October....still all alone??

Hello!!  Hello???

Trying one more post.  Feeling discouraged.  Really hoped this blog would help me stay connected with other harpers dealing with reality and everyday ups and downs of harping and life!

Still working on getting solidified on new tunes learned in Lubec with Haley Hewitt.  Love her contemporary take on traditional tunes.  Learning to memorize from ear - plus other approaches she taught- is amazing!  Get off the page as fast as you can- or maybe never need "the paper" at all- except for future reference!  Love it!  Very freeing, and offers new ways to process the music.  If you are into traditional tunes, it seems the best way to go.

The world sure seems to be a scary place- thank goodness we have music!  Thank goodness we have our harps!  Harp on, Ladies!  Have a wonderful fall!

am I all alone on this blog now????

Happy September?!  Already?!  And what a mess in every direction- hard to feel enough peace or joy to get thru the days with floods at one end- fires at the other....sabre rattling with nuclear weapons from here to Korea....atrocities committed by nationalists against "the other", in many places around the globe.  The world seems to have gone mad!

I am playing my harp now more than ever. It is an oasis of many dimensions.  The world needs more music, art, poetry.  The world needs help! I hope you are all finding moments to hide in the vibrations of those strings, feel the joy and peace our lovely instruments bring to us, and others lucky enough to hear us!

I have a great quote on my wall at the office-
"The world doesn't want to be saved.  The world wants to be loved.  THAT'S how you save it!"

Peace, love, joy- hang on , and Harp on!  love, Sharon

Hello! Can you hear me now???

Greetings from mid August NH!  It is Total Eclipse Day- but only really in Nashville, I guess.  I am just returned from yet another fabulous week of Harp at Summerkeys in Lubec, Maine!  And WOW!  New young teacher from Massachusetts- Haley Hewitt.  We knew we would miss Sue Richards, but Haley filled those shoes with ease, and may have left even a bigger footprint- all week we learned all but one tune BY EAR!  My "by ear" training really started with Sue, but Haley takes it a step further.  She really explains HOW to learn a piece, bit by bit.  We did not get any music except one ensemble piece until after our concert on Friday!  I cannot tell you how huge that was!  And we sounded great!

So, now I am tasked with really solidifying those tunes before I lose them.  It was a challenging week, but I think I built up some extra brain connections and ear skills.  Also, she is a very contemporary player of traditional tunes, so it was fun to hear new types of accompaniment and harmony.  Very cool!

Since I may just be talking to myself here, I won't go much further than this.  Hope you are all finding time and space to play those magical instruments of yours.  Hoping you have had a chance to learn from someone new, something new.  And I hope you are all staying sane in the midst of the horrific situation the world, and our country in particular, are finding lately.....praying daily that peace will be seen as the right path.  That Love conquers hate.  That music will help the world heal.  We are all connected- there is only one race, and it is HUMAN- and Love is always the answer.

I found a great quote awhile ago, and it is hanging on my wall:
"The World doesn't want to be Saved.  The World wants to be Loved.  That's how you Save it!"

Love and peace.  Harp on!!  Sharon

A Bit of June and All of July

                                                  

Two of my loves

Hooray!  Who knows why but I've been playing the harp lately after a long hiatus.  I'll be going to CIAW in a few weeks -- where I am loaning my Fisher to Michael Rooney for the duration.  I hope he'll fill it with wonderful vibes.   Anyway, I am signed up for MR all day every day while I am there. 

I'm going through my "list" -- the 100 or so tunes I do like a lot or know that my friends like to play.  Working hard.  Some days it might only be fifteen minutes, but it is better than the big null minutes that has been the pattern of late.


Adding on:  CIAW -- Catskill Irish Arts Week in East Durham.  Michael Rooney will be teaching harp for A WHOLE WEEK!  He hasn't been across the pond in yonks, so I am truly excited.  I debated doing part concertina part harp, but that never works, it's best to pick one instrument and do only that even if you end up only going to a morning or afternoon class.

I am also loaning Michael my Fisher for the week because, well, because he should have the best he possibly can while here. Although Grainne is my harp goddess, Michael is in a parallel spot as not only a great composer and teacher but very very fun to be in class with.  I think I had my first harp workshop with him at CIAW in 2003!!! Dear Kathy took my Camac which has been living in Philadelphia lately, across the Delaware to someone who will bring it up to East Durham tomorrow, so I will have a decent harp to play for the week.  I have a tiny Dusty and I was debating using that, but the reality is that the Camac will be better.  That, by the way, probably has a buyer up here, which will be a good thing.  I have no business having so many harps (I have four) although it is nice to have loaners.

