My favourite tips (plural!) were not to gradually open your hand as your approach the string, "plop" decisively, and consider changing the fingering. Thank you for the helpful tips! :)
Plop decisively! Which also means having the fingers hit in the right position, not sliding down/up into position. Great tips! I’ve watched four of your videos today, this one is the best one today for fundamentals.
All of your tips hit home Christy-Lyn! As usual as soon as I am wondering about something concerning my harp playing...VOILA. You come up with a video for it! It’s uncanny! THANK YOU THANK YOU. I’m off to practice the PLOP...
Fabulous info, Christy-Lyn! 🙏 Thank you. I tried the plopping trick and it worked like magic. Who knew conquering the buzz gremlin was that simple. Now to master it...
Changing the fingering will probably be the most helpful to me. I'm getting buzzing the most with big 4 finger arpeggios that reach a full octave. That low C to middle C stretch always does it. I think I'll try to break those up into two bits until I'm more advanced.
Wonderful as usual, Christy-Lyn. I have buzzing in one piece I have been trying to play (for the piano). You have convinced me, it is the arrangement and NOT me!
I find that buzz comforting sometimes when I hear it. I did not previously know that it was considered bad. I always wondered how you made that happen.
Very nice thanks Christy I went spontaneously looking to fix this and I went to pretty much all your tips The most helpful tho is like you said change the fingering in some part! Well done
Great video. I have buzzing especially on lower notes. The longer the string the tension seems less... I have also only begun playing two months ago so I guess I need to work on finger placing a lot! Also just got the Pamela Bruner first book for playing harp beautifully.
Thanks for the great tips! I love the “plop!” I’m still working on consistent confident and accurate placement. So important, especially with the closer strings of the Harpsicle. And why is the left hand always more difficult?! Argh! 😂
Hehe so true!! Even for left-handed people, surprisingly! I think it might have something to do with the fact that you can’t see those finger tips because they’re blocked by the back of your hand 😝
Wonderfull tips! I have a Harpsicle and struggle a lot with buzzing. My favorite tips are: - pop technique -change fingering (as you also suggested in your video-lesson of “Hallelujah”
Thank you so much for this video, now I understand why I am buzzing!! I'll practice the exercises. The plop and placing all finger at the same time are the most useful tips. I will work on these.
Thank you so much for these helpful tips. I'm a new beginner so my technique needs help. It is so wonderful to have your video to refer to. Buzzing may be the least of my worries at this time but it's important to know that's a common problem and there is a solution.
All of your tips are very useful! The best one for me is to be 'decisive' when placing my fingers on the strings. I also have a problem keeping my 3rd finger down (instead of up) when placing a 4-2-1 chord. Since my fingers are fairly long, I'll try to play those chords with 3-2-1 if possible. Thank you for another excellent video!
This was so helpful! I'm in fairly beginning stages of learning to play the harp, and there's a different problem I've been having a lot, but I haven't found any videos that address it. If I have a 4-note succession in one hand with at least a 3rd between each note, say, C-E-G-B in the right hand in 8th or quarter notes, as I first pluck C with finger 4, the finger often accidentally plucks D along with it, and then finger 3 often accidentally plucks F along with E. I've really been making sure to properly place, to have fingers down, thumbs up, and to close into the base of the palm.
Great explanation of the problem! Once you have placed your four fingers in that shape, try moving the palm of your hand a bit closer to the column of your harp and see if it helps to get a cleaner pluck. Let me know if that helps!
These are really helpful tips and exercises. I’m definitely going to try them out since buzzing is still a regular companion of my harp playing. Especially around the wire strings... not pleasant ;) Tip 3 is probably the most important for me... and I noticed that I often place my fingers and then slide them down on the strings to the right position... I do that a lot. So I’ve got to work on that. Thank you for another great video! They are so beneficial for my harp journey! Greetings :)
Hi Jasmin! I'm glad you found that helpful. Many of my students have struggled with that too - it just takes determination and practice to overcome. You can do it!!
Some other difference to playing piano: on the harp it's sometimes easier to play successive notes of a (slow) melody legato with just one finger instead of different fingers. Personally I find the plopp sound almost as irritating as the buzzing ^^
@@LearningtheHarp It already helped me to get aware of this plopp-allergy :-) I will try to avoid muting sounding strings where ever it's possible to avoid it. Sometimes it is really vital to mute strings - of course!
The other thing to keep in mind is that the audible plop sound is not a permanent thing, it’s a practice strategy to make it audible and noticeable. Once you get skilled at placing decisively by practicing plopping, you will start placing only a millisecond before you play, and the sound of the notes playing will cover the sound of the plopping, so that it won’t be noticeable anymore. So I would suggest still practicing this strategy to become more accurate, and then just work on placing last-minute before you play. Does that make sense?
