>> >Does anyone have any advice for an absolute beginner harpist (or is it
>> >harper) like myself?
> >
> >YES! Get the lessons.
> >There is *no substitute* for good technique, IMHO.
>IMHO, this experienced musician who already plays piano and guitar can
>progress on her own without lessons.
This assertion, presented without any substantiating evidence, is not only
contrary to the opinion of most of the competent professional
harpers/harpists with which I have had conversation, but contrary to the
evidence I have observed personally. As I will discuss below (in response
to some of his other sophomoric assertions), the apparent simplicity of the
harp is treacherous in that it lulls rank amateurs into the self deceit of
thinking that they have developed some skill or competence after obtaining
only the most superficial understanding of the instrument, leading to a
complacency that prohibits them from ever achieving the joy that comes
through any real mastery. If you wish to experience true mastery of the
instrument so that you can produce rich, vibrant music with all of the
myriad nuances and tones available in the harp, seek the advice of a
professional, and do it early in your study. On the other hand, if you wish
to merely plunk out a tune or two, buying a wind-up music box is far less
expensive than the investment in a harp!
>> There's only so far you can go without it, and when you decide you want
more
>> power and speed, you'll have to unlearn all that sloppy technique you
taught
>IMHO, eventually learning "proper" technique should give no more problem
>than it would learning it in the first place. And you'll still have
>whatever "improper" technique you have taught yourself, for whatever it
>is worth.
I would heartily disagree with this statement. Every time you sit down to
play the instrument you teach your fingers, arms, back muscles, etc.,
MUSCULAR HABITS. These habits are beyond the reaches of your conscious
mind, and are hence exceedingly difficult to unlearn when (and if) you ever
reach the point where you wish to transcend the self-imposed limitations
of bad technique. After complaining about the "irrationality of the awkward
finger and hand positioning" imposed upon him/her by harp teachers for
perhaps years, a harpist might suddenly reach the point of mastery where it
abruptly becomes clear why the hand and finger positioning are ABSOLUTE
REQUIREMENTS to reach a higher level of proficiency, where the lack of the
early muscle training, and the existence of incorrect habits, will
eventually damn the progress of the serious harper/harpist. I emphasize,
formal training is not necessary if you don't care about reaching a high
level of proficiency, but appears to me to be imperative if you desire to
attain any level of true mastery of the instrument.
>> I'll be forever grateful that I did it this way. I failed at two
instruments
>> in my life because I thought I could teach myself. Now, I'm succeeding
with
>> my harp. It's really happening. Geez, you spent all that money on the
>Again IMHO, the harp is unlike any other instrument, in that it is very
>obvious how it works, and even a child can pick out a tune right away.
>Not so with guitar, violin, etc. Not even with piano, unless you tell
>the child to ignore the black keys. So maybe Lin could have taught
>herself harp, even though she failed at two other instruments. I wonder
>what instruments they were?
This again shows the treachery of the apparent simplicity of the
instrument. How often, at harp competitions, have I observed
self-congratulatory hacks plinking out tunes (with some degree of
adroitness!) with one finger on each hand, showing off their skills in
crowded rooms, applauding themselves that they, without training, can keep
up with the rest of the harpers present! I suppose that I really cannot
fault them they are finding some degree of satisfaction and even joy in
their perpetual mediocrity but I find it pernicious that they have
condemned themselves to never transcend that degree of mediocrity. These
pseudo-musicians are so busy feeling proud of the fact that they were able
to progress to their one-finger tunes without formal training that they cut
themselves off of the richer possibilities of the instrument! They care
more about self congratulations than they do about developing skill and
mastering musicality. I cannot help but feel that their lives are poorer
for choosing pride instead of music!
This is just my humble opinion. I speak from the experience of being a
self-taught hack at the piano, one blessed actually, with a great deal of
talent. I initially found some degree of pleasure and even joy in my music,
and I had a sense of satisfaction in performing for my young and
inexperienced friends who gave me abundant accolades because I was able to
force some crude tunes out of the piano, but that joy has long since turned
to frustration because of the limitations I face having learned neither
proper technique nor theory. During my youth when I should have been
building a solid foundation for future musical successes, instead I was
constructing a vacuous chimera of musicality. In a sense I damned my
musical career, selling out for the mess of pottage presented by
undeserving applause from audiences who knew even less about music than I
did!
My wife, on the other hand, is completely the opposite. She has been
training for years with an incredibly talented harp teacher. This teacher
has brought her to vistas of music my wife had literally never imagined
before, pointing out both musical nuances and techniques that would not
have entered my wife's life without the guidance of someone who had been
there before. Unfortunately, the first year or two with this teacher were
wasted wasted on UNLEARNING the mistakes and bad habits developed by my
wife before entering the tutelage of the true professional. The incorrect
hand position, the incorrect posture, and even the incorrect way of
thinking about and analyzing the music were chains that fettered my wife.
True progress could not be made until the chains were severed a painful
and time-wasting process.
Although my wife was playing at parties within months of her purchase of
her first folk harp, it was after only a few months that she butted up
against a plateau. She could have stopped there, but any joy in her music
would have been swallowed up in her knowledge that she was a mere
pretender, feigning musical skill on the sheer power of the uniqueness and
beauty of the instrument itself, rather than experiencing the pride and
satisfaction of actual musical accomplishment. Again, the unlearning
engendered in transcending the plateau was far more painful than studying
with a teacher from the start would have been.
Again I state if you do not care about becoming a proficient musician, if
you want to spend your time impressing people who will never be able to
appreciate the finer subtleties of excellent music, then training with a
teacher is unnecessary. But if what you care about is making MUSIC (rather
than just getting hackneyed applause), then a teacher who can see the end
from the beginning is absolutely necessary.
My wife and I have walked both paths: one guided by a teacher and one left
to his own devices. We can state clearly and unequivocally, the mastery
enabled by studying with a teacher is infinitely more satisfying than the
meanderings resulting from undirected exploration on ones own.
Just my humble opinion.
Warren Smith