June 24, 2008
Notes from the Harp
Issue #9 June 2008
Welcome to Notes from the Harp!
Happy Summer!
In this issue, I'm going to take an in-depth look at online harp lessons, a new way to learn to play the harp that has some students in far-flung places jumping for joy.
I'll also give you a detailed improvisation lesson in playing the blues, with lots of possibilities for those at all levels of playing.
And don't miss the free eBook I'm offering in exchange for a few moments of your time!
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In This Issue:
Article
Online Harp Lessons: Are They for Real?
Improvisation Starter
Playing the Blues
Resources
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Article:
Online Harp Lessons: Are They for Real?
Since you're reading an eZine about playing the Celtic harp, I'm guessing you know your way around the internet fairly well. You're probably aware of some of the many resources available for harpists and other musicians, from YouTube videos to music programs, theory drills to websites and blogs. But did you know that you can take harp lessons online, with free software, via a free internet phone call, as long as you have reasonably fast internet and an inexpensive webcam?
I often think of my dear grandmother, who at age 16 started her teaching career, riding her horse from farm to farm in eastern Colorado to offer piano lessons. Imagine the changes in 100 years! Everyday, new technology becomes more readily available and inexpensive, technology that closes the distance between people and allows those in isolated areas to have the same advantages as everyone else. I'm so excited about the potential to help people who otherwise could not have a harp teacher at all.
What is the technology that makes this possible? The same video-conferencing technology, available free from Skype.com as well as some other sources, that allows grandmothers to see their little babes across the country, something some of you may already be doing. Let me tell you how my newest teaching adventure started . . .
One day, I received an email from a beginner on the Big Island in Hawaii wondering if I'd be "game to try" online teaching. "Well," I said, "I'm pretty clueless about how that would work; please tell me more." After she explained the set-up to me, I told her that yes, I'd be more than willing to try it. After a few initial conferences to get the set-up working, I have been having a blast teaching this motivated student, and now I have another one in the UK getting ready to start lessons. I'm in California, so I guess I've extended my reach way beyond the distances I could travel on horseback!
Even if you already have lessons with a local teacher, you might want to look into how this technology can benefit you. Here's one example: one of my local students goes out of town for several weeks at a time, and she just invested in an inexpensive travel harp, a webcam (about $20) and set up her Skype software. Now she will stop missing her lessons when she's on the road and stop losing ground, ground that she has to work to regain when she returns. Similarly, the students who travel over an hour now have the option to visit the studio only once or twice a month and take online lessons in between.
One of my ex-students in Colorado wants to take occasional Skype lessons with me--as a complement to her monthly lessons with a busy teacher about 30 miles from her house--with the goal of developing her harp arranging skills. If there is a different approach to playing the harp that you want to learn, taking a series of online lessons would be akin to taking a weekend workshop or attending a harp conference, without the travel costs. A harp circle could even arrange an online workshop or master class using a central webcam.
When I'm teaching online, I can see the student very clearly and up close because his or her image is sized to be full-screen. I can also see myself clearly in a smaller box in the lower left corner. This means that I can tell if my hands are visible on my own harp as I demonstrate a technique. For the student, of course, I am the one who appears full-screen, so it is easy to see what I'm demonstrating.
Online lessons represent a huge leap forward from DVD lessons because they allow feedback in real time and give students that missing piece: someone to observe what they're doing. The webcam allows me to see why a passage is or isn't working, suggest alternatives, and watch students try to implement them--the same things I do at a lesson in my studio.
Are there drawbacks? A few. I certainly can't put my hands on a student's hands to physically adjust them, anymore than you could snuggle that grandbaby in Peoria, but I've found that I can watch a student copy what I'm demonstrating and suggest the changes verbally. Another thing I can't do is let online students in different locations listen to one another or play together between their lessons, though I'm sure there is probably a way to organize a group call (or there will be soon). I was initially skeptical about whether the sound and image with Skype or any free software would be synchronized enough to allow me to hear exactly what the student plays, in real time, but the software does this very well. Occasionally, it requires a second try to achieve a smooth synchronization, so I allow a little extra time.
All in all, I'm really jazzed about the potential of this technology and happy to be at the cutting edge providing harp lessons in this new format. If you've been frustrated trying to imitate what you see in a DVD or the pictures in a book but can't find a teacher in your area, or if you want to learn a new skill or a different approach to your harp music, online lessons might just be the thing to jump start your playing and improve your results.
If you are interested in exploring the idea of online harp lessons, whether with me or another teacher, please feel free to reply to this email with any questions. Or, read about my online lessons here.
