We are not learning music to be perfect. We are learning music to enjoy the process of playing. We are learning music to develop a skill. Let go of judgement! If you are hearing an inner musical critic and it feels like negative judgement, drop it. Let it go. You don’t want to be holding unto so much baggage.
If that seems too easily said, imagine that your fingers are actually holding onto little bags of judgment (from past/current teachers, conductors, peers, recording engineers, yourself, reviewers, parents, friends, neighbors, etc.). Imagine that these little critiques, each in a bag on your fingers, are weighing you down. They are slowing down your playing. That negativity is taking up physical space and you need to free it up!
Question: What if you got rid of that inner music critic? Answer: Your hands would feel the freedom to put your fingers on the actual notes you need to play.
Drop the mental comment section. Close down the critiques that don’t make you a better player. You can throw them away in the trash bin over there. Now, locate the comments that do help – the ones that say “don’t give up,” or “there now – that wasn’t so hard!”
You can keep the helpful comments, but put them in a safe place at a distance, like picture in a frame. Remember, you want to feel lighter. You want to free up your fingers to do the playing that you were called to do in the first place.
You have work to do. Your work is playful and exploratory.
You are practicing the process of showing up and being ready to play music. Playing music is not about perfection, so much as the journey you take to a place where the playing feels good! This is the work you love to do. By freeing your fingers, you are already doing what you need to do. Now, you are ready to practice!
I had the wonderful opportunity to read my poem, Weather Report on Orange, on the radio thanks to Vashon Island Poet Laureate Margaret Roncone. “Return to Light” features 10 island poets and will be broadcast at 12 o’clock noon on the Winter Solstice, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. I am grateful to Margaret, the other poets, and show host, Susan McCabe for this fun opportunity!
The winter solstice is a time for reflection and appreciation of the season, so give yourself a moment of quiet joy during this busy time and tune into KVSH. You can find it online at Voice of Vashon. The show will be available to listen to on the website for 2 weeks. After that, poof!
If you are reading this post after the timeframe has past, you can still read it here:
I tell you what: variety is in this end of year concert calendar. As 2023 winds to a close I’ve got a few concerts, each quite different from the other!
First up Nov 16 – 19 Thin Skin the movie – screening in Seattle,Los Angeles,NYC (Brooklyn) Once upon a time I was in a band and that led to another band that led to the leader adding a comedic monologue to his body of musical work. That person is Ahamefule Oluo. His Off Broadway play, Now I’m Fine, became fodder for the movie Thin Skin, now showing in three cities! Follow here for more information.
Next is a variety show: Dec 2 Bouquet Bouquet – Artist salon night of music, poetry, dance, lecture, and prose curated by poet Kary Wayson 7pm Antique Sandwich Shop 5102 N Pearl St. Tacoma, WA
Winter Solstice shopping: Dec 21 Solo Harp Everett Mall – I will be playing harp next to Santa 1402 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett, WA 98208
In no particular order, I’m sharing some 2021 highlights playing harp, teaching, and writing.
Centrum Artist Residency I spent the month of March 2021, in Port Townsend, WA, on a truly regenerative and inspiring retreat. Through Centrum Foundation and Fort Worden, I was able to live in a cabin on the edge of the woods where the Straight of Juan de Fuca flows into Puget Sound, watch eagles and deer at my door every day, beachcomb, hike, and oh, yeah, squeeze in a little work! Focus of my work was on Harp Escape compositions and arrangements, as well as solo improvisations (like this one) and with my friend Josh Rawlings.
Harp Escape Make-Over Since 2019, I have been working on Harp Escape, a therapeutic harp series of meditative audio and video. During this time, I’ve recorded nearly 200 audio tracks and done over 60 posts of writing, video and sheet music arrangements for Patrons! That is a lot for me to feel good about, as far as general productivity goes. Harp Escape is having a make-over this winter. In 2022, I’ll be moving forward with edits on individual tunes, then releasing singles on the various streaming platforms.
