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Hello, everyone!
My first patched string broke yesterday; and it was the first string I ever patched. But it did not break below the knot. It broke above the knot. I’m going to try to re-patch it and see how long it lasts. This is the first string that has broken since the wild and whacky spring string fling. Hope you are all well and enjoying the waning days of summer into the colorful days of autumn, at least in the northern hemisphere… You southern hemisphere dwellers, I hope you have a nice spring.
John (Columbus, Ohio)
Alyson,
As a nurse practitioner, I agree with what folks are saying about hormonal influences on your mood and energy levels. But it also sounds like what you have described as additional stressors, such as worry about your income and the thought of being isolated from others after your baby is born, can add up to depressed mood and the kinds of feelings you’re experiencing. You might want to consider talking with a mental health professional — a psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner would be a great choice — to make sure you understand what you are experiencing and that you have healthy coping mechanisms in place now during your pregnancy and also while you are going through the rough but wonderful post-partum phase… Just to help you around the rough edges now and after you deliver so you are less stressed out and enjoying what life has to offer, including things you enjoyed doing before you were pregnant, too.
Harp-tastically yours, John
I would be interested to see before and after photos, Carl. And to learn a bit about what it took to get it back into shape. How long was the interval between when the harp was damaged and when you started to work on it? I would think that the harp case and the car would have precluded contamination by anything larger than a micro-organism, but what kind of residue did you find? Fascinating! John
Gretchen – I have about the same amount of experience as you do and I concur 100% with the advice given to you. Monitoring everything is difficult for us newbies (my definition of a newbie is < 10 years of experience).
I have post-it notes in my music room to remind me of all kinds of things: to first center my thoughts, then take a few cleansing breaths, stretch like you wouldn’t believe, not to sit too far back or too far forward on the seat, how to bring the harp back so that we are at the appropriate angle and placement against me, heels on the floor, keep my forearms up and shoulders down, thumbs up, hands at the proper part of the string, hand position and wrist position for proper closing, relax, continue to breathe while playing, play softly at first, do some warm-ups at the harp… All of this is because I have an amazing teacher and mentor who has coached me from the very beginning and guided me through what I call holistic harping.
Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is not right. In the Salzedo & Lawrence method book, they say that the only pain that is acceptable in a new harpist is your upper arm muscles getting stronger from being held parallel to the floor. I find it amazing what Trista, my coach/teacher/mentor, sees that I do not feel.
Good luck! John (Columbus, Ohio)
Thank you for this beautiful note, Margaret.
I know there are places in the U.S. that rent pedal harps on a trial basis. Here is a place to start your research:
http://www.harpmall.com/harps_for_rent.htm
You are an inspiration!
JohnThis discussion is intriguing. I know there are acoustical analyses of various instruments in the literature. Can anyone recommend a good resource that describes the physics of the harp that is beyond the basics?
This is an issue of biomechanics. My father and I were both engineers and used to argue about the better way to control a car with automatic transmission. I was the one-footer, picking up my foot from the accellerator to press the brakes. He used two feet, left on the break, right on the gas. You see, he had chronic back pain and his core body strength was compromised from a slipped disc. Similar issue here.
I was first an organist who used all four limbs simultaneously without falling off of an organ bench ever. Core body strength is the primary factor. When your core is strong, you have more control over everything.
An associated factor is one’s center of gravity. Keeping your balance is a matter of having your center of gravity over your seat. Long legs, long arms, slouching, incorrect alignment with your harp, and other physical properties moves your center of gravity away from over your seat. When this happens, one relies on core body strength to remain upright.
So pilates, yoga, or crossfit, pick something fu that you will do regularly. Keep the core strong and pedal on!
<p style=”text-align: left;”>John</p>
Carl,
Here’s a photo of my middle C string spliced like you suggested.
So far, so good! Thank you for your guidance.
John
“We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.”
— Charles R. SwindollHello, everyone! Well, I’ve had Lily, my L&H Chicago CGX for about 3 weeks now. Here’s an update.
