Tag Archives: Performance

Do the thing that scares you

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Do the thing that scares you 

What scares you? Ok, let’s scale it back to what scares you about playing. You don’t have to say it out loud (unless you want to), but definitely say it in your head.

DO THAT!

I’m most scared of doing something wrong. Not so much when I’m by myself (ok, yes, but…) more when I’m playing with other people. Because the options of doing something wrong are very uncomfortable –

     I’ll sound really bad (not fun)

     We (as a group) will sound really bad (embarrassing and not fun)

     I will be blamed for sounding bad – not just this time but every time after that (continuingly embarrassing and not fun)

(and the perceived outcome – no one will ever want me to play with them again)

DO THE THING

I had the wonderfully terrifying opportunity to join in on a final tune in a recent show. The bass player and the guitarist both told me that it was easy, just follow along. That there was only one chord. That I just had to hit that chord on the 1 and all would be well.

So, I did the normal thing – I said yes (!)

And then I panicked! (the much more normal thing for me)

It’s never that easy. I’m not good at following – especially a tune I have only heard a couple of times before (and frankly, I wasn’t really listening then)

Then they told me the key – Bb min (yup, that would be five flats – not easy on a lever harp tuned to 3 flats.

I might have hyperventilated a little bit just then.

But I dared to hope.

I looked up Bb min (thank you Maestro Google). And verified that the 1-5-8 chord would be playable (Bb – F – Bb) and that the V chord would be playable (F – C – F). And my hope grew infinitesimally.

But I would have to stay off the IV chord! And I’d definitely have to stay off the iii!

That didn’t completely calm me though – because I’m not good at catching the change (and I don’t practice it enough).

So, I looked up a chord sheet for the tune. The bass player didn’t lie – it really did only have one chord! (ok, there was one place where there was a change to the V, but only one and if I missed it, it would be over quickly).

I felt an eerie calm come over me at that point.

And then an icy chill – because the bass player and the guitar player had had a rehearsal. They knew what they were doing while I was going to have to wing it on stage in a performance.

Do you know what happened? Want to guess?

If you guessed that – no, I backed off and gave it a miss, come on – have a little faith!

If you guessed that – yes, I did it – you win a cookie! I went on stage and played my single chord – up and down the harp – in time and actually on the (right) chord. I was shocked. Then I was delighted. Then I was a little more self-impressed than the feat deserved, but – celebrate the tiniest wins, right?!

So, the next time some terrifying opportunity arises, I’d like to encourage you to step up. Breathe and step into it! If it helps, remember that, while your heart hammers and your palms sweat, you will come out with a new accomplishment under your belt. And from there, you could go anywhere!

Want to share your secret dread (it could be someone else’s if you prefer – you know, asking for a friend)? I’d love to hear it (and feel just a little less alone!). Let me know in the comments!

 

 

Don’t Get Me Out Of Here!

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Don’t Get Me Out Of Here!

We talked about why you might experience anxiety playing for other people and we shared a few reasons that might happen (you can revisit that here). And that’s all well and good – kumbaya and all – but what can we do to get past all that mess and on to the fun part of sharing music with other people? Well…

Let’s start with recognizing that it’s normal to feel a bit discombobulated before performing. That feeling is a response to a perceived threat. And few things feel as threatening as having your fears exposed like you’re the stomach of a biology class frog.  It can be a bit daunting! But it’s important to know that it’s not just you (even though it feels like it!) – everyone gets a bit tangled when they’re going to do something uncomfortable. Welcome to being human.

Of course, it can be difficult to do some of these things.  It is easy to forget to not be scared when your inner wildebeest thinks it’s been scented by a hungry lion! But if you don’t control your fear, it will control you. And besides, we do this because we enjoy it – so we might as well enjoy it!

