Bollywood and Bond

I've just had a very busy few days of gigs. First up was a Katherine Jenkins gig in Whitehaven, which was nicely presented by Katherine after all the recent tragedy there. The next day was a James Bond gig with the RLPO which was fun but it was just page after page of glisses, and there were lots of pages.

Slotted in between the glisses there were a couple of pieces where I actually had some notes to play, namely Schindlers List and then a 2 bar harp solo in Hill Street Blues!!! Then back to even more glisses. Thank goodness for felt picks, otherwise I wouldn't have any fingers left.

In the morning on the way to the Bond gig I had a Bollywood wedding to play at which made the whole weekend a bit of logistical nightmare. Probably more about Bollywood harp music on another post.

This is a new thing which I have recently started doing and the repertoire is very interesting, especially as there doesn't seem to be any sound clips on the web of how it is supposed to sound on just a harp! So I've recorded a few quick clips which although it's not the best recordings, at least give a rough idea of the sound.

Carol

Andy and I played at the funeral today of a very special lady today, who died before her time. It was a really lovely church service, and it was nice to catch up with some old friends afterwards.

Playing at a funeral is definitely one the hardest gigs you can do, but it was a real privilege for me and Andy to be able to play for her as she was really good to us when our kids were little.

I played some solo harp music before the service, and then just before the service started we (Andy on tenor sax) played "the Water is Wide" which is such a beautiful tune. As Carol was brought into the church we played "Pie Jesu" by Lloyd-Webber, and then as Carol was taken out of the church we played "Fields of Gold" followed by "Autumn Leaves".

Andy and I so rarely play together which is a shame as the harp and tenor sax sound really lovely, but Andy does have to "hold in" the volume so as not to blast out the harp. It balanced out ok in the church though and I'm glad we could do this for her.

God bless you Carol.

admin v practice

I've been really busy with gigs, but have hardly had any chance to practice. A very unsatisfactory way to be, but thats the way it goes sometimes.

I spent most of this week in between gigs (and during breaks in the gigs) writing up proposals, filling in funding application forms and generally catching up on loads of admin. All the applications need to be submitted in the next few days, so hopefully I can get my life back and get some practicing in then.

Finally got my flyers for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe dates to the printers last night which was long overdue considering the tickets are now on sale. It would be really good if being a musician was just about practicing and playing, but I think at least half of it is about admin. Otherwise how do you get the work in the first place? On reflection I suppose it's not that often really that the admin takes over completely from the playing, it's just annoying when it does!

Daily Dozen

I've been playing through Salzedo's "A Daily Dozen" as technical exercises a lot lately.

I'm a real fan of the "Conditional Exercises" and have been using them for years, and bought "Daily Dozen" last year as something new to try out.

I'm really not sure what I think about these. I find them very good, but have slight reservations about them - especially number 2 with the octave jumping. They do however deliver a condensed version of what you can achieve by going through something like the LARIVIERE book.

Like the "Conditioning Exercises" you can play through the whole book in just over 15 minutes which works as a good technical warm up.

I think the problem I have with them is that they are obviously designed to be done by players who use the Salzedo technique. I've not come across any players in the UK who do not use either the French or combination of French/Russian method of playing, so I must admit that I find the Salzedo technique really odd to look at with the high elbows.... I suppose it's a case of what you are used to!

With that in mind, exercises like the octave jumping in number 2 of Daily Dozen are probably lost on a harpist with French/Russian technique, although they are still fun to do.

Here is a good little video explaining the basics of the Salzedo technique

Unfortunately I couldn't find a similiar video showing French method but here is some text off the net explaining the differences...

There are two main methods of harp technique: the French (or Grandjany) method and the Salzedo method. Neither method has a definite majority among harpists, but the issue of which is better is a source of friction and debate. The distinguishing features of the Salzedo method are the encouragement of expressive gestures, elbows remain parallel to the ground, wrists are comparatively stiff, and neither arm ever touches the soundboard. The French method advocates lowered elbows, fluid wrists, and the right arm resting lightly on the soundboard. In both methods, the shoulders, neck, and back are relaxed. Some harpists combine the two methods into their own version that works best for them.

(Short) History of the Harp

kickstarter project

My husband, Andy Scott who is a composer, will shortly be writing a new piece for solo harp.

He has been commissioned by young talented harpist, Keziah Thomas who has recently moved to the US, so the piece will be premiered at the Forge in September in London and then in Carnegie Hall in New York in October.

Andy wrote his flute and harp sonata for me nearly 8 years ago now and I will be re-recording it soon with Clare Southworth on flute for a new CD of all of Andys flute music due out next year. So after 8 years, another harp piece, and this time a major solo work for harp by Andy is well overdue.

Keziah is an exciting young harpist and has set up a really interesting and novel way to raise funding for the commission.

Rather sadly, the ability to access funding for the arts has somewhat gone down the pan over the years and it is harder and harder to do creative things in the arts. So it's really inspiring to see a young artist not being limited by the lack of funding out there by public bodies!!

blisters solution

Finally - I couldn't take the nasty sound they were producing so I ended up doing what I always normally do when I get blisters. (But usually I don't get blisters quite this thick, which is why I was holding off from the doing this...)

It's probably against all correct medical advice.... but I usually file them off with a nail file.

Takes a bit of a while when the skin is that thick, but they would have split whilst I was playing at some point anyway.

I think filing them so there are no edges is safer, as then you are less likely to 'snag' your skin when you are playing.