When I think of my grandmother on that horse, I know she would be tickled pink to see how her legacy lives on in my unusual teaching set up! While the technology keeps changing, I still teach with the same joy and spirit of inclusion that my grandmother did.
Improvisation Starter: Playing the Blues
I'd like to talk to you about playing some blues on your harp. The traditional blues progression is really quite easy. It consists of 12 bars in 4/4 time with a set progression. The simplest traditional chord progression is
I I I I
IV IV I I
V IV I I.
In the key of C, that would be
C C C C
F F C C
G F C C.
To keep that steady blues beat, you play every beat of each bar, so you might think of it like this:
CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
FFFF FFFF CCCC CCCC
GGGG FFFF CCCC CCCC
Playing straight chords on every beat is tiring can sound muddy on the harp, so it's better to play open chords or alternate between the root and the other two notes from one beat to the next. To begin with, try playing just the chord roots (the note C for four measures, and so on).
Here's another easy alternative that keeps the steady beat and is harp-friendly:
Right now, your goal is to play something in your left hand so simple that you can keep it going while you improvise with your right hand. With your right hand, stick to notes that are part of the chords you're playing or even just play the chords twice on beat one and then rest for three measures.
If you're an intermediate player, and that feels easy, you can get fancier. Remember, though, that the blues is very repetitive; you might only play on beats one and two with your right hand, for exmaple, and play a similar rhythmic pattern for every measure.
Here's another intermediate idea:
Now, you may have noticed I put some flats in there. If you know your chords, you'll notice that some of the chords have become dominant sevenths in the process, though I haven't marked them that way to keep things as simple as possible. (If you want to learn about chords, check out my free theory eBook in the Resources section of this issue). If I've lost you, just go back to the easy level of this improvisation play chord roots in your left hand, play sparingly and without flats in your right hand, and have fun!
For those of you who want a little more depth, I'm going to explain a bit more. The thing that gives the blues its jazzy flavor is the blues scale, which also includes several flats. Here is the whole blues scale in the key of C:
The blues notes add the pizazz, but notice that their natural counterparts are also part of the scale. What's a lever harpist to do?
For starters, on most lever harps, we need to use F# instead of Gb. Fortunately, the Gb is the least important blue note, so feel free to leave it out or save it for occasional punch.
You really need to play B-natural on the G chord and E natural on the C chord. One of my favorite ways to play the right hand is to put the Bb and Eb in the middle octave (right above middle C) and play with my RH in that octave when I'm on the F chord, but play up an octave to catch the naturals when I'm on the G chord. On the C chord, I also play up an octave so that I'm avoiding Eb, but I catch the Bb sometimes from just below that C. This is far simpler than it sounds and far easier than flipping levers all the time. (My right hand pattern above works this way).
If you're up for a challenge, or you're an advanced player, you can experiment with lever slides to ramp up the variations between the flats and naturals. If you get bored and ready for something different in your left hand, you try playing with the traditional blues bass line:
To make the bass line more playable, play every note with your thumb (with the thumbs-up position) and play C instead of Bb. (You can keep the Eb if you've set that in the middle register for your RH anyway). You may want the play the first two measures on line 3 up an octave higher, especially if you have a small harp. In that case, either leave the Eb out (play F), or play simple G and F broken triads in those measures (G B D B, F A C A).
If you're struggling, go back to the easy chords and keep that beat going. The RH can really be so simple--play 2 eighth notes on beat one and then rest for the remainder of the bar and you'll be in the blues groove. And if you have a playing partner, take turns: one person can play the chords while the other "solos".
Have fun!
p.s. If you want to understand more about chords and progressions, why not take my harpist survey and get a free theory eBook? Details below.
Resources: Take the Harpist Survey and Get a free eBook: Why am I giving away The Very Least You Should Know About Music Theory: A Reference for Lever Harpists?
I'm offering this eBook to you for free for two great reasons:
1) I want to hear from you and find out what you most want to know, as I'm about to add more pages to My Harp's Delight and I'm always looking for topics for Notes from the Harp. So I'm using the book to encourage you to take the survey.
2) My students and other harpists I know always struggle with music theory, so I created a book to answer that need. It takes you through the fundamental concepts you need to understand in order to learn how to create your own music at the harp. From the notes in Western music to chords and scales to the circle of fifths, it's all covered in this book.
If the book proves helpful to many, I plan to follow it with a book about using patterns to play and arrange music. Your feedback is always appreciated!
Take the survey now and get your eBook
Thanks for reading Notes from the Harp. I welcome your questions and comments. I'll be back with a few more inspiring ideas soon . . . in the meantime, happy harping!
All content by Susan Zevenbergen, Copyright 2008.
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