You can’t really grow out of being human but you can learn to be better at it. So here are some ways to help yourself get out of your own way. *

  • Breathe! (or meditate or pray, as you prefer) This is so important to help you keep a clear head and to not hyperventilate! It also helps lower your blood pressure and heart rate which makes you feel calmer (because scared people don’t have a lower BP and pulse!). (Sometimes I write “BREATHE!” at the top of the set list – just in case I forget).

  • Assess the situation. I like to look over the audience and realize I don’t (typically) know the people.  It’s not like favorite teacher (or a frenemey) was watching. Those people want to be there and be part of the experience. They want to be there! Bask in the beauty of that! And let it assuage your fear a bit.

  • Name the beast. What are you most afraid of? Say it out loud (or write it out or paint it – you get the idea – make it real outside your head). When it’s outside your head, you can skewer the thoughts with questions and observations. Remind yourself that, while your brain is trying to protect you, there is no physical danger, and you are ok – just scaring yourself. If you can, laugh at what’s scaring you.

  • Sing Happy Birthday. If you’re ruminating on these thoughts, sing a song, take up the space in your brain and interrupt the thought train the same way you stop an earworm!
  • Take care of you. Do your best to get some rest and eat well. This is not the time to break your caffeine habit (or start one) or radically change your diet!
  • Acknowledge your preparation. We often start to tell ourselves that if we just had one more week, we’d be set. Give yourself enough time to prepare and use that time to make yourself comfortable that you are in fact ready.
  • Practice. The best tip I ever got about performing was to practice! Get out and perform every chance you get. Don’t just play for the cat and the curtains – but for real (and appreciative) people! As recently as just a few years ago many of us went out to share music with our neighbors. No reason you can’t still do that. They will be just as appreciative without the threat and pall of diseases!
  • Think! I know it’s tempting to focus on thinking that you’re not ready, you’re feeling sick, and you’re afraid. Instead, actually think about what you’re doing. Hear your tunes in your head. Focus on what comes next. Do this not only as you perform but also when you’re practicing at home – get in the habit of thinking before you play.
  • Turn your frown upside down. Practice delivering your internal dialog positively. Remind yourself of how hard you have worked and how well you are doing. No, I don’t mean lie to yourself. Be honest. If you can’t, pretend you’re talking to a friend of yours and tell that person.
  • Perform. Your real goal isn’t to slay it but to do better than you did before. You can only improve compared to yourself.

You don’t have to feel like you have to make a break for it or send out a message to “Get me out of here!”. You can, of course, also try just telling yourself to get over it, but I haven’t found that to be a particularly successful strategy.

Keep in mind that all of these things are not “one and done” you might have to do one, start to play, employ another, play some more, etc. You are also you (you might have noticed) so not all of these may work for you – use some and see what works best. And then incorporate it every time!

 

Have you used any of these strategies? Did they work for you? Do you have other methods of dealing with your nerves? I can always use more ideas, so let me know in the comments!

 

* As I mentioned in the earlier post, I’m talking about situational anxiety which is NOT the same as generalized anxiety. If you suspect you have more than just a twinge of getting in knots over stepping on stage – seek professional help.

Keep breathing

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Keep breathing 

I think we could easily agree that playing requires concentration. A lot of concentration. Of course, some things make us concentrate harder than others.  For instance, we have to really focus when we’re learning. Maybe when a tune is really well learned we don’t have to focus so much (or at least we feel like we have more brain capacity available).  When we perform we probably focus carefully as well (at least we hope we will!).

One of the challenges of concentrating really hard is that when we do, many of us actually stop breathing (I can’t make this up). While you’re focused, you may hold your breath. When your brain is working hard, it gets busy and has a harder time of keeping all its plates spinning. Things like breathing can be one of those plates that gets dropped. (Don’t worry, the rest of your body will demand a breath when you really have to have one!). Of course, not breathing doesn’t make you think very well and all in all, it’s best if you can keep breathing.