@@LearningtheHarp Yes, this absolutely makes sense! I have a special piece were the left hand is very critical with muting notes and I already tried for a long time placing the fingers in the last millisecond possible. It's very tricky, but it's getting better.
Thanks for the tips!! To me, the plop thing was the most useful tip! I realized I usually go slower than I should, instead of doing plop! I'll practice the exercises as you said.
@@LearningtheHarp Exactly! And remind yourself that it's supposed to be fun, not a chore. In the end what you want is to be able to play a piece in a way that's satisfying for you (and therefore your listeners)
Absolutely! Not nearly as fun working on one piece for months just to get difficult fingering right, compared to getting it up to performance level and then sharing it!
These are very helpful tips. And I have watched your videos on finger placements and the basic rules so that we can progress. But when you talk about changing finger placement, at what point are we at a level to do this without jeopardizing our future speed and advancement? I mean I am learning the basics but there’s a song I have been working on and I can’t think of it off the top of my head (maybe when I find it I will bring it up again). It I believe it was with another harpist who uses the 4 finger to do repetitive notes. I am trying to stick with the way you teach, and only you, because I am finding there are others who break your rules pretty consistently. For example, you state repetitive notes should be done with finger 2. So maybe I play with 1 then switch to 2 for two more notes on same string. But another person does 1-1-1. So is this right or wrong? Or are rules made to be broken? 😉
Actually that was rom my wie Emilia, who aparently was using my account by accident. However, I will say that you are pretty cool rom the little bits that I have heard in passing.@@LearningtheHarp
I'm having a problem with my new harp. It's only ONE string, so it's not that I'm doing something wrong. If I were, it would be on more than one string. Playing After The Rain, the middle C sounds awful. All the rest of the notes sound right. It's twangy and weird sounding, but it's tuned exactly to middle C. I checked over and over because it sounds so off. I don't know what to do. I don't know if there's something wrong with the harp. That one note sounds just awful. Edit: it's not a buzz. It's a twang. And even when I isolate that one note it sounds terrible. It doesn't matter which finger I use and it doesn't happen on any other note.
Oh no, that sounds frustrating! I’m sure we can figure it out. Can you check if perhaps the lever is slightly engaged? Sometimes the lever is pressing against the string slightly and it makes that horrible sound. Let me know if it’s that! What type of harp did you get? If we can’t figure out the problem, it’s a good idea to contact the harp maker because they’re usually very happy to help! 🤗💕
Hi again! I have to go to bed now, but if you’re looking for help from people in multiple time zones so you can have some company while you try to figure this out, I would suggest asking the community on the Activity Feed at www.learningtheharp.com 😃 Once you make your free profile you can interact with our lovely community members and ask a question (similar to Facebook), and usually there are a few people who will reply and try to help! I know how urgent it can feel when you’re excited in the beginning phases, and I don’t want you to feel alone, but I’m not going to easily see your replies here. Another place you could go for help is on our Facebook group, “Learning the Harp Together”. All the best, I hope it gets sorted soon!! You’re going to have so much fun with your harp, I’m so excited for you! ❤️❤️❤️ Sending love, Christy-Lyn
@@LearningtheHarp I did check for the lever possibly being partly engaged and it isn't. I tried that when I was trying to troubleshoot it. I was hoping that was the cause. It's a Harpsicle, so the strings are definitely floppy, but I'm not having any buzzing. I'm not a huge fan and will want a different instrument eventually.
@@LearningtheHarp I've made a profile and already registered for the monthly membership. While I was waiting for my harp I watched MANY harp videos and I decided beforehand that I wanted to learn from you. You're a very gifted teacher! After The Rain is very clever. I see exactly what you're trying to teach with that song. It's brilliant because it covers a number of basic exercises, but in a song form which is so much more interesting for students!
These a very helpful tips and exercises! I’m definitely going to try them out since buzzing is still a regular companion of my harp playing, especially around the wire strings... not pleasant ;) Tip 3 is probably the most important for me and I noticed that I often place my fingers on the strings and then slide them down to the correct position... I do that a lot, so I’ve got to work on that too. Thank you for another great video! They are so beneficial for my harp journey. Greetings :)
❓Question of the day❓ Which is your favourite tip? Let us know in the comments below!
Open, plop. Thanks a lot!!!
i guess I am quite randomly asking but does anyone know a good place to stream newly released movies online?
@Miller Odin Lately I have been using flixzone. Just search on google for it =)
@Alex Kobe definitely, I have been using FlixZone for years myself =)
@Alex Kobe thank you, I went there and it seems like a nice service =) Appreciate it!!
My favourite tips (plural!) were not to gradually open your hand as your approach the string, "plop" decisively, and consider changing the fingering. Thank you for the helpful tips! :)
Plop decisively! Which also means having the fingers hit in the right position, not sliding down/up into position. Great tips! I’ve watched four of your videos today, this one is the best one today for fundamentals.
Glad you found it helpful!
