#145: Playalong Episode: Rediscovering Your Sound

I am always interested to hear what first attracted harpists to the harp. It’s fascinating to learn the many ways that the harp can draw a potential student. My own story is that I heard the harp on the radio and told my parents that was what I wanted to do. The important part of this story for me is that it wasn’t a gold harp or a pretty dress that drew me to the harp, but the sound that pulled me in. Naturally, there’s nothing wrong with the gold harp or the glamor look, but the sound was - and is - important to me. 

Whether or not it was the harp’s sound that first attracted you, sound is important to us. So why don’t we spend more of our time listening to our playing? We devote a lot of energy to reading the notes and teaching our fingers to play the right strings. Somehow there isn’t always time to just spend listening. But it’s an important habit and one that we are going to spend a little time with today.

This is a playalong episode, meaning that I will play and you will be able to play along with me. I’m going to lead you through a warm-up that will help you focus on your fingers and your listening skills. There’s no printed music for this; just follow my directions. If you’ve participated in one of my Live Monday Warm-Ups, then you know how this works. 

I realize that podcast listening time is probably not usually harp time for you, but even if you’re not at your harp, you can still benefit from listening now. And of course, you can come back to this episode and play along with me later. However, if you’re driving or doing something that requires your concentration, perhaps anything more focused than stuffing envelopes, be sure to keep your wits about you.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• Register for the Finish It! Live Intensive.
• Related resource, The Practice of Listening: Why It’s Essential for Every Musician blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]