The good news is that you can overcome this not breathing. You just need to practice doing it. Yes, even though you mostly don’t even think about breathing – you DO need to think about it if you’re not breathing consistently when you’re practicing (or performing).

When should you be breathing? Well, it’s best to breathe normally but if you notice you’re not (or your teacher points it out to you), you can add it to each tune or exercise! Here are a few ways to incorporate it so you can keep breathing:

Phrasing. If you’re learning by ear, you’re getting the tune in phrases. Phrasing might be easiest to understand in the context of singing because you must breathe (other blowing instruments are the same – no breathing, no playing). Phrasing is how the tune breathes, Watch (good) singers and you’ll notice that they never leave off in the middle of a word to take a breath – they breathe in “obvious” places…between the words. Just like they do, when your music calls for a breath (the end of a phrase) – take a breath. If you’re reading, you can still breathe at the end of a phrase – just remember to mark it!*  When you’re practicing be certain that you breathe there and make it part of how you play the tune.

Mechanical. I’m not keen on this one, but it could work. In this approach you specifically incorporate breathing as a “movement” just like placing, closing, changing levers, and all the other movements of playing. I don’t like this because it’s not natural (which might interrupt your breathing rather than improving it) and because breathing is a very different type of movement. More importantly, this approach doesn’t support the music either. It doesn’t tie your breath to the phrasing (above) which could knock your musicality out of whack (and who doesn’t need more musicality).

Relax. You might hold your breath when you are stressed – so relax. You’ll get the tune, you’ll learn the melody, you’ll get the fingering! And your brain will be glad of the oxygen!

Pay attention. This is related to Mechanical, and it might seem silly – because we are paying attention….to something else! Like Mechanical, set yourself the additional task of paying attention to your breathing while you are concentrating on learning the music. Post a sign on your music stand or make some other reminder to keep it front of mind!

Breathing is fairly important when you’re learning and when you’re playing. Do you notice specific places you aren’t breathing? How do you remember to breathe? Let me know in the comments how you are going to keep breathing!

*If you’re not familiar with the marking, use an apostrophe above the treble staff to indicate where to take a breath (ok, it’s your music, use anything you’d like but the apostrophe is the standard marking).

Gift Guide – Part B

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Gift Guide – Part B

Last week we listed some gift ideas you could share with the people in your life who might ask what you would like to receive this holiday season. Now let’s flip the script. What gifts could you give from there on your bench?

Like any gift guide, this means matching the giving intention to the recipient and there are so many possibilities!

  • You can play for your family. You might think that your family listens to you play every day so this wouldn’t be a good gift. But the reality is that they probably don’t listen to you practice. They might hear you, but they’re probably not listening. They will enjoy having a specific time to sit and actually listen to the fruits of your labors. They are, after all, your biggest supporters.
  • Jane Austen is calling! There was a time when it was expected that each person would take their turn being entertaining for guests. Invite your supportive friends over and, as part of the time together, play for them. You’d be amazed how many of your friends don’t even know you play the harp, and how many of those who do know have never heard you play.
  • Play for someone special. This can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make it. You have all the tools – just get out of your own way. Play the music you hear in your head.  Don’t have a lot of noise going on up there? Stumped on where to start? Set your harp to C major and play only the white strings (thank you Marianna!) and diddle around. Run your recorder. Go back and listen, find what you like and put that stuff together. Practice that, toss in a left hand (hint – start with G) and boom! a handmade present!
  • Give a concert. Why not! You need a venue (your living room?), an audience (friends, family, neighbors), and you need 3 to 20 tunes (depending on how long you want to perform). Add some “patter” (it is a show, you are the MC) and wine or tea and cookies and you’re in business. It doesn’t have to be Carnegie Hall, just play.
  • Volunteer. Go to a nursing home or a rehab facility and play for them (or for the staff). You can do this anytime of year but the holidays seem like a good time to start (this does require a bit coordination, but so worth it).