Appreciation. I did not say this before, but I want to express my gratitude to the L&H staff, particularly to Ms. Nancy O’Brien. In my book, she is nothing short of being a goddess. Nancy has been such a font of information and support before, during, and after my purchase and continues to answer my questions with gusto. Nancy, thank you so much for your ongoing support and positive attitude. I have learned so much from you!
When my harp arrived, one string was broken and during the next couple of weeks many of the original Bow Brand gut strings broke as my harp began acclimating to her new home. Nancy was very gracious in her support that this was normal and even sent me several replacement strings gratis, for which I am thankful. Oh, and Nancy, you were so right. The pedals are nearly second nature to this organist! I’m back to playing with two hands and two feet again…
Also, I want to thank the Harp Column community for your advice and wisdom as I pursue this new leg of my life journey. Having played a lever harp for a couple of years prior, I was very familiar with tying harp knots and have been using thicker gauge string bits as anchors. So after reviewing everyone’s kind advice, I continued down that pathway. Gut strings are new to me (except for the small period of time I played viola in high school) so the advice and videos that were suggested to me were very, very welcomed indeed.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. So, now the ongoing saga of As the Gut Strings Break (also known as JayzusMareeAndJosef, Who Fired That Cannon!)… I was standing about a foot away from my harp when the 5th octave B string decided that life was too tense and that it should end it all. A loud “Bang!”, a spontaneous duck-and-cover that had been ingrained in my psyche since the wee hours of the Cold War, and a few colorful expletives followed. I looked around to see the damage from what I thought for sure was a drive-by shooting and noticed the very thick gut string as it dangled and beckoned to me as I knelt on the floor. I have not been able to find online or in discussions with other harp people whether or not the Bow Brand gut string quality issue has been resolved. Many folks have said they are going to restring with Premiere gut strings when it is time for regulation or restringing. So, I decided to try some Premiere brand strings.
Premiere. I’m not a clever enough wizard to hear any sound differences yet, especially with my harp still finding its place in the world. But here’s what has been my experience. The Premiere gut strings are much longer than the Bow Brand gut strings. Some people say the extra length could be used to replace other strings in a pinch. Any ideas if that is true? I’ve also found that for me, the Premiere gut strings feel a tad, yet perceptible amount thicker than Bow Brand, sort of getting in the way of my novice fingers. And, this is unsettling to me as a newbie, they seem extremely slippery. With the original and replacement Bow Brand gut strings I received from L&H, I feel as though I can dig in without losing control when I place. Not quite the same with Premiere Brand. Or at least that’s my gut feeling (pun not intended). None of the Premiere’s have broken since I have put them on. But I’ve only had one original Bow Brand gut string break in the past week.
Global Warming. With the arrival of spring in Ohio, I turned on my central air conditioning to reduce airborne allergens. Could the cooler air be making a difference? Are the gut strings beginning to behave (a bit… knock on wood)? Or am I just being lulled into a sense of quiescence that will evaporate (pun intended) when the barometer changes? I’ve been reading some archival issues of the American Harp Journal and learned that the ideal climate for a harp is room temperature between 65 and 70 degrees F with relative humidity between 45% and 65%. Hmmm…. I need a combo thermometer and hygrometer for my music room, perhaps. Preferably mid-century vintage… Yeah… something reminiscent of Sputnik…
I was, after all, a NASA brat and an engineer for 20 years.
John
Columbus, OhioRegarding balance, I have two words: core strength. As your core muscles especially your abs strengthen, your balancing act with your feet off of the ground will improve. Easier said than done, friend.
Michael, can you speak to the technical differences between Bow and Premiere gut strings? I’ve heard thru the grapevine that Premiere gut strings are a larger gauge than the same Bow strings. If that is the case, is it a larger vernier of gut? Or additional epoxy or resin? Or something else?
Also, are people ordering Premiere gut for octaves 1 and 2? Or mostly 3 and lower?
John, Columbus, Ohio