My list of 100 (which I think is not an exact number).   Easily remedied, I will attach a link to it (if I can figure out how to do that!)  the pluses you see on the page mean I've actually played it within living memory (in 2017).  Lots of pluses mean I've decided to work hard on it.   It's meant to be a practice indicator -- there are a number of tunes I barely play that have no pluses as well as several I play very well that I just haven't gotten to this year.

Scratch the above idea -- I'll copy and paste.

Just home from Irish Arts week in the Catskills where Michael Rooney was teaching.  Been listening to the tunes he recorded for us -- every single one is a wonder!  I have enough work to keep busy for ages.  Very happy!

Middle of June already???

Greetings from hot and humid NH!  Anybody out there??  Hubby and I spent the last two weeks of May in wonderful Ireland- made a big circle mostly on the coast, from Kilkenny to Killarney up the Wild Atlantic Way to Doolin and Donegal, and over to County Antrim and Ballycastle- ending up in Dublin for the last few days!  Actually got to see the ancient Brian Boru harp in Trinity College- and the Book of Kells, of course!  The harp really moved me- to literal tears.  Overwhelming to think what a long tradition we belong to, no matter how near or far....

One of the highlights was a chance to visit with (and finally meet in person) the sparkling Andee Anko!  The Bog Hill Centre, where she lives and works,  is a fascinating place, and a hot spot for traditional music, and other fascinating things! The whole area around Doolin and Lisdoonvarna,and in Dingle and Donegal as well- MUSIC!!  Loved it!!

So, why haven't I played the harp since we got back?  Playing catch up at work and home seems to take all my time again- and the heat and humidity saps the energy....ugh.  However, what my fingers have failed to do, my ear is making up for- I have been playing Celtic music, both instrumental and vocal, almost nonstop since our return!  Have fallen in love with the High Kings- and the tunes just keep going thru the brain!  (I wake up with Rocky Road to Dublin going thru my head more mornings than not!)  So- once the dust settles, I hope to take some of those tunes and apply them to the instrument.  We shall see!

So, my daughter is leaving today for that very same Lisdoonvarna, where she will be working with horses and tour guiding to the Cliffs of Moher.  Kate will be bringing her flute, penny whistle and voice, and hopes to be able to soak up the local musical atmosphere as well!  I am very envious- and know that her 7 weeks there will fly by!

So- if anybody is out there, have a grand summer!  Take care!!  Harp on!!

Sharon

Magnificent May!

The world is going crazy!  The psychopaths appear to be in charge!! What we have is a lack of LOVE, people!!  But, I am loving the spring blossoms in NH this year- and can't believe Tom and I are heading for Ireland on Mother's Day for 2 weeks!!  Love the idea I might actually meet up with fellow blogger, Andee while over there!!  And LOVE that I have learned a sweet new tune- Douglas and Fiona Shearor!!  Almost have it under my fingers and memorized- felt comfortable enough with it to play it for my student this week.  Not hard, but interesting to play and listen to- like all the best music is!

Do I spend enough time with the harp?  NO!  But when I do, I am in a much better place. How about you?  So much music, so little time, and so many other things pulling us in many directions.  At least we are the lucky ones, and those strings always respond when we sit down and play.  Always magical, even with mistakes.

My goal as a harper is to learn a new tune a month- that's the GOAL, not necessarily the reality!  And so I pick things that are beautiful and/or fun, and really speak to me.  Simple is the way to go , I believe, on the Celtic harp- so I am happy to edit out extra notes in the chords, etc.  My harp really rings, and is bright, so too much noise results in...too much noise.  And, I am also trying to be open to variations that might happen on purpose, or by accident- so the tune keeps moving forward, and avoids any train wrecks.  At least, that's the plan!  It's a work in progress, for sure.

So- Happy Truly Spring, you wonderful people!  Harp on!!  love, Sharon

May Showers Too

I should put in some text too.  I am playing a bit.  Went to a workshop with Grainne in early April, learned some great new tunes that I won't likely get around to practicing for five to ten years, knowing me. 

Very preoccupied with my primary vocation, writing.  

April Showers

Greetings- anybody there?  Just a short post today, as I have not been harping as much as I would like, but where has the time gone? Ugh- sickness, emergency room visits with hubby (badly infected finger- blood poisoning- cat claw nastiness), long visit from daughter who lives in Norfolk, VA; Palm Sunday/Holy Week services/Easter (all musical, despite the flu and the guest, but on keyboards and not harp strings...) and now taking a trip to visit son and cousin in Denver for 8 days- no harp included!

