Just went through my videos on Youtube. And kinda listened to the "progress".
This is one of my first clips I ever recorded... about two months into hearing harp players consciously for the first time.
This is two years into harp playing (and listening to harp players).
LOL. I have to say... I don't miss the riffs in the first vid.
But would I trade the technique I have today with the intuitiveness of before? no. And I'm not sure if it's so easy to learn the trade without the riffs... ---------- germanharpist, harpfriends on Youtube
Last Edited by on Jun 26, 2009 3:26 PM
It's like with traditional music didactic. There definitely is a high risk of loosing the ability to play stuff freely - completely. I just met a somehow older piano teacher. She taught kids since 30 years. But when I asked her to play something - anything - that was it: I reached her musical limits. If it isn't on a sheet of music infront of her she can't play it.
The question is: Is it possible to learn the incredible technique of classical instruments (ie violins, (real) harp, piano) without learning the pieces with which the technique is taught?
And as a follow-up question. Isn't the technique of harping also somehow connected to the riffs that it is played with..? ---------- germanharpist, harpfriends on Youtube
Last Edited by on Jun 26, 2009 4:03 PM
Those are very good questions. I'm going to say "yes" to the first question and "No" to the second one. Notes are notes. Plain and simple. Take for example, a young child who is willing to learn to play violin, but who has not been exposed to violin music: you could still teach them to play "Mary had a little lamb". A good violin teacher could teach this student to play it beautifully with all the tone and techniques. Just because they don't immitate classical songs doesn't make them less of a player.
Now, if you want to teach the GENRE of music on the instruments that are associated with it, then yes, it is probably connected. I'ts going to be hard to teach someone how to play "Juke" on a harp without giving them one of the most used riffs of all time.
"Next installment, I believe you will be free with technique." Thanks Tryharp, inshallah, that's the plan.
Preston: I am more talking about the pros. For instance you'll find there are certain techniques, which for many, many years were tought with certain songs...
This well known song is called Hora Staccato or "Horror" Staccato, because most pros that learn this technique will eventually have to take it on.
I tried to find a similar example with the harp, and the only thing I came up with is rhythm patterns when chugging. There are surely other ways of learning rhythem harp, but most of us learn it using a train song, etc....
So the point I was trying to make. Isn't it easier to learn a certain technique when you use it in the song/or style of song/or riff with which it was played for a long time before...?
I.e. could I have gotten that (hopefully somehow) bluesy sound (technique, tone) without playing the same old riffs, the same old stuff... I'm not quite sure.