So, for the first time in years, I have 3 really raw fingertips and that bottle of surgical spirit which I have had hanging around for years is finally coming into use again as I'm dunking my fingertips in there as much as possible.

Luckily only one of them is really sore to play on and I'm hoping it will have hardened by this Saturday when I'm playing the Mozart flute and harp concerto! Not a piece to have a painful right hand 2nd finger, but c'est la vie! I must remember to smile and not grimace whilst playing.

I'm looking forward to Sunday and not obsessing about my fingertips for a while.

pomp and stomp

These are the most stubborn blisters I think I have ever had. They are just not going down at all and I'm getting really fed up with them now :-(

I had another Carl Davies gig with the RLPO last night. Usual film stuff ending with that sacred quartet of British proms music.

Wood - British Sea Songs

Arne - Rule Britannia

Parry - Jerusalem

Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance March No 1.

Towards the second half the blisters had popped up again and were sounding pretty horrible. It's such hard work trying to get a decent sound with the damn things.

thumbs up

This is the part of the stain glass windows in my local church, St Mary's Church in Sandbach.

Not sure I approve of the left hand position but nice to see his thumbs up!

Yesterday I had my second gig in 4 months where I had to sightread a piece I didn't know in a concert. It was fairly straight forward this time - Mass of the Children by John Rutter - but still it was that heart in mouth moment each time I turned the page of hoping the pedal changes marked in the part were actually correct. All good fun & I suppose it keeps me on my toes - so to speak !!

radical re-stringing

Billy (aka The Harp Doctor) stopped over at mine recently when he travelled up to service my concert harps and as an unexpected bonus he unraveled the mystery of why my little clarsach was always so dodgy!

It's a Wilfred Smith clarsach that I first started learning on as a child, and I now only use it on the odd occasion when teaching.

Lots of sentimental value, but to be honest it's never been a great harp.

I never changed the strings as I was always worried that any change of tension would pull the soundboard straight out. So they were only ever changed when they broke, and most of those strings were over 35 years old!

Billy had a good look at the strings and said that all the wrong tension strings were indeed on the harp and that I couldn't just put a new set of lever strings on as it would pull out the soundboard.

So he changed the wires and I think as an extended Su-Duko type puzzle for himself in the evening he worked out what strings I should use for each note.

I'm now half way through re-stringing and it's sounding pretty amazing. The tension is incredibly light and I do find it pretty hard to play as I am a Salvi girl and playing it is like ticking elastic bands. But WOW what a difference already.

This harp originally had really awful blades and about 8 years ago I took it to Pilgrims for them to change the blades over to brass levers. They remembered this harp from their days when they were apprentices to Wilfred Smith, who was a very eccentric chap who had a very particular and unique take (and not necessarily the correct one) on how to make harps. Basically they learnt a lot of how "not to" with this harp. But amazingly enough this harp is still around and in a strange way it's the precursor to the Pilgrim Clarsach!

Obviously I will need to paint in the C's and F's with red and black marker pen but the list is below.

1st A - gauge .58 - use 1st A lever nylon

1st G - gauge .58 - use 1st A lever nylon

1st F - gauge .60 - use 1st G lever nylon

2nd E - gauge .62 - use 1st B pedal nylon

2nd D - gauge .64 - use 1st B pedal nylon

2nd C - gauge .68 - use 2nd D lever nylon

2nd B - gauge .74 - use 2nd B lever nylon

2nd A - gauge .76 - use 2nd D pedal nylon

2nd G - gauge .76 - use 2nd D pedal nylon

2nd F - gauge .80 - use 2nd A lever nylon

3rd E - gauge .80 - use 2nd A lever nylon

3rd D - gauge .80 - use 2nd A lever nylon

3rd C - gauge .84 - use 2nd G lever nylon

3rd B - gauge .94 - use 3rd E lever nylon

3rd A - gauge .94 - use 3rd E lever nylon

3rd G - gauge .99 - use 3rd E pedal nylon

3rd F - gauge 1.05 - use 3rd B lever nylon

4th E - gauge 1.05 - use 3rd B lever nylon

4th D - gauge 1.14 - use 3rd G lever nylon

4th C - gauge 1.18 - use 4th E lever nylon

4th B - gauge 1.25 - use 4th D lever nylon

4th A - gauge 1.32 - use 4th B lever nylon

4th G - gauge 1.36 - use 4th A lever nylon

4th F - gauge 1.42 - use 4th F lever nylon

5th E - pirastro nycor wire

5th D - pirastro nycor wire

5th C - pirastro lever wire

5th B - pirastro lever wire

5th A - pirastro lever wire

5th G - pirastro lever wire

5th F - pirastro lever wire

silly blisters

so - what do you do?

You are on a gig and you can't play on the blisters when they are really puffed up.

You can't play on the inner side of the finger tip because then the string is up against the puffed up blister when you play and gives off a really nasty pingy sound, and you are then so far away from normal playing position it's just weird.

So that leaves playing on the outer side of the finger tip playing on just the very edge of the finger with the danger of constantly falling off the strings.

I wouldn't mind but I have been practicing and gigging regularly so it's not like I've had days off from playing for them to get into this state.

What the picture doesn't quite capture is just how puffed up and enormous they are!

Somehow I managed to get through the gig yesterday. I have no idea how, especially as it was Karl Jenkins Requiem with it's very, very silly harp solo in the last movement!