Still having fun with my harp student- she keeps me thinking, that's for sure!  And enjoying some of the online offerings of Deborah Henson Conant and the Harp Column, as well as links on fb by Sue Richards!  So- still using my harp brain, even without fingers!  Is that possible???

Have bit the bullet and ordered a carbon fiber harp from Heartland Strings- with fluorocarbon strings, LED lights and a Fishman pickup for easy amplification!  I am MOSTLY stoked about the lightness and durability this baby should have- I am not getting any younger, and even my Fisher in her case is harder to manueuver up and down stairs, around tight corners, in and out of the car...plus, the freedom of being able to put him/her in the car and GO, and not worry about the temperature if I decide to stop and visit, or shop, etc!!  Being able to go to the water and play- lakeside, oceanfront, river- and not worry, is something I am really looking forward to! So, now while I wait for an August delivery, I am boning up on my memorized repertoire!  No sense having the freedom to play wherever, and still be hampered with music stands, flapping music, and loose papers!  Mind you, I adore Colleen, but she is a huge responsibility once she leaves the house- and even while in it, if kids are around.  I suspect I will still mostly play Colleen, as I still expect her to have the better sound quality- but I may be very surprised with the reality of the new one.  Will keep you all posted- if anyone is interested.

Also planning a trip to Ireland with the hubby May 14th -May 28th.  Anyone know how I can locate Andee??  Name, address, email, phone???  Thanks!  Also, may be in the market to sell my big old Kortier bird's eye maple 36 string Celtic harp.  Mellow sound, but quiet. Heavy, Beautiful to look at.  Great tone in the tenor range, in particular.  Nylon strings.  If you know of anyone who might be interested, let me know!

Hope all is well with you lovely folks- Happy Spring!  Sharon

Some really Hare-y Harping!

Here is a hare for shadow harp!  I've been playing a bit of harp here and there, but not enough.  That pretty much sums up March!!

March Hariness!

March- in all its glory, coming in with the sound and fury of roaring lions and falling trees, interspersed with crazy warm temps, confusing flora and fauna alike!  Hard to know if I have Spring fever, or need to hibernate!

Pulled myself together to participate in February's Open Door, run by Pam and JP. A special night as it featured women as the acts. I picked 3 songs named for women, to go along with the theme: Eleanor Plunkett, Eiley Gheal, and I am drawing a complete blank on the new tune I played in the middle!!  Good grief, I must be getting really old! Well, it WAS over a month ago!

Will be playing in church this Sunday, as I have no choir to sing this week- so that will be good.  Haven't done a service in awhile with the harp. Totally different experience for me than being on stage.  Even if I am doing a solo, it doesn't have that same stress as being in the spotlight.  Not sure why!  Mostly brushing up on old stuff I haven't played in awhile.  Good for the gray cells, and it is always a boost to find I can remember more than I thought!  Muscle memory is so important!  And I cannot stress enough how beneficial getting off the page, and having tunes memorized, really helps tone and confidence!  I am trying to concentrate a bit more on the theory of the harmonies I am playing in the left hand.  Theory was never my strong suit, and being dependent on the written notes in front of me made understanding the theory unnecessary. I saw it and played it!  Well, the harp is pushing me to expand my understanding.

Guess that is my harp related news for the moment.  Wish there was more participation happening on the blog!  Missing you Ladies!  Love, Sharon

I broke a cam.....

Haha, before I broke one, I didn't even know what the cam was. This is much like when I played the piano pretty seriously and knew zip about the inner workings. Dusty Strings has a helpful page about replacing them, and sent me a replacement in the mail pronto. I thought all cams were interchangeable, too - who knew that they are sized like your strings? My husband replaced the cam while I was out shopping; as he replaced it, he found quite a few strings that were not perfectly lined up with the groove on the end of the cam, and he adjusted those as well. Is this what regulation is? Lucky me, to have a person in my house who can find/fix harp problems, as I'd hate to have to drive all the way to Sale, MA to get little jobs taken care of. I should be taking that class at Somerset that educates you on your harp!