It’s also amazing how good you’ll feel after sharing your gift of music.  What else could you do with your harp to give someone a lovely gift? I’ve given you several ideas here, but I bet you have better ones – let me know in the comments.

Better get moving – 10 steps to get ready for the holidays!

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It’s nearly October (yikes!), the summer is over, the kids are back to school, the days are palpably shorter.  And you know what that means – the holidays are nearly here!

There are only 12 weeks to go – but you know that festivities will start in about six to eight week so there will be plenty of time to fit in all the parties, pageants, festivals, parades, celebrations, get-togethers, gift exchanges, as well as gatherings.  And each of those will be an opportunity to share one of your greatest gifts – your music!

Better get ready – but how?  Here are ten (relatively easy) steps:

First, manage your expectations.  Be realistic.  You might want to capture all the things you will be doing during the run up to the season as well as the season itself.  You know you will have work and practice, and family traditions, and social events that you anticipate you will be part of.  You can make a list or pencil them into your calendar or make a spreadsheet.  What you really need to know is how much time you actually have.  How much time do you really have to practice?  How much time do you have to prepare?  How much time do you have to share?

Second, manage other people’s expectations.  If you want to be playing for others, let it be known so you might be asked.  Not interested in playing for an event?  Just say no.  It is, however, the season for music and people will try to be persuasive (or maybe they will gently bully you into trying to get you agree).  Worried about saying no?   Ask someone you know who does want to be playing.  Be prepared with their name and contact information.  It will be a win-win-win: you don’t have to give a flat no because you have a referral ready (you win).  The referred harper gets a gig they might not have been positioned for otherwise (harper wins).  And the audience gets a willing performer (so they win too).

Third, make a list of the tunes you have played in the past.  These will likely come back quickly and can be the backbone of your playing.

Fourth, make a “learn these” list of the tunes you want to play but haven’t learned yet. These will be work, but they will be worth it!  Be reasonable given the amount of time you have to practice.

Fifth, if you will be playing for others, estimate how much music you will need.  I usually guestimate about 6 – 8 tunes to 15 minutes.  This might be conservative, but it assures that I don’t run out of music before I run out of time.  I also suggest you build two set lists – because I like to be overprepared and having too much music means I can pick and choose once I get there depending on how the audience is responding.  It also means that I won’t have to play something that feels shaky or just hasn’t come together enough yet.  Remember that you can insert other music into the list – include the winter themed tunes or favorites to make an enjoyable performance.  Especially later in the season, people will begin to fatigue of holiday music so some other tunes will wake them up and keep them engaged.

Sixth, now that you have a list and know about how many tunes you’re looking for, play through your old tunes and critically (but not harshly) determine what work is needed to get them up to scratch.  Revise your list as needed (move anything that feels like it might be a train wreck to the “learn these” list).

Seventh, make a schedule to get the new music learned and ready to go and to make the old stuff polished and shone.  This will be a plan to structure your practice between now and the holidays.  Be realistic!

Eighth, schedule your practice time.  Write it in your calendar.  Make a date with your harp every day.  Keep practicing your “regular” music too – although they come quick, the holidays are here and gone – so you might as well stay up to date for January!

Ninth, keep an eye on your plan and revise as necessary!  Update your lists, adjust as needed, keep the end in mind.  Remember the goal is to play well and feel comfortable when it’s time to play.

Finally, have fun!  You’re going to make so many people happy when you share your gift – make sure one of those is you!  The holidays are a time for joy – share yours!

Follow these ten steps and you will be well on your way to sharing your gift!  How do you prepare for the holidays?  Share your tips in the comments.

Are we done stretching? Not yet!!

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So, throughout August we have stretched our artisticness away from the harp. We’ve stretched our bodies and we’ve stretched our repertoires.  What could possibly be left?

Maybe the most important part. Have you stretched you?

I hear you grumbling. I’m all stretched out. Yes, I’ve stretched me.

