Harp and Strings

In September I had the exhilarating opportunity to attend the Lyon & Healy Harptacular event in Portland, and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. I began taking harp lessons about two and a half years ago with the vague goal of learning to play, but the motivational power of that goal was rapidly losing steam. Although my enthusiasm had carried me through nearly two years of weekly lessons, around the two-year mark I began experiencing frequent bouts of frustration and the sense that I was spinning my wheels without making progress. A lack of defined goals, a disorganized approach to practice, and isolation were the culprits, but I wouldn’t have been able to identify them as the problem if you had asked me. As luck would have it, I received a flyer from Lyon & Healy in the mail. A harp event coming to Portland? Yes, please! I went online and registered with mild trepidation about being

surrounded by pedal harpists (would a lever harp student fit in?).

My harp teacher had been urging me to connect with other harp students for months, but for a dyed-in-the-wool introvert with a full time office job whose harp practice was an excuse to take a break from people, connecting through music was an overwhelming prospect.

That was about to change.*

The Event

It’s nearly 7PM, and I’m wandering the halls of the Lincoln building trying to look like I know where I’m going. Nearing a stairwell, I merge lanes with a gentleman who also appears to be in search of a registration table. He drops one of the dreaded questions: do you have a harp? Why yes, I say. I have a Pratt 40-string lever harp. To my delight, he recognizes the maker’s name. My sense of imposture diminishes slightly. At the registration table, no one demands to see my credentials. They hand me a bag of goodies. I’m in.

The Harptacular events I attended included a performance by four professional Oregon-based pedal harpists, a workshop about making a living as a harpist, and an exhibition of harps. By far and away, the largest sources of inspiration for me were the masterclass and the performance by Sasha Boldachev.

Mind blown.

The clarity of expression in his playing and the immediacy of his overall performance in everything ranging from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” to Stravinsky’s “Petrushka” set the bar for artistry very high. Much to my surprise, I found the bar motivating rather than overwhelming. Hence this blog.

The Takeaway

In a nutshell:

I need to get organized. My harp practice has been too unfocused to support steady progress.

Create goals. I am hopeful that planning regular blog posts will help me set goals and meet them.

Share music with others, even if it’s imperfect! Since the idea of playing live in front of people is terrifying to me, this blog and its corresponding video content is a way to dip my toes in the water.

Improve the overall artistry of my playing. This one’s a stretch goal.

*Sort of.