Making Music a Healing Process This pandemic time continues to challenge all of us, so how can we include well-being in our daily work? I was asked to be guest speaker for Seattle Music Teacher’s Association in March of last year, talking about how to merge teaching with healing. It almost seems imperative to do so. As a Certified Clinical Musician, I thought about the mindset I put myself in, in order to play bedside music for people in physical pain or suffering from anxiety and grief. Much of that mindset can be applied to how I play music in general, so I like to share that with students. In this post, I wrote up 5 ways how to make playing music a healing process.
1st Live Concert in 20 months! In December 2021, I played my first public concert since March 2020 lockdown. Looking Glass Coffee, a sweet café in Snohomish, WA offered the perfect backdrop for an afternoon harp music: red velvet curtain stage, high vintage tin ceilings, and killer coffee. We were all so pleased, I’ll definitely be making another Sunday afternoon come back in the New Year. The pandemic continues to be a dicey time for performing live music, and I am thrilled to have a found a welcoming venue that matches harp music so well!
10 Tips on How to Improvise on Harp I’ve been a fan of creative self-help inspirational books for years. From Natalie Goldberg to Stephen Nachmanovich, I’ve been studying prompts, quotes from the masters, and artist psychology for a long time. This Top 10 list for harpists helps unleash the timid player – many harpists are classically trained or play traditional Celtic tunes. Improvising for anyone can feel like uncertain territory. These tips take you back to “beginner’s mind.”
Circle of 5ths 2.0 Virtual Harp Course on Udemy I pre-recorded a workshop for the first time! This is a major accomplishment for me, and I put many hours into creating a class on demystifying a tricky musical topic: The Circle of Fifths. The class is available on Udemy and is at advanced beginner – advanced intermediate level.
with some students from Let’s Harp Together! workshop in October 2021 at Dusty Strings
Harp Seattle Workshop – Let’s Harp Together Another first: I taught my first in person group workshop in over 2 years! The theme of Let’s Harp Together, got everyone playing songs together – something none of us had done since the pandemic. It was wonderful hearing all the harps vibrating together (it was a few hundred strings!). Thanks go to Harp Seattle and Dusty Strings.
Return of the Wedding Cermony
Return of the Wedding Ceremony My guess is that I’ve played music for about 500 weddings and counting. Most of my summers are booked out for months. 2020 was different. By the end, I had played a mere three weddings, which I suppose was good all considering. While 2020 ceremonies were very intimate and minimal, 2021 was a return to my usual full calendar, larger gatherings (though masked of course). I played for more than one couple who had re-booked their ceremony more than three times! Once more, it was such a pleasure to return to playing harp for another season of wedding of couples, including some really amazing natural scenery at the Treehouse Point, Leavenworth and at Mount Rainier. I feel so lucky!
You might be asking yourself, “How can I improvise? How do I start?” These are questions students ask me, and honestly, I have been working on finding answers to these same questions for decades!
As a harpist, most of us learn how to read all of the little black dots on the page with accuracy. We often have practiced with such scrutiny that to play something off the page feels strange or wrong. I have met many classically-trained musicians who would agree.
Before I give you a couple of tips on how to improvise, let’s look back to our beginnings of playing music, to a time before we “knew” how to “play.” I am willing to bet that the first time you touched your instrument, you were as curious as a child. Have you ever watched a group of pre-schoolers play? They naturally grab objects and play pretend, never second-guessing themselves. With this “beginner’s mind,” let’s start improvisation.
Tip #1 Own it. Act like every sound you make is intentional, even if it surprises you.
#2 Use chord symbols in the music notation to give you clues on what notes might sound good, in addition to the notes written.
#3 Know the scale you are playing and don’t leave it.
#4 Know the scale you are playing and leave it. (I know! What I said above also applies, but if you want to stretch your boundaries, you should.) Brazilian writer Paulo Coehlo said “A boat is safe in the harbor. But this is not the purpose of a boat.” What I mean is: Explore. You can always come back to dock in your comfort zone original key. But you are not anchored down.