But have you stretched all of you?

Have you stretched to playing for others, in new places? For new audiences? Have you put yourself out there to share your art?  Have you stretched emotionally?

I really thought I had. I’d played for all kinds of people. What could be left? And then I was asked to play for first graders! Wow! A very different audience that I had never even thought of. They were great! Just imagine what I would have missed if I had said no. Was it out of my comfort zone? Oh yeah – I couldn’t even see it from my comfort zone!  But if I had to take a chance, what a great place to land!

How about that gig that isn’t your norm? I booked that one. Now I’m learning a tune that I’d never select – a pop tune I have always hated! But, now that I’m working on it, while I don’t like the tune any better than before, I can appreciate its rhythmic qualities.  And I can respect the technique that I need to play it accurately. It is drawing on skills I rarely use. So, I also got to stretch my practice routine to boot!

How about finding a new way to share with friends, family, or audiences? Have you taken the opportunity to unguard your heart (you know, the one that’s in your mouth when you contemplate something new, different, and challenging!) and share just a bit of the joy you find in playing? Or some other emotion – loss? happiness? contemplation? contentment?

Stretching to share your emotions can be very freeing. You know, after the freefall of terror.  As we’ve identified before, stretching can be many (good) things, and here are six:

  1. Stretching is the opposite of static and facing things straight on is definitely not static!  Meeting your resistance to something will help you keep moving, growing, developing.
  2. Stretching makes you flexible. When you’re sharing with others, you can telegraph what you’re feeling. Being flexible gives you the opportunity to change up what you’re doing to suit your audience (and yourself). I try to have a couple of options available for each program – for those times when noting is coming together. I want to convey to the listener that, even in the face of [pick one: forgetting how the tune goes, being unable to exert any control over my fingers, starting in the wrong key, (why yes, I have done all these things and more – in front of audiences)], I’m glad to be there with them, and grateful to know that they’re on my side, even if I can’t seem to conjure any knowledge of how to play the harp!
  3. Stretching helps alleviate stiffness – and putting yourself out there might make you feel stiff (terrified stiff?).  Nothing like working on music way beyond the pale of your favorites will help you approach new, different things with more freedom – that comes from the comfort of being less stiff as you approach the music…or the audience. Remember to “bend your knees” musically. Just imagine what I might do with that tune I hate (after I deliver it for the gig – I could completely rejigger it (perhaps literally – make it into a jig? Just an idea – I’m flexible like that!)
  4. Stretching helps relieve stress. Don’t you ever think that you’re the only one who feels stress (nervousness, tension, etc.) when you’re performing. We all do – even your harp hero! If you’ve done the stretches we have been talking about, you will be more comfortable no matter where you play.  And that will help you feel less stress while you are playing. Don’t get me wrong – you might feel a little bit of nervousness (and research suggests that this actually helps you play better) but you won’t have that heart-pounding, breath-stealing paralysis that gets in the way (ok, you can call it stage fright, but I can only focus on how I can’t breathe…until I remember that I’m looking forward to playing…once I get started!).
  5. Stretching helps develop and maintain focus. By stretching yourself to new audiences, you have to focus on them to share all that you have brought. You will, of course, get better at this with practice, so keep at it!  And remember to focus on the good – you know your music, you enjoy playing, and they will love you!
  6. Stretching stretches you. You will definitely benefit from sharing yourself and your music with others. Open your heart and give your gift. Do not worry about receiving a gift in return – just enjoy the delightful feeling of giving! And keep on giving as you stretch yourself again and again.

So, as the end of summer nears and we have stretched ourselves in so many ways – physically, artistically, emotionally, and through our repertoire. Each of these aspects of playing are essential – and stretching in each of them helps keep you flexible – ready to take on any challenge and not only succeed but also the enjoy it! Now that you’re all stretched – what will you take on next? Let me know in the comments!

Expand your musical reach – another stretch (or 7!)

