Sunday April 7 - slightly frustrating practice - very tired and clumsy for some reason - worked on the two double jigs - boyz and green fields. Run through of Amongst Friends too - the event is Sunday the 15th which is beginning to loom and make my palms sweat.
Monday April 8 Tuesday April 9 Wednesday April 10 played the pieces I'm playing in the 'concert' on Sunday and the double jigs a few times each day.
Thursday April 11 - No playing, travel day
Friday April 12 - Home in VT. Tired and getting NERVOUS about Sunday. Argh. Haven't practiced yet but I hope to.
Saturday April 13 - I did practice my 'concert' tunes (now the person organizing it has started calling it that......) and also worked on The Tailor's Twist - Hoping that this time maybe I'll stick with it long enough to 'get' it!
Here is my first harp, my faithful Dusty. I had my first lesson with Kathy on a terrible little harp - one of those Paki things - and as I looked around her house, I saw immediately that I would have to get a 'real' harp. Which I did almost the next day. I never spend money on anything except books normally (I mean beyond what a person has to have to live) and my husband was flabbergasted that I just went out and did it. "You must be really into this harping thing!" was all he could say.
(Understatement of the decade. )
Interesting comments about your physical response to the strings. I don't think I've ever felt that way.
ReplyDeleteI have only played carbon fiber once, and I thought they were hurting my fingers. I will try playing lots of carbon fiber strings at Somerset, so maybe I'll change my mind......but the sound just seemed too ...bright? Not mellow enough? I would love to hear why you moved to them.
ReplyDeleteI once heard someone describe her concertina as being like a living breathing creature--like a small cat between her hands.
ReplyDeleteHa! A squawking or a purring cat! Depends! I love that! It's a very good image.
ReplyDeleteI think it is an odd response too - I noticed it after playing for a couple of years, that is, I was able to put it into words or something. The cf strings are different - much more concentrated. I like playing the Dusty down here because there are things I do miss - a kind of openess to the sound. My daughter didn't like the change at all at first.
You feeling any better Andee?
ReplyDeleteSo ZB could hear the difference in nylon vs. carbon fiber?
ReplyDeleteI'm all better now thank goodness (I had to work today, so just in time). But it seems I'm left with an itchy red rash on my knees, ankles, wrists, forearms....my body trying to detox, I think, but it's annoying!
Oh yes - particularly on the Camac which does not have a 'wide' sound at all, very concentrated. Of course, the Fisher harp is so different from anything else - the sound is both intense and resonating.
ReplyDeleteRashes are about the most annoying minor ailment other than ear ache. Hope that is getting less.
OK, but this begs the question - how many harps do you all own? And what brands? Do you keep one tuned to C and another in E-flat? (This is my dream set-up, 2harps tuned to different scales. I have a Dusty 36 in walnut, that's it.) And will I just die with joy when I play a Fisher harp??
ReplyDeleteFisher harps sound (figuratively and literally) amazing! Yes rash only just lingering now.
ReplyDeletePam I think your Dusty 36 is probably an amazing harp and no need for anything else! I have a Dusty 32 and it sounds amazing, even with the low E tuned down to a D (I joke that I play my harp in 'drop D'!), but oh how I *need* 2 more strings in the bass. I didn't see it coming 15 years ago when I bought it.
I also have a Dusty 26 which I used to take to sessions (before I took up the fiddle) and have also used to give lessons on--works great especially for kids.
Oh, I think my harp is amazing, too, thanks. But I sure would like to have another harp, tuned to C so I could learn 'New Blues' without changing my e-flat tuning. Oh well....when I win that Powerball....
ReplyDeleteHangs head low in some shame - I have four. I don't know quite how it happened. The Dusty 32, the Camac - both bought used so a little bit cheaper..... then the Fisher. I also, somewhere along the way, acquired the Dusty 26. That is presently rented out. I should rent the Camac too, but I rented the Dusty and it did get a bit of lousy treatment, so that makes me feel a bit cautious.
ReplyDeleteHang head in shame?? Seriously, wave that banner high. I am extremely envious. My dream music room has my nylon Dusty, a carbon-fiber Fisher, maybe a wire-strung and certainly one more that's smaller and more potable.
ReplyDeleteMy Dusty was bought used from the Harp Connection, so can't I take the $ I saved and invest it another harp? My husband would refer to this as " woman's logic"......:))
ReplyDeleteBest of luck at your gig on Sunday!
ReplyDeleteYour music will be so wonderful, and even if you make a tiny mistake, the audience will neither know or care.
ReplyDelete