Small Harp, Big Music ("Small Yet Serious Harps")by Harper Tasche, © WHC, Vancouver, 2011
In modern culture, "better" usually means "bigger, faster, and louder." We all know that's not necessarily true for the music we play - some of the most musically difficult and emotionally powerful pieces are the slow and transparently delicate ones - but it's also not true for our instruments. This presentation will address several ways to help bring the most music out of smaller harps, including ergonomics and techniques for playing, arranging, and composing.
FOUNDATIONSIt's never about the small harp, it's about your small harp.
Small harps are made in a wide variety of sizes, styles, and tonal characteristics. What seems "small" greatly depends on the perspective of the player. The most common small harps have either 29 strings (lowest note 2nd octave F/G), 26 strings (3rd octave C). and 22/23 or 19/20 strings (4th octave G). A lowest note of 3rd octave C has become increasingly common in recent years.
"How can I make my small harp sound like my big harp?" This is fundamental psychology: ifyou are prejudiced that small harps are inferior in tone, range, and volume, they will always seem inferior to you. If, however, you can think of a small harp as a legitimate instrument in its own right, you will be richly rewarded! You cannot turn a small harp into a big one, any more than you can turn a harpsichord into a grand piano. They are different instruments: appreciate their individual strengths. There is little need for "better."
Always play the harp in front of you. (This is not as easy as it sounds!) Listen carefully to the sound of a single note, to understand the harp's attack, sustain, and decay profile. Can you draw the contour of the sound? How would you describe the sound in terms of bright/dark, brilliant/mellow, sharp/smooth, or compared to a color or flavor? This experience gives you immensely valuable information about each particular harp's strengths and weaknesses, and clues about how to adjust what you are doing for greatest success.
If you need to be louder, use amplification. Gesture and careful tuning can also enhance projection; playing more forcefully is counter-productive for smaller instruments.
ERGONOMICSSit well, and adjust the harp to fit your body as much as possible. This is especially important with harps which do not reach the floor while being played. Avoid using the arms to hold the harp steady or upright. Several options are available to help stabilize and support the harp: a clamp-on "bridge" across your knees; an endpin or monopod; around-the-back straps; seat extender to sit on; a stand or stool for the harp; nonstick grip shelf liner.
PLAYING TECHNIQUES
Hand position: When playing a large harp^ notice how your technique changes as you move into the treble: your hand inevitably becomes much less vertical on the shorter strings, and the palm turns more toward the soundboard. This is good for most of a small harp's range; you are playing those same short strings as the upper ranges of your large harp.
Articulation: A fully articulated pluck, originating in the back muscles, will be far too much energy going into a small harp. The lighter-tensioned strings and smaller soundbox will respond far more beautifully to a gentler touch, with motion originating closer to the strings. (To extend our metaphor, you need a much lighter touch to play the harpsichord well.)
Placing: By pre-placing fingers, you are stopping resonance which is especially valuable on a smaller harp. Experiment to find the best compromise for each piece of music, to maximize the harp's sustain whilst maintaining smoothness and tactile security for playing.
ARRANGING AND COMPOSING TECHNIQUESAdapt to enhance the sound of the harp in front of you. If your harp has a short sustain and quick decay, use a higher "note density" to avoid unmusical silences. If your harp has a long sustain, use fewer notes, thinner textures, and judicious damping.
Transposition: Set your pieces in keys which use the lowest strings of your small harp as much as possible, for maximum resonance. Tune a low string down one or two steps for a piece, if it gains you a perfect moment. Harmonics can always expand your upward range.
Accompaniment patterns: Adapt large patterns as necessary to preserve rhythm and flow using fewer notes. 1-5-8-9-10 becomes 1-5-1-2-3; 1-5-10-9-10 becomes 1-5-3-2-3; etc. Conversely, can you make use of every single string on your harp somewhere in the piece?
Texture. Several strong horizontal lines (counterpoint) are more satisfying than a melody with simple chords. Think in terms of the composite rhythm, to create a fuller sound. Chord voicing. Inversions are especially useful on smaller harps, but keep good bass lines as much as possible. Close voicings (1-3-5) make the harp sound smaller; open voicings (1-5-10) sound larger. Remember that the melody can move inside the accompaniment.
www.HarpCrossing.com
Video on performance "Dance of Time" (Mark Geisler, an. Harper Tasche), from A Small Harp Visiting Friends
