A decade or so ago I taught myself to play the harp. All the notes are in order, in a line, similar to a piano, and they repeat. I was okay on it.
My biggest stumbling block was that I have no depth perception. One of my eyes wants to see far and the other close up, so when my brain had to choose one it chose close up & gave up on the other, which gave me a wandering eye.
Although my childhood until age 8 meant glasses, patches, and more visits to the optometrist than I can remember, and we corrected the direction my eyes point, I still have never been able to perceive depth. (Those damn magic eye posters!)
Learning to play the piano was a lot easier than learning to play the harp. At least the keys are all laid out. When I started with the harp I had to tilt it slightly so I could see the strings in a row in order to find the right notes.
If I'd stuck with it longer and with more diligent I might have been able to develop the muscle memory to hold it properly, but as it was I just played it as an accent instrument and only ever wrote a handful of songs on it.
In 2019 I was on tour out west and decided to leave the harp at Betsy Tinney's house, thinking I'd be back for it soon. 4 years and one pandemic later, I picked it up from her house this summer and realized I was ready to pass it along to someone who would play it.
I don't believe in hoarding instruments. Instruments are meant to be played. If all they do is hang on a wall (or sit in a museum case) what's the point of them? There are so many people who can't afford to buy even one. Music is for everyone.
I loved my harp from Harpsicle Harps but I love even more that it is being played again (thank you Jen Midkiff) by kids who really want to learn how to play. I get just as much joy knowing it's not sitting in a closet somewhere than I did with it in my hands.
Ladies of the Moonshine show (Oakville)
Photo by Terry Debono
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The Wee Folk Club (Toronto)
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Moonshine Cafe songwriter showcase (Oakville)
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Moonshine Cafe open mic (Oakville)
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Lilac Dell at the Royal Botanical Gardens (Aldershot)
Photo by Karl Stahl