I’m having a heck of a time with the little finger on my left hand wanting to come up when I play chords or arpeggios involving the fourth finger. I’m wondering if any other harpers out there have had this problem, and how you addressed it. No matter how much I concentrate, as soon as focus on something else (such as my right hand), that finger creeps up (and it’s making my hand sore). I’m seriously tempted to duct tape it in place until it gets the idea that it has no function as far as the harp is concerned! Any other ideas out there?
If you think that tension is the problem—I know nothing about the harp—this article might be helpful. http://galaris.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
It is just about relaxation generally—becoming aware, practicing it, the commitment it takes to achieve it. It might not help, but at least you’ll see that relaxation is hard for most people even though it seems like it should be easy.
If you don’t think tension is the problem, forget the above!
I had a student with a very similar problem. Odd as it sounds, it was her hand position, and the part of the remedy was having her sit a little higher. I also had her work on turning her palms inward, and had her lower her thumb out of upright, so the palm was parallel with the strings. I know this isn’t purely classical hand positioning, but it sure helped her.
If this problem persists, find a teacher near you if possible. Five minutes with someone good can save you years of pain!!!
Good luck,
Chad
It seems that some of it was, indeed, related to my hand position (or, actually, to my elbow position), but some appears to be due to the fact that there seems to be an unusually strong tie between my fourth finger and my fifth. In addition to working on my position, my teacher has me doing some stretching exercises to allow my fingers to work a bit more independently.
Right now, my new big “problem” is dynamics…it’s hard to get my right and my left hand to work independently. If I play more strongly with my right, for example, I can’t persuade my left to back off a bit and play more gently. I’m guessing that’s a matter of practice more than anything.
Lord, I love this instrument! It’s one challenge after another, but the progress is obvious, and it just sounds so good!
Perhaps if you didn’t have an issue with your 4th and 5th finger being able to work independent of each other it would be the unusual.
They share a tendon medial to the palm.
My focus is fiddle. I’m right handed but its my fiddle hand (left) and not my bowing hand (right) that I’m practiced enough to be able to wave my 4th finger down and up without my 3rd finger joining in.
However, if I engage either my 3rd finger or 4th finger of my left hand onto a whistle, the other finger can work independent of it.
Its when one of them isn’t engaged on that hand that they mimic the actions of each other. For me, those two fingers just aren’t independantly practiced enough not to.
Glad to hear that you have both a good teacher and have had some luck repositioning! When I started out 20 years ago, there were few teachers, few instruments and scant recordings. Add to that I wanted to play wire harp ( yep…I’m a mutant.. ) A good teacher is half the reason I moved to Minnesota, and then stayed.
Out of curiousity, are you playing elbows out or down?? My student had her elbows up and over time has lowered them, also changing the angle her finger attack the strings. It helped so much with her tension problems that I wonder if it could help others. (Then again, I’m one of those that believes that there is more than one approach to good techinque, and not all harpp teachers argee with my views.)
CM
If I might jump in here as someone who does does bodywork when not playing fiddle and studying herbs?
Wouldn’t playing with the elbows winged out engage a lot more muscles than necessary? (That was said rhetorically.) Most people (that I see on my futon) are by habit engaging lots more muscles than they need to in just everyday life. Its a pity (and handicap) when they carry it over to when they play a musical instrument.
They tense up = they always engage their “pet” muscles. Its not even something they realize they’re doing.
Wouldn’t playing with the elbows winged out engage a lot more muscles than necessary?
Short answer, yes.
Long answer: There are some older schools of harp technique that do this. Things have changed, and many classical players and teachers recognized some negative ergonomics in the technique that evolved during the 19th century. Others take a much more rigid view about it, and claim that there is only one proper technique, that of the Salzedo school. That’s a lot like saying there is only one proper style of music.
