He was fascinated by the instrument, and could
hardly keep his hands off. HOWEVER, even though he
is quite accomplished, he could not get the best
sound off the strings (or even a very good sound).
I taught him about hand position, and plucking, and
other things I had learned from my teacher. It
improved his sound immensely.
There are many nuances in harp sounds that can only
be taught by an experienced harpist. You can get an
idea of the right hand positions from a book, but
really understanding how your instrument *sounds*,
and how you control that sound requires an
experienced person listening, and making the small
corrections necessary.
Lessons, be they formal or informal, are
invaluable. If you can't afford lessons, do your
best to get into a harp circle of some sort. You'll
get quite a bit of informal teaching there.
karen