i’ll feel weird checking this one off. i got a harp two days ago, and play it plenty and all that, and even over the course of 48 hours i can tell that i’ve gone from that what-the-crap-do-i-do stage to something a little more substantial. maybe i’ll check off this goal once i can play a two-handed song off a music sheet well, something i’m having trouble getting around to.

so far, my advice is that a book on proper technique seems to be a must. there are so many ways to play it wrong that will give you werid buzzing noises, that will hurt your back, hurt your arms and wrists. actually, i’m pretty sure lessons are a must, but i don’t have the time or the money until the summertime, so i will survive without them. looking up ‘harpist’ on youtube also helps confirm that certain wrist motions or techniques are okay, so that bad habits don’t form.

it’s also neat how many contemporary techniques there are: making the harp sound like a xylophone, a guitar, a gong, other things too. i got a pretty bottom-of-the-line harp, light-weight, no stand, no pedals. i’m sure that soon i’ll regret the no-pedals thing, but at least it makes the harp portable (which is good because i’m moving out of my apartment in four months, then moving again four months after that). tuning it every time before i play isn’t a big deal, and it kind of insures that since i went to that trouble to play the harp now, i won’t stop in four minutes and go play nintendo wii. tuning it helps to take the harp seriously.

i got an instument so that i could get into songwriting, but i don’t want to rush it. i’ve composed a few tiny things but nothing i couldn’t have done on a piano. harp makes everything sound better though; the piano here at my parent’s house is pretty ditzy and untuned, so that helps too. as a result, any tiny composition i make up sounds pretty, but i think i have to convince myself to get way better at the technique before i get ahead of myself. there are strength, raising, posture, precision exercises that i need to get down pat; i should probably block of a part of each day for it. i’m usually most efficient at night, but i have roommates who go to bed early so i can’t make my practice time during the night. maybeee this instument will kinda reconfigure my daily routine, something i’d welcome.