A couple decades back, a number of musicians realized that classical harp technique may not be very relevant to traditional music. Harpers like Allison Kinnard, Robin huw Bowen, Maire Ni Chathasaigh, and Ann Heymann explored newer playing styles or uncovered much older techniques that pre-date the invention of the classical pedal harp. Ann uncovered the ancient fingernail style technique of the wire strung Gaelic harp and Robin with a handful of colleagues rescued the Welsh triple harp’s music and technique from oblivion. There are many harp traditions around the world, and they all have useful approaches to consider.
I tend to keep my elbow up on my left hand, because it’s easier for me to maintain a good hand position that way. Not “winged out,” really, but slightly elevated, which keeps my wrist nice and straight and helps me avoid a “clawed hand” (which is absolute hell on the tendons).
With my right hand, I carry the elbow lower…particularly as, having a small harp, I tend to do a lot of playing on the higher strings. This also helps keep my shoulder relaxed…if I carry the right elbow too high, there’s a real inclination to hunch that right shoulder.
My teacher is not at all rigid…what we’re focusing on is what works best for me biodynamically and what enables me to get the best sound out of my harp.
My teacher is not at all rigid…what we’re focusing on is what works best for me biodynamically and what enables me to get the best sound out of my harp.
That’s awesome. I’ve “inherited” too many students who came from teachers more concerned with proper technical execution than good body mechanics.
With my right hand, I carry the elbow lower…particularly as, having a small harp, I tend to do a lot of playing on the higher strings. This also helps keep my shoulder relaxed…if I carry the right elbow too high, there’s a real inclination to hunch that right shoulder.
Absolutely, even with good hand positioning a high/tense shoulder will do you in. Is that your harp in the avatar?? Small harps are chronically underrated!!!
Not “winged out,” really, but slightly elevated, which keeps my wrist nice and straight and helps me avoid a “clawed hand” (which is absolute hell on the tendons).
By the claw position are thinking thumb down/in?? This can actually work without adverse effect if you are using nails, keep you wrists straight , and don’t “cock” you thumb, ie. the thumb pushes into and past the string, with the ball joint from the palm with the arm helping it, not bending the poor thumb in the middle. This is the nearly same string attack that classical guitarist use. Mechanically it’s same movement for finger pads but at a slighter lower angle to engage the nails better with the string.
No, by “claw position” I meant with my fingers wanting to arch back above the back of my hand (Pretend you’re trying to imitate a cat clawing, and you’ll see what I mean). When I drop my left elbow too much, I tend to bend at the wrist and compensate by elevating my fingers. If I keep the elbow up a bit, it’s easier to keep the wrist straight, which helps everything line up a bit better.
No, by “claw position” I meant with my fingers wanting to arch back above the back of my hand (Pretend you’re trying to imitate a cat clawing, and you’ll see what I mean). When I drop my left elbow too much, I tend to bend at the wrist and compensate by elevating my fingers. If I keep the elbow up a bit, it’s easier to keep the wrist straight, which helps everything line up a bit better.
Ah, I see now. That would be really painful after not long. I uploaded a new photo for my avatar you can see the hand position I use. ( I love changing my avatar, I’m still looking for one I want to settle with.)
Those Ravennas look fun. Does yours have that nifty end pin attachment, like you see on a cello??
Yep…that’s standard on the Ravenna. It is really nifty…it actually retracts into the harp…you lower it with the twist of a nob. I don’t use it much at home (I have a nice little table, made especially for the Ravenna, that it bolts onto…also with the twist of a nob…and I prefer using that so I can put the harp down easily if I need to answer the phone or the door), but it’s handy for my lessons, as I don’t have to worry about finding something of the right height to support it (it’s a little tall for a lap harp) or drag the table along.
It’s a nice sounding harp too…it has a lovely, full voice. I think Dusty Strings has done a great thing by coming up with such a nice little harp at an affordable price (they make a 34-string in the Ravenna model now too…hmmm…tempting!). I never thought I’d be able to own something other than a Pakistani or a Harpsicle! This harp gives me tremendous pleasure (in fact, it’s hard to stop playing, once I’ve started, and I must say my housework has suffered!).
Here are a couple of pictures of it on the special table Dusty Strings markets for it:
) A good teacher is half the reason I moved to Minnesota, and then stayed.