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We have talked about stretching through making art and stretching our bodies.  There’s another place we need to stretch and that is in our music.  And it’s the perfect time to think about it – it will be the winter holidays and all the lovely opportunities to play will be coming.  I mention the holidays because they are the perfect foil for stretching our music.

The holidays are great from a repertoire perspective.  There is a relatively small set of tunes to work from and each year, those that have been on our set lists for a while seem to become easier to prepare and to play.  It’s also easier to knuckle under and practice – we know it’s coming; we know we’ll be playing; and we know the bulk of what we’ll bring to each performance.

That doesn’t exactly sound like stretching.

And that’s why it’s so great!  There are loads of holiday tunes – so you probably don’t know them all.  But you know some and so each year you can add another one or two to fill in your set list.  But we have to fight the urge to be lazy and just play all the same stuff. 

I don’t know about you, but I really like hearing new (to me) stuff at the holidays.  From countries whose music I don’t know well, from new sources, and from the set of those songs that hardly anyone records but are just so good. 

So, the holidays are an opportunity to stretch ourselves – musically.

What does stretching musically mean? Trying new things!  It can be adding techniques we don’t usually use, playing music we don’t usually play, finding stuff we didn’t know existed and fitting it into our lives, arranging music we like (from other instruments) and playing it on the harp, or more.

How is stretching musically good for us?  Here are seven unsurprising ways (some of these might sound familiar since they are as with making art)

  1. Stretching is (still) the opposite of static!  Static is not moving or changing.  Static introduces b-o-r-i-n-g into your playing.  It also means that you’re not growing as a musician.  So, learn how to do some effect you think is cool…and actually use it in your playing!  Do the work of technique practice.  And after learning some new technique, actually add it to your playing!
  2. Stretching makes you more flexible.  By adding new music, new sources, new techniques, new practice approaches, just new stuff to your playing, you will begin to explore yourself more and bring that into your playing and performance.  And you will be free to do more than you thought you could when you were less flexible.
  3. Stretching helps defeat stress.  The more you stretch your music, the more comfortable you become with playing it – because you’ll become more accustomed to being stretched.  In your practice, in performance, in ensemble, in sessions – no matter where you’re playing you will be more relaxed, able to enjoy the process and product of making music.  That comfort is an indication of your reduced stress.
  4. Stretching helps overcome pain and discomfort.  You might decide to stretch your music when you feel the discomfort be becoming bored.  Of course, once you decide to stretch your music, you might feel self-conscious, uneducated, or ignorant.  The music activities that stretch you might make you feel uncomfortable in and of themselves.  But keeping at it – a little bit each day – will help you be more comfortable and soon, you’ll be interested in the flexibility of trying new music.  I’d suggest adding time for creativity in your practice each day so you will be able to stretch musically with less (perceived) “stiffness”.
  5. Stretching helps you focus.  You can be mindful when you are stretching your music.  Mindful of what it is about the music that attracts (or repels) you, what technique elements you need to work on, what your harp really shines with.  In addition, a broader repertoire may help you to feel more accomplished and allow you to comfortably book gigs previously out of reach.  Be sure to pay attention as you’re stretching your music to identify what to keep on doing.
  6. Stretching improves your range.  As you add music to your toolbox, and include the listening, reading, technique and effects the new music might require of you, you will become more able to do more things with greater musicality – and add new things more quickly.
  7. Stretching stretches you.  There’s nothing like playing something you never thought you’d be able to (or possibly even that you never thought about adding) to boost your confidence and encourage you to try even more new things!

Stretching – the gentle kind that broadens your abilities, and leaves you relaxed and enjoying making music, is just what you need.  With these seven stretches you might become a better musician!  What kind of music might you add to stretch yourself?  What else might you do to stretch yourself musically?  Tell me in the comments – I can’t wait to hear!

Harpa Retreat 2019 has begun!