Trying to learn new stuff, although I am not working on the New Blues piece anymore. :(( The Frank Volz Gloria is ready for action; hopefully I'll use it at some summer and fall weddings. I found 2 older pieces in the Sue Richards book that I never quite learned, and I got those under my fingers pretty easily. I got an arrangement of Cohen's Hallelujah in the mail, don't like it one bit, and have resigned myself to playing it by ear. I am not the most creative arranger, but people at the hospital seem to like it (this is where I play as a therapeutic musician every Monday). Next week I'm going to get to play in the infusion room each Monday morning before I go out on the regular floors; this is where I just love to play. And people are so grateful....I did play a little funeral recently, too. I like funerals, especially at funeral homes, because you can generally watch on the sidelines and choose your tunes as you feel the energy in the room. I have a gig for a Valentine's Dinner in Concord to look forward to, which is also fun because people make requests; I don't play by ear as easily as I do on the harp as I used to do on the piano, at least not yet, so I like the challenge of choosing the right chords/arpeggios  and lining up my fingers correctly.

I went to a wonderful wonderful concert in northern NH last week, where Maeve Gilchrist was part of a quartet of performers. Have you ever watched her videos with Nick...Gareiss(sp?)? I am fascinated by the way she plays, so boldly and intuitively, and I am such an ABBA person that I can't make hide nor hair of the form of her pieces. But we got to talk a little, and she sent me a simplified version of one of my favorites, The Sand Hunter. I don't play left hand syncopations as well as I'd like, so here is my chance to figure things out! She played the most beautiful-looking Thormhalen Ceili harp, with just the most elegant inlay. Wish I was a bigger fan of carbon strings.

I am making my own arrangements of Beatles tunes lately, and have suddenly discovered my problems with flipping levers on the fly - I seem to not be able to stop myself from flipping only on the beat! Does anyone else have this problem? And really, are Camac levers more easy to flip than Lovelands? If you have played with both, I would love to hear from you!!

Happy Valentine's Day, or, my new favorite, Happy Galentine's Day! And happy harping.

2017 Already? Ready or not!

Slowly pulling myself out of a pit of sadness that began (most likely) with the candidate I had worked so hard for, being cheated(basically) out of the Presidential nomination by the Establishment.   Really sunk into the slough of despond when Dad passed away so suddenly in early September.  Then personal health issues have arisen.  Time marches on- life right now is not at all what I was predicting, expecting, or wishing for!  Not an unusual place to be in my 65th year- we all have these passages to go through, deal with, and hopefully grow!

I was unable to touch my harp for awhile- too sad. But lately, I have been playing a lot.  It helps.  Brings back some joy.  Readjusts my focus. Fingers are finding their way again.  Not to where I was in August, but certainly better than where I was on January1st,  So- good stuff.  Preparing for Open Mic on Feb. 4th (Thank you, Pam and JP for managing this great event monthly!) which will be the first time I have actually played in the spotlight for absolutely ages.  Of course, I was at a comfortable place when I last played- now I have to find that space again. Smile. Focus. Breathe.  !!! Hoping to play a familiar, done it several times before, simple version of Eleanor Plunkett (O'Carolan), then 2 new ones (to me)-  The Pretty Maid Milking her Cow, and Eily Gheal.  We shall see how it goes.  Just learning the Pretty Maid, so that is the shakiest of the 3, but it is not that difficult a tune.  Really wish I had my voice back- it is improving, since the sleep apnea was addressed a year ago, but still not anywhere close to what I used to be able to do.  It would be fun to try singing the Pretty Maid along with the harp.  Sweet lyrics.

So, that's my harp news and life update- without getting too deep into the political disaster I fear we are about to legitimize this weekend with an Inauguration in DC.  The world needs love, peace, and MUSIC- we need to be healers, and spread the love with our lovely harps and our gentle hearts.

Love and hugs- Sharon

Happy Harping 2017

Happy New Year everyone!

Clearly I am a hopeless administrator as I don't think I have yet succeeded in bringing this blog back into the public domain . . .  however it is not for lack of trying.  Well, maybe a little.  I'll have another go at it as soon as I'm done here. 

Life continues to be a bit too complicated for me and as a result I am not playing or practicing very much music of late. I am TRYING to, and now and then I get the harp tuned up and I play something or other.  Whenever I do get the harp out and tuned and start playing I love it as much as ever.  I never thought this would ever happen, a hiatus of this duration, but so it goes.   

That said, I hope for all of you harpers out there, lurkers and posters, that you have a good solid harp-playing year!  I am hoping that will be my lot as well!

Ok folks, be advised I think this blog is now FULLY PUBLIC again.  If we don't like that it will go partially private (invitation only) but I don't see this as necessary.