Ot: Harp

[Theodore Kloba]

Interesting, a Harp today is sort of femail instrument, and you just wan't see it anywhere, except in the philharmony or symphony.

See Joanna Newsom, a female harpist not playing symphonic music. You might also see this feature on NPR. You should turn up some other samples online. Her music is feminine, but I don't think boring. It is mostly based in American folk, but influenced by Senegalese harp traditions as well as others.

It is sort of girlish instrument nowadays, and the presented music mostly is very slow and airy. Kind of boring. I wonder if they played a bit faster and choppier in the early days. Anybody has links to choppy rhythmic harp music?

I think it partly has to do with the evolution of the symphonic form of the instrument to increase sustain and sweeten the tone.

Pajaro Campana

I liked that... Last fall, I heard this harpist from Mexico at an event I attended. Similar, but a bit more subdued for the nature of the event. His ensemble has an album available.

 

PS hit previous and you might find me and a misspelling of Hors d'oeuvre.

Edited April 11, 2006 by Theodore Kloba

[m3838]

Joanna Newsom a female harpist

 

Thanks. I had a good lough at first, then I kind of liked it, in a special sort of way. There is this naivete factor, that excuses her, but it takes time and not too many people can persevere through her music video.

But she should definitely watch no TV from now on. And may be take a few voice lessons, but that's arbitrary.

Give me energetic guy, playing manly harp. Give me the cool dude, not a mexican in glasses, straw hat and a tie. And no sound files. I'm searching, I'm interested, but so far - girls brooming strings up/down.

Show me the real player!

BTW, I'm not against symphonic music, only harps mostly used as a background instrument, and a boring one.

I'm sure a harp is capable of much more, but where is it? Is it Lady of Spain phenomena?

[Theo]

Show me the real player!

 

Have youy heard The Poozies? Fantastic singing and two electro harps played to give anything from a shimmering background to at least as much grunt as a rock bass. All females, but if you called their music girlie you might get trouble from any of them!

[JimLucas]

Show me the real player!

Have youy heard The Poozies? ... All females, but if you called their music girlie you might get trouble from any of them!

Small harps, at least those with metal strings, can be used to slice bread. The bass harp that The Poozies played when I saw them might be able to do the same with a horse... or someone who makes disparaging comments about harps or harpers.

 

By the way, Michael, The Poozies also have Karen Tweed on PA. I hope you're already familiar with her playing. Definitely an antidote to the Lawrence Welk syndrome.

Edited April 12, 2006 by JimLucas

[Cream-T]

Girly? Slow? Only in philarmonic orchestra? Boring?

 

That's the biggest load of twoddle I've heard in a long while. Whoever suggests this can't have made any attempt of finding out even the smallest bit about this instrument in past or present.

 

The harp has a many century-long history of being played by both men and women, in spiritual and secular context, long before anyone had a notion of "philharmony".

 

I suggest listening to Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Breton harpists (use a search engine) to rid you of your prejudices. And don't forget to check out the very unique Deborah Hensont-Conant, who will rock your socks off.

[Theo]

By the way, Michael, The Poozies also have Karen Tweed on PA. I hope you're already familiar with her playing. Definitely an antidote to the Lawrence Welk syndrome.

 

Since this thread is OT anyway I'll add this:

 

for anyone interested in learning from Karen and who can get to the Northeast of England for the weekend 5th to 7th May she is running a weekend course entitled "Adventuires in Music" . It is open to players of all instrumnets, and there is at least one concertina player already enroled. Fantastic lineup of tutors including:

Ian Lowthian (Accordion - Scotland)

Karen Tweed (Accordion - England)

Kerry Fletcher (Dance - England)

John Dipper (Fiddle - England)

Gilles Chabenat (Hurdy Gurdy - France)

Sturla Eide (Fiddle - Norway)

Andreas Aase (Guitar, Norway)

 

And all for £75 including a couple of concerts by the tutors!

 

Please email me direct for booking form (click on my name to the left of this message then on the linle to send an email)

[JimLucas]

Since this thread is OT anyway...

Hmm. Shouldn't we shift this discussion over to the "...Thread Drift" Topic?

[stuart estell]

Harps and zithers all come with the potential problem that they're big boxes with loads of strings that all vibrate in sympathy with one another - therefore they have lots of sustain, which can be difficult to manage when trying to play really rhythmically. But people do manage it - there's a lady (whose name I've forgotten) who comes to our Traditional Song night in Birmingham who plays Irish stuff on her harp with real guts.

 

Has anyone said anything about the combination of these kinds of instruments with concertina? Maybe that's off on another thread somewhere - I've only dipped in today after a long time away... I think harp and concertina sound wonderful together, as do autoharp and concertina. We rehearsed a version of Canadee-I-O with autoharp, appalachian dulcimer, and Jeffries Duet last night, and the resulting texture really rang out - harmonics everywhere!

Edited April 12, 2006 by stuart estell

[Robin Madge]

For non-girly image of harp playing see Nick Henessey if he comes your way. He plays harp to accompany some of his songs and plays it supported on a pillar so that he can sing standing up. Excellent voice and a good story-teller as well.

Now to see if he's interested in some harp/concertina duets.....

 

Robin Madge

[m3838]

"Deborah Hensont-Conant[/url], who will rock your socks off."

 

Thanks. Interesting performer. Somewhat reminiscent of today's russian performers with some slightly criminal fleur (sp?). I liked the piano-like playing on second mp3 file.

But tell me, why in a world a female performer should look like this? :http://www.hipharp.com/publicity%20/price_orlando03_photos/dhc_bp1_2_15_5x7_72.jpg

Help me out here.

[m3838]

"Harps and zithers all come with the potential problem that they're big boxes with loads of strings that all vibrate in sympathy with one another - therefore they have lots of sustain, which can be difficult to manage "

 

I see. That may have to do with the harp being a background instrument.

 

Yes. That's how this thread began. Look at article at "Voice from the past" thread.

 

Actually, when you try to deliberately drift a topic, it may not work as well, as when topic is drifting by itself, following some unseen etherial passes. Life is not made deliberately, it's a natural process of flowing wherever there is a downgrade.

[m3838]

"For non-girly image of harp playing see Nick Henessey if he comes your way. "

 

When I try to open Nick Nennessey's sound files, it crashes my Mozilla.

I'll try a few days later.

Who else? I begin to like that instrument.

[stuart estell]

But tell me, why in a world a female performer should look like this? :http://www.hipharp.com/publicity%20/price_orlando03_photos/dhc_bp1_2_15_5x7_72.jpg

Help me out here.

 

Well, why not? Makes me wonder if a similar image would have been the end result if Tony James of Sigue Sigue Sputnik had played the harp instead of the "space bass".

 

I'm always really glad to see unconventional approaches to playing instruments - or the association of traditional instruments with an unconventional image. Who knows how something like that might catch the imagination of a kid who might otherwise think that the harp is "uncool"?

[m3838]

:http://www.hipharp.com/publicity%20/price_orlando03_photos/dhc_bp1_2_15_5x7_72.jpg

 

"Who knows how something like that might catch the imagination of a kid who might otherwise think that the harp is "uncool"?"

 

You're joking right?

Let me try to describe the image with words. OK:

"Imagine a woman in mini-skirt and dark stokings, with a harp (of all things) stuck into her crotch, thrusting pelvice forward, caressing that harp and showing that she is in extasy".

She's good, but she needs help. May be no TV?

There is another quartet, but of 4 violin female players. I think it's called "The Band" (?). They are very good, classically trained violinists, bent on making violin "cool". So they dress like whores, grimase like whores, write whore songs with moans and groans (like 10 minutes of Oh, touch me, Please me, touch me...). But they play really well. I made a compilation of their CD and it's one of the favorite of mine. About 60%.

[stuart estell]

You're joking right?

 

No, I'm not joking at all.

 

Let me try to describe the image with words. OK:

"Imagine a woman in mini-skirt and dark stokings, with a harp (of all things) stuck into her crotch, thrusting pelvice forward, caressing that harp and showing that she is in extasy".

 

If you described it to me in those terms without my having seen it first, I'd laugh, wonder what on earth you were talking about, and immediately go and investigate. The very fact that we're discussing it means that her image, like it or not, has done its work - she has made people talk about her. Neither you nor I have to like it for it to be valuable, and in my book anything like that is valuable if it makes one person more curious about music or instruments than they were before they saw it.

[Cream-T]

She's good, but she needs help.

 

Maybe you need help to overcome your chauvinistic 19th century ideas on what women should look and behave like?

 

 

(Edited for missing ] )

Edited April 12, 2006 by Cream-T

[JimLucas]

She's good, but she needs help.

You're suggesting psychological "help"? I think I detect a serious dissonance between your cultural attitudes and hers. And I think you're reading into her performance interpreations which -- from the evidence of the reviews quoted on her web site -- are not shared by either herself or her audiences.

[m3838]

"You're suggesting psychological "help"? "

 

Oh no, not at all. I'm suggesting psichiatric help.

 

"I think I detect a serious dissonance between your cultural attitudes and hers."

 

Yes, most definitely.

 

"And I think you're reading into her performance interpreations which ... are not shared by either herself or her audiences."

 

A surprize?

You haven't commented on the picture of her, with the harp sticking out of her crotch, with her legs spread. Sorry guys, one thing is to be tolerant of various ideas, and another - of pandering to the mob. Works of Devil (no, I'm not religious, it's a metaphor). And we have suffered already. We'll get more. That's why I think that the solution for the airheads is the traditional culture, folk music, dance. No-nonecesnse stuff.

To each free thinking individual, excersizing her/his freedom to be explicit, there are at least two individuals, mail and femail, who think, what have they done wrong with their child.