Harpy things.
Apr. 17th, 2006 05:24 pmSo, thanks to the generosity of ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
keristor and a long distant birthday gift from fleetfootmike, I've decided that I really ought to teach myself the basics of proper wireharp technique.
Keristor has generously allowed me to borrow his little wireharp (a Tim Hoborough for those who care) and telynor, on her kitchen visit, told me the trick to tuning it (so simple I can't believe I didn't think of it myself), so I've sat down this afternoon with the Gael Kathryn wire harp primer and started working through it.
Yes - I did house telynor's lovely big wireharp whilst she sojourned in Singapore, but I never got to grips with playing with anything approaching proper technique, and I figure it's time to rectify that. So, first exercise - damping with the bass hand, with the back of the fingers. "OK", says I, and tries. After an hour of this, I am forced to realise that I'm doing something wrong. (a) My wedding ring is buzzing on the strings and (b) my fingers don't want to damp the open fifth - there's not enough flesh to touch all the strings. Grrr... I will not be phased by this. Particularly as the first tune to try out is "Cutty Wren" - an absolute favourite of mine.
Also on my mind is the fact that due to a complicated set of circumstances, Tim and Nev are looking at potentially building a harp or two - just to see if they can, and how they would sound, and what they would cost. All this sprung from my musings that there really aren't any *good* small harps to be had for reasonable money - if someone has £400 to spend, then they are limited to those awful Pakistani imports, and anyone who has ever played one knows that they suck like gravity. So - if a good harp could be crafted and sold for under, say, £500, I think there'd be a market...
Of course, I'd have to help string and tune them - oh the hardship :-) Mad plan no. 278!
keristor and a long distant birthday gift from fleetfootmike, I've decided that I really ought to teach myself the basics of proper wireharp technique. Keristor has generously allowed me to borrow his little wireharp (a Tim Hoborough for those who care) and telynor, on her kitchen visit, told me the trick to tuning it (so simple I can't believe I didn't think of it myself), so I've sat down this afternoon with the Gael Kathryn wire harp primer and started working through it.
Yes - I did house telynor's lovely big wireharp whilst she sojourned in Singapore, but I never got to grips with playing with anything approaching proper technique, and I figure it's time to rectify that. So, first exercise - damping with the bass hand, with the back of the fingers. "OK", says I, and tries. After an hour of this, I am forced to realise that I'm doing something wrong. (a) My wedding ring is buzzing on the strings and (b) my fingers don't want to damp the open fifth - there's not enough flesh to touch all the strings. Grrr... I will not be phased by this. Particularly as the first tune to try out is "Cutty Wren" - an absolute favourite of mine.
Also on my mind is the fact that due to a complicated set of circumstances, Tim and Nev are looking at potentially building a harp or two - just to see if they can, and how they would sound, and what they would cost. All this sprung from my musings that there really aren't any *good* small harps to be had for reasonable money - if someone has £400 to spend, then they are limited to those awful Pakistani imports, and anyone who has ever played one knows that they suck like gravity. So - if a good harp could be crafted and sold for under, say, £500, I think there'd be a market...
Of course, I'd have to help string and tune them - oh the hardship :-) Mad plan no. 278!
