie/interactive-map/

Hope you enjoy it – we sure did.  If you want more information about Harp Ireland you can find it here.

Did you participate in Harp Day 2022?  How many people do you know that are in the videos?  Let me know in the comments!

I hate to break it to you, but next week is October!  While there’s been pumpkin spice muffins, pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin spice tires, and more available for over a month, you would not be seen as unreasonable for not realizing that the most terrifying time of the year (for harpers) is racing up fast – the Holidays (cue Halloween music – after all, that is the next holiday, despite what you might see in the stores).  If you think I’m being dramatic, I have already seen tv ads for Christmas trees!

Now, you might be wondering why I say this is the most terrifying time of the year.  It is, after all, the season of twinkly lights, candy everywhere, pretty ribbons and bows – what’s not to like?  It’s also the busy season (which is nice and helpful to affording gifts to put inside the ribbons and bows).   Well, here are three reasons it can be terrifying:

1. While all the professionals are booking events (yea income), non-harp-playing people also have no problem, upon learning that you play the harp, attempting to press you into performing.  This is all well and good…if you want to be performing.  But if you’re not interested in performing, are extremely nervous about performing, or have only been playing for a month – you might not want to be pressed into service!  And people (who don’t play an instrument but are adept at organizing) are relentless.  I’ve also found that their relentlessness is inversely proportional to the amount of money they are willing to pay you!

2. Everyone knows all the music!  Yup, when the entire audience knows all the tunes, that’s a little intimidating because you are certain they will hear every artistic deviation (not mistake!) from perfection that you introduce.

3.  The holidays can be fraught – fraught I say – with stress.  Even if, like me, you lead a stress-free existence*, it’s difficult to avoid the feeling of stress rolling off all those around you. 

So, it’s time to start preparing!  Here are four things you could practice being ready:

1. Saying “No”.  I know it’s hard but, if you don’t want to be playing for whatever reason (you’ve only been playing for a week, you are embarrassed by sweating navigable puddles when performing, because you just don’t want to) – practice saying “no”.  Sound too abrupt? Then say, “No, thank you”.  You don’t owe anyone an explanation (well…maybe if it’s your mom, but no one else!)

2. Christmas music you’ve played before.  Since you’ve learned it before, it will come back easier than the last time.  Yes, I know it might not feel like it, but it will.

3. New Christmas/Winter.  Well, new to you.  You don’t want to be playing the same stuff year after year.  You need to keep learning.  New things will help you stay fresh and keep you interested.  Adding in winter music will also help you bridge gaps for audiences and give you things to play past Christmas (after all – winter goes for about 80+ more days after Christmas day).

4. Other music.  Since the Christmas music will probably start sooner than later, by the time the holidays actually arrive, everyone is a little fatigued of hearing them.  Keeping your wider repertoire ready to go will help you add to your set lists and avoid burn out…and will keep you ready for the rest of the year!

So, dust off your Christmas books and binders, start reworking your old tunes and deciding on what you’ll add this year.  Be proactive when deciding what you will let slide in your regular repertoire (for now).  And spend a little time with your calendar so you’ll know when you are (and aren’t) interested in playing.  Keep in mind that most of your friends and family would be delighted if you shared your gift of music with them (even if you’ve only been playing for a week – they love you!). 

What are you going to be playing this holiday season?  Which are new to you?  Let me know in the comments!

*LoL – I wish!

You’ve seen the markings:

“Expressively”  

“Dolce”

“Tenderly”

“Furiouso”

“insert-your-favorite-emotion-here”

And there is no confusion – after all, you speak English and you’re pretty good at music Italian.*

But, when the rubber meets the road – or more appropriately – when your fingers meet the strings, do you play it like you mean it?

Don’t get me wrong, it can be challenging to play it like you mean it.  There are mental, technical, and performance challenges that can each get in the way of you being able to do so.  What does that mean? Well…

Mental – let’s deal with the easy one first.  What does the expression (as given in the expression marking) mean to you?  You do need to know what the words mean – then you can begin to imagine what that particular expression feels like and then how it might sound.  For example, if you don’t know what “misterioso” means, it will be difficult to determine how it will sound (or how to make it sound like that)!

These expressions can also be thought of as being aligned along a continuum (just like the emotions they are meant to represent) so there can be subtle differences between them.  For example, what’s the difference between “happy” and “joyous”?  Think about how those expressions make you feel.  Is joy a flat thing (maybe like a ramp going up?) or is it undulating (like a roller coaster)?   Does sweetly mean to be played quietly – or is there more to it than that?  Once you’ve thought through that, then imagine how that feeling might sound.

Keep in mind as well that how you feel about the music and about the expressions might change.  And that’s ok, it just means that you can change up how you play that tune to reflect how you are choosing to express it just then!

Technical – once you have determined what you think about the tune and its expressions and emotions, then you need to pull out all your technique chops to execute!  Expressive playing is built on solid technique.  When you mean to play pppp you must be able to get that out of your harp, and it needs to be disctinct from ppp.  You also have to handle yourself so that when you ask yourself to make a change … you get what you demand.

Performance – it’s all well and good to know what you want to come out of your harp and to be physically able to play it.  But when you are performing, you still have to have the control to bring it all together and not only conjure those emotions in your own imagination but also to evoke the same emotions in the minds of the listeners.  That requires that you be focused on those emotions – to be present while performing and not letting your mind wander!

All of these things can be achieved – you just have to (you know what I’m going to say…) practice them.  Here are a few ways to actually practice.  BTW – this assumes that you already know the tune – it’s really hard to emote when you are struggling to remember what the next note should be.

Make a list of emotions – happy and sad are a start but really plumb your thesaurus – exuberant, dolorous, playful, martial – get some really meaty emotions on your list (look them up if you have to!).

Start simply – pick a tune you already know well as an initial “workspace”.  Try to play that tune from each of your listed emotions – angry, hungry, petulant, tired, whatever comes to mind.

• Don’t be afraid to change the tempo, the rhythmic flow, the arrangement
• Don’t play it once, grimace, and quit! This is another one of those white knuckle things that’s like driving on an unknown mountain road – you have to focus, to worry and to work – and then, when you are sure it’s all coming apart and you’re going to plunge off the side, you reach a summit and suddenly, you see a beautiful and welcoming valley right before you.  AAaaaaaah! An exhilarating ride…once it’s over.  And a ride you can do over and over again enjoying each time.
• Keep iterating – as before, no emotion is flat.  There is happiness in times of sorrow, joy in the midst of despair, grief in celebration – explore all those different faces of the emotions.
• Be sure to be contrary – find the happiest sounding tune you know and turn it into a dirge.  Turn a lament into a jig!.  At a minimum this is a good exercise, and it has the potential to allow you to view the tune in a completely different way.
• Lather, Rinse, Repeat – as you get more facile with playing with these expressions, practice moving from one emotion to another. Crash from one to the other and back again.  Once you’ve done that, can you gently slide from sad to happy and back again.  (PS – yes, you can, do not doubt it).  Start slowly, find your feet, and build from there.  Find what techniques you need to strengthen and then fix those gaps (PS Don’t mistake pppp for air harp – it’s a very controlled playing that is quiet yet still present!). 

This is your story – tell it your way – and like you mean it!

Are you playing like you mean it?  Do you tell the story your way?  If so, share how you do it.  If not, share what you need to learn – in the comments!

* If not, add that to your list of things to learn – even if it’s just for the sake of learning.

I’m at the Ohio Scottish Arts School this week, teaching with the amazing Corrina Hewat, the incredible Seumas Gagne, and the marvelous Sharon Knowles.  After two years apart we and the students are clearly delighted to be here, together enjoying one another and being with other harpers.  We are also grateful to be with the other arts – piping, fiddling, drumming, and dancing.  The week has been chock-a-block so I am catching up with you but not with an OSAS report – that might have to wait until next week.

In the interim, I wanted to share that I had an extraordinary opportunity!  I am honored to have been commissioned by the Learned Kindred of Currie to compose a piece to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. It is entitled Steadfast and you can hear it here. 

The Learned Kindred of Currie support the arts and Scottish culture. I encourage you to read about them on their website.  And when you participate in a Scottish Harp Society of America event, you might see their banner or meet a Currie – be sure to let them know how much we appreciate their Steadfast support!

This week we celebrate Memorial Day in the US.  Celebrate is a funny word to choose since Memorial Day is about honoring those who have died defending our nation and way of life in all the wars and conflicts to date.  But celebrating is probably the right thing to do – those people didn’t give their lives so the rest of us could stand around being morose but rather so that we could continue enjoying the life we’re so very privileged to live. 

I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day.  Enjoy your events.  Play your harp with glee and maybe note that the strings are Red, White, and Blue.  And spare a moment to think of those who came before to make all this possible.

Later this week I’ll be heading to Scotland for this year’s Harp the Highlands and Islands trip – finally!  After two years of planning and replanning and postponing and waiting, we’re finally getting to go.  I’ll be posting about that next.  So excited to going – watch this space!