Back in the Saddle…

by Heather on October 28, 2012

Filed in: Confidence, Dragonharp, Fear, Harp Lessons, Health, Music Theory Lessons

For the first time since the end of the May, last week I had a harp lesson with Lauren. In all honesty, I was a bit apprehensive because the summer had passed me by in a bit of a blur — a blur of hospitals and illness, tests, an operation, and then recovery. I’m still not 100% (or what passes for that, in my case), but I am improving all the time. Even so, I was too much “in my head” about my lack of recent harp practice or lessons when I saw Lauren, and thus was a tad nervous.

I need not have worried; Lauren calmly took me back under her wing, so to speak, and soon I was back at Dragonharp, working away at two new pieces from Skaila Kanga’s Minstrel’s Gallery. And feeling Dragonharp’s strings beneath my fingers again was bliss.

I have also re-started my theory lessons with Denise, who is being equally calming and encouraging. I am currently wrestling with time signatures and trying to get the notation to “stick” in my head. Something must be working because I am noticing more and more layers about the music I listen to these days, which surely must be a good thing no matter how terribly I feel I’m progressing…

Why is it that I feel like I can’t do this when I am away from the harps? And yet the moment I work my confidence up to sitting down with one, and touching the strings, I feel like I can conquer the world… How do I find the way to move more easily from the former to the latter, without getting too much enveloped in my fears and low esteem?

Hopefully the answers will come in time… For now, it’s practice, practice, practice…

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Back Problems

by Heather on July 5, 2012

Filed in: Confidence, Fear, Harp Lessons, Health, Music Theory Lessons

I’ve not posted for a while because I had an unfortunate and somewhat emergency trip to the hospital about a month ago, with crippling back pain. Now, I have never had any chronic issues with my back and, while intimately familiar with pain (I do have some chronic illness conditions), this pain was unlike anything I’ve experienced before. It resulted in three days as a guest of the NHS, and a varying cocktail of drugs whilst there.

The upshot is, they don’t know what’s wrong with my back — at first they suspected kidneys, but now it’s looking more and more like it’s a spinal problem. That means a multitude of tests, more drug cocktails to keep me functioning in the meanwhile, and bed rest. Which means — yup, you guessed it — very, very little harp practice. In fact, none at all. And while I did manage one music theory lesson, the next one had to be postponed as I was just sick with pain to move. Lauren and Denise are exceedingly supportive, sympathetic and understanding, and I feel very blessed to have such wonderful teachers.

All this is, of course, “very bad, not good” (to steal a phrase from a favourite television show). It not only means I am behind on learning, but also that my old friends Fear and Low Self Confidence can step in for a party. It all makes me very despondent at times, but I have hopes that things will change for the better, and hopefully soon…

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Harps That Aren’t Harps

by Heather on June 8, 2012

Filed in: Backstory, Humour

I just recalled something funny that happened to me last year, and I thought I’d share it here as the memory made me giggle all over again.

Music booksOne breezy summer day in 2011, I decided I’d go into Manchester and check out some of the music shops there, to see if they had any harp music. It also meant I could meet my husband for lunch and, if I hung around in the city centre for long enough, we could travel home together once he’d finished at work. And so, off I went.

The first music store I came to had nothing to do with harps. The second, however, reaped some joy — upon my question, “Do you have anything connected with harps please?” the sales assistant gladly told me there were some to the rear of the store and showed me the way. With something of a flourish, he presented me with a display cabinet that contained a series of small, palm-sized instruments. “Harps!” he told me.

Well, these were harps that weren’t harps — as in, they were harps, but not the harps I was looking for. These were blues harmonicas, colloquially known as “harps”. Easy mistake to make, I guess — but I don’t think a thirty-something redhead in floaty skirt and strappy summer top is typical of a blues musician…

When I explained that this wasn’t quite what I had in mind, the assistant looked confused. I explained, “Harps. Big things. Lots of strings. Or, music for them.” At which point a little light bulb must have clicked on somewhere, for I was told, “Not in here, luv.” And so I thanked him, and headed for music shop number three.

When I stepped inside this store, I headed straight to the sheet music section, intent on figuring this out myself this time. But after several minutes of hunting I couldn’t find a harp section — and so, I asked one of the sales assistants as to where I could find it.

“Lever or pedal?” he asked, without hesitating.

I was so shocked I blurted, “Oh my Gods, you know what they are!” and promptly went the same shade as my hair. He took it in good humour though, and lead me to the shelves where I could find the sheet music I was after. He also provided me with a copy of the latest ABRSM syllabus for harp, and showed me where I could also find the specimen aural test guides and the music theory books. I spent the rest of the afternoon in a happy haze, enjoying browsing and selecting some books to take home with me.

Victory at last — but at least the events of the afternoon made me smile!

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Danses sacrée et profane

by Heather on June 4, 2012

Filed in: Inspiration, Videos

This is one of my current favourite YouTube videos that feature the harp — Yale graduate Kristan Toczko’s rendition of Debussy’s Danses sacrée et profane.

 

This is a wonderfully relaxing and inspiring video, one which I can watch transfixed over and over — or just chill out and listen to, eyes closed, whenever I need a break at work. I hope you all enjoy it too! :)

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Why Dragonharp?

by Heather on June 1, 2012

Filed in: Dragonharp, Dreams

As you can imagine, Dragonharp‘s soundboard gets a lot of attention — indeed, when she was waiting at Pilgrim Harps for me to collect her, I understand a lot of customers wanted to know if she was for sale! And one of the questions I am asked, when people see her, is “Why a dragon?”

DragonharpWell, I’ve always had a thing for dragons and I love reading books or watching films in which they feature. I used to collect a range of dragon ornaments (before they were retired) and when J.R.R. Tolkien said, “I desired dragons with a profound desire,” he was a man after my own heart! So, it felt entirely natural wanting a dragon on on my harp — red, because it’s my favourite colour. And if I can’t fly like a dragon myself, then the sound of Dragonharp’s strings as I play will have to be flight enough, so I guess in a lot of ways the dragon represents myself.

Now, because I am so much of a dragon fanatic, this meant I was quite picky when it came to designing the decoration for my harp’s soundboard. Poor Jerry at Pilgrim really did have to put up with me explaining about wing muscles and flight mechanics and scale size and so on during our telephone and email conversations as he developed the idea behind Dragonharp! He was wonderfully patient and I was exceedingly grateful for this. Eventually the design took shape, and the sketches he emailed over to me began to match what I could see in my mind.

Detail of design sketch for Dragonharp (c) 2011 Jerry Blumire of Pilgrim HarpsAs well as the dragon, I also wanted to add a small purple butterfly to the design, in memory of my dear friend and heart-sister, Ciel, who had encouraged me with the harp but who died in January 2011. I wanted to do so without it looking odd — a dragon and a butterfly together — and Jerry was very sensitive to my request, fashioning a lovely butterfly near to the dragon’s head on my soundboard, as if guiding the dragon’s way. Both the butterfly and its colour are indicative of Ciel, and even now it brings a smile (and some tears) to my heart whenever I see this element of my soundboard.

A last-minute addition were the mountains and moon to the bottom of the design — to echo my earth-based spiritual pathway, something else Ciel and I had shared. To anyone looking at the harp it’s just a backdrop to the dragon’s flight, but to me it has as much special significance as the rest of the soundboard. Plus, the soaring dragon reminds me to reach for my dreams! I am honoured and grateful to Pilgrim for creating me such a beautiful harp, and her tone is developing by the day. I am looking forward to many years playing Dragonharp and having many wonderful musical experiences together!

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