By Anne Sullivan
Most of us think of the metronome as a tool to help us keep a steady beat or to get a piece up to tempo. It pushes us to play faster or correct us when our rhythm is uneven....
When you have a long piece to practice, do you know where to start? Do you usually start at the beginning and play until you have to stop and fix something? Or do you start from the hardest part,...
When we consider the many obstacles that we face as we try to turn the pieces we practice into music, none is more powerful than the thin black line. Which line do we mean? We mean the bar line.
...
Beautiful harp playing sounds fluid, flowing and even. It sings with lovely melodies and resonates with lush chords. It sounds rich and warm and sparkly, all at the same time. What it doesn’t...
Picture your ideal harpist. Is this harpist slumping like a rag doll at the harp? Or are they graceful and strong and straight?
When people tell you to sit up straight, the list of directions...
By Anne Sullivan
I bet no one has ever told you NOT to practice. We harpists need to practice every day, right?
Yes, that’s true, but it’s important that you are practicing for...
You’ve invested a lot of time, money and effort into your passion for playing the harp. While other kids were playing hockey or soccer, you were practicing and playing concerts. (Or...
By Anne Sullivan
Summertime is fun time. The days are long and leisurely. Some days all you want to do is lie in the sun with a big glass of lemonade.
But you know you...
By Anne Sullivan
Does your thumb sometimes stick out like...well, a sore thumb? Or maybe it just doesn’t work as well as your other fingers? Thumbs can be a little temperamental, but we...
By Anne Sullivan
If you’re ready to head outside and have fun this summer, I’m right there with you, in spirit anyway. Summertime is for fun, even when it comes to your harp playing.
I...
By Anne Sullivan
You have a smartphone, right? Good for you. As technology becomes ever smarter, musicians know their smartphones are powerful tools to help them be better musicians.
The voice...
By Anne Sullivan
Do you memorize your music, what we often call “playing by heart”?
When I was a student, playing from memory was expected and required, not for every piece, but...