This is exactly what I needed!
Wonderful!! 👌🏻
By far the most usefull for me was the insight that I am still opening when placing. Thanks!
All of your tips hit home Christy-Lyn! As usual as soon as I am wondering about something concerning my harp playing...VOILA. You come up with a video for it! It’s uncanny! THANK YOU THANK YOU. I’m off to practice the PLOP...
Ooh fantastic!! All the best with your plopping 😂👌🏻
Thank you! I've learned more from this video than from a series of lessons.
Fabulous info, Christy-Lyn! 🙏 Thank you. I tried the plopping trick and it worked like magic. Who knew conquering the buzz gremlin was that simple. Now to master it...
Woohoo!! 😃🤩💕
Very helpful to learn “the decisive plop” 😀 Wonderful!
I forgot I called it that 😂👌🏻
Changing the fingering will probably be the most helpful to me. I'm getting buzzing the most with big 4 finger arpeggios that reach a full octave. That low C to middle C stretch always does it. I think I'll try to break those up into two bits until I'm more advanced.
Good luck!
Wonderful as usual, Christy-Lyn. I have buzzing in one piece I have been trying to play (for the piano). You have convinced me, it is the arrangement and NOT me!
Plopping! I need to be more decisive in my placement. Thanks for this very helpful video!
Great! You'll see a big change when you do that! Such a pleasure :)
Thank you! great tips - my favorite is to be decisive with placement. PLOP not plop maybe.
Tip Nr. 3 was the most helpful one for me. Thank you!!!
thank you for that... for me the best is change fingering. xx
Great! Go for it :)
The being more intentional with your finger placement is super helpful - I thought it was just me 😊
I find that buzz comforting sometimes when I hear it. I did not previously know that it was considered bad. I always wondered how you made that happen.
I´m starting to learn the harp and all these tips are so useful! Thank you!
Very nice thanks Christy I went spontaneously looking to fix this and I went to pretty much all your tips
The most helpful tho is like you said change the fingering in some part!
Well done
That's wonderful! I'm glad that you found the solutions :) Yep, sometimes it's intimidating to choose fingering, but it's definitely allowed!
Extremely helpful video for a common problem.
Thanks Omar! Glad you enjoyed it :)
This was extremely helpful! Thank you so much for videos. You are amazing.
Such a pleasure! 💕
Great video. I have buzzing especially on lower notes. The longer the string the tension seems less... I have also only begun playing two months ago so I guess I need to work on finger placing a lot! Also just got the Pamela Bruner first book for playing harp beautifully.
Thanks for the great tips! I love the “plop!” I’m still working on consistent confident and accurate placement. So important, especially with the closer strings of the Harpsicle. And why is the left hand always more difficult?! Argh! 😂
Hehe so true!! Even for left-handed people, surprisingly! I think it might have something to do with the fact that you can’t see those finger tips because they’re blocked by the back of your hand 😝
Wonderfull tips! I have a Harpsicle and struggle a lot with buzzing. My favorite tips are:
- pop technique
-change fingering (as you also suggested in your video-lesson of “Hallelujah”
Tip 3 is the most useful for me. Love the plopping!
Thank you so much for this video, now I understand why I am buzzing!! I'll practice the exercises. The plop and placing all finger at the same time are the most useful tips. I will work on these.
All the best with the practicing!! I’m so pleased this helped you understand what to do 😃👌🏻
Really helpful, thank you. The one I found the most helpful is the one about using ‘plop’ when placing notes or chords. Felicity.
Thank you so much for these helpful tips. I'm a new beginner so my technique needs help. It is so wonderful to have your video to refer to. Buzzing may be the least of my worries at this time but it's important to know that's a common problem and there is a solution.
All of your tips are very useful! The best one for me is to be 'decisive' when placing my fingers on the strings. I also have a problem keeping my 3rd finger down (instead of up) when placing a 4-2-1 chord. Since my fingers are fairly long, I'll try to play those chords with 3-2-1 if possible. Thank you for another excellent video!
Awesome! Hope it helps :)
This was so helpful! I'm in fairly beginning stages of learning to play the harp, and there's a different problem I've been having a lot, but I haven't found any videos that address it. If I have a 4-note succession in one hand with at least a 3rd between each note, say, C-E-G-B in the right hand in 8th or quarter notes, as I first pluck C with finger 4, the finger often accidentally plucks D along with it, and then finger 3 often accidentally plucks F along with E. I've really been making sure to properly place, to have fingers down, thumbs up, and to close into the base of the palm.
Great explanation of the problem! Once you have placed your four fingers in that shape, try moving the palm of your hand a bit closer to the column of your harp and see if it helps to get a cleaner pluck. Let me know if that helps!
These tips are great! My favorite is replacing DECISIVELY. Can't wait to try it out on a piece I am working on now. Thanks, Christy-Lyn! :)
Have fun!