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Harpa 2019 has started! We have all arrived in Scotland and are already having a blast. We are seven this time – five harpers and two appreciators, as well as David our intrepid guide and Heather, our harp-playing roadie. We are significantly missing our lead Harpanik. Beth Kolle, who founded Harpa, is home recovering from a demonstration of gravity and we are missing her terribly. But we press on, carrying the Harpa flag!

This year we decided that we would benefit from a “vacation from our vacation” type trip and began developing the Harpa Retreat concept. We came to Scotland because – well, Scotland!! We have two concerts for different charities scheduled. And we’re planning on more down time so we can really savor our time here, make art, jam and really enjoy each other musically, and just breathe. Because that can be the problem of a vacation – you go somewhere interesting, that you want to see and soak up, and share with friends, and really experience, and you spend some short but manageable time there. But you’ve spent a lot of money to get there and you want to see it all! And you really do try, but you can’t succeed and you get very tired trying! And worst of all, in all that trying, it’s easy to miss the very thing you went there for. So this year, we are trying to take it a little slower, to chill a little. So far it’s been a great idea!

We have just started yesterday and we have an amazing group. Our performers are Sue Richards, Therese Honey, Martha Hill, Donna Bennett, and me. Sue, Therese and I started a little early in Glasgow so we could meet some of the members of the Glasgow Branch of the Clarsach Society and share a workshop (which was just an incredible day – thanks to Gillian Fleetwood for making that happen!), see some great museums, and ride trains with harps.

We took a Preparatory photo to help explain to taxi people what we were looking to get into the cab . It didn’t help the planning, but was fun to take. Photo by Therese Honey – who is a much better photographer than I!

Why yes, you c-a-n get two harps into a cab, onto a train, still have fun and enjoy the ride! Another Therese photo – she’s good about taking them!

We all met up in Endinburgh and yesterday we set off on another adventure.

And yet another photo from Therese – she finds the best photos – just the way she looks at the world is amazing!  We had the easy job. David and Heather had to figure out how to get the harps into the vehicle – puzzle for the day.

We have been posting photos on Facebook here and on the FB Harpa group. Wish you were here! More later, we’re busy having fun!  Wish you could see Scotland through a harp?  Leave a comment and let me know!

 

PS – just like if you have more than one harp, you have a favorite, I have a favorite computing device…and I chose to travel with the other one, so please forgive any errors.  I’m blaming them on the #%~*^ ipad!

Stay between the lines!

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I was driving down the highway the other day. I was going about 1000 miles, so on one particularly long, straight stretch, I started remembering when I learned to drive.

For me, one of the hardest things to learn was staying in the middle of the lane. When you start to drive, you know you need to stay in the lane – and between the lines. The lane is defined by the lines, so I looked at the lines – constantly. But you know how that goes – the more you look at the lines, the farther you are from your desired position – in the middle of the lane. The best advice (or training) I got was to look down the road – look way down the road. After I (finally) learned that, staying in the lane was so easy. Now, as an experienced driver, I don’t even see the lines close to me and keeping the vehicle in the middle of the lane is something I take for granted.  It seems that I just go where I meant to be.

The reality is, no matter how good a driver you are, you will never stay in your lane to get where you’re going if you don’t look ahead.  So, what does that have to do with playing the harp? Everything!

When you’re learning a new tune – what do you do? I don’t know about you, but when I’m having trouble getting a tune into my head, I naturally narrow my thinking down to just what comes next – what’s the next note. But this doesn’t actually help me learn the tune. It just frustrates me (thus drawing my focus away from what I’m trying to do – learn the tune). If I lift my head and keep my focus “down the road”, then I can think of the phrases (as phrases, not as a trickle of sounds). When I can hear the tune in my head, the notes that come next become so much easier to remember.

When you’re reading music, the notation (the lines and everything else) are helpful – but can be distracting. Again, sometimes just having all that ink only serves to draw your attention to the individual blops – and you lose track of where you are on the page, in the phrase, in the music. When you lose your place, your hands may not end up in the right place, or they might be going the wrong direction or be overstretched! Keeping the long view will allow you to read the music rather than focusing on the ink and better allow you to be more able to play.

When you’re playing, you have learned the tune or become familiar with the dots on the sheet. When you’re playing, you want to be “in the moment” – and that is important. But remember that music isn’t static or fixed.  Music is serial, it comes out over time – like the road!  It can’t come out all at once (although there are some composers who clearly do not agree with me on that!). So being in the moment has to include the plans for this moment, and then for the next moment, and then the following moment, and on and on until the end of the piece – as a flow. This is not contradictory, rather, you need to hold the music in your head as a piece rather than as a set of notes. Looking at the whole of the music, rather than on just it’s representation (that you learned or are reading), will help keep you on track.

When you’re performing, you really are taking all that you have learned and putting it out there in the world to share. This is more than just playing in that now. Because now, in addition to being in the moment with the music, you must also be present with the listeners. Whether there are 2 or 200 or 2000 in the audience, your focus has to be “farther down the road” to include not only the music but also the hearers and what your message to them/with them is. Here, your long view includes them, the music, and the presentation.  Keeping an eye on where you want to take them with the music, what it is you want to share, and how you mean to do that will help give you a smooth ride.

Of course, this is a simple analogy.  There are many things on the road that require attention (like stop signs, traffic, pedestrians, etc.).  And just like that, music (written or aural, practice or performance) has details (like dynamics, tempo, timbre, etc.) which enrich the ride and improve the experience.  But, just as staying between the lines becomes second nature, learning, reading, playing and performing can also become second nature so that your music grows, flourishes, and delights. And just like any journey, when staying between the lines comes naturally and effortlessly, you can enjoy the journey so much more easily. What are the lines you have a hard time not looking at? How do you stay in the lane? When you look down the road – what do you see? Leave me a comment and share how you do it!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas –

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It’s barely begun to cool down, the days have hardly gotten any shorter and the trees haven’t really begun to show their colors. It’s October! But it is also definitely time to start preparing for Christmas! From parties to church services, from fundraisers to celebrations, ‘tis the season to be asked to bring a little joy to people by playing for Christmas. Will you be ready? Here are 8 things you can do to be prepared this season:

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  • Start now – Christmas is right around the corner, but the holiday season is even closer. Holiday decorations had appeared in big-box retailers before Labor Day and the Christmas events will start after Thanksgiving if not before so you need to start now to be ready.
  • Make a preparation checklist – write down those things you need to do to be prepared (some of the items in this post might be helpful for that). Use your checklist to help yourself prepare.
  • Budget your time – be sure to manage your time effectively – refreshing tunes you’ve learned before, learning new material, whatever you need to spend your time on – arrange to have that time available.
  • Select your tunes – know what you are preparing for and use that information to generate a solid set of tunes (and specific tune lists).
  • Schedule practice – not kidding. The holidays are notorious for days filled up beyond reason, earlier than expected, and with way too much to do. Be sure to schedule your practice time in – or you won’t get any!
  • Use your practice time wisely – because your practice time will be at a premium, be sure you plan for that time so you can get the most out of every moment. No shillyshallying at the harp, no unfocused playing through – actually practice when you’re practicing.
  • Make notes for next year – some of your preparation will be very good, some will be no help whatsoever. Make notes to yourself for next year so have even better preparation in the future.
  • Enjoy yourself – the preparation is challenging, and the added stress of performing may get to you, but be sure to enjoy yourself. And also be sure to acknowledge any improvement in your performance, the level of difficulty of the music, the speed of refreshing tunes you had learnedin previous years – all those positive indicators that arise from your preparation.

Christmas comes but once a year – fortunately, it stays for a while and provides you a great opportunity to prepare and to play for family, friends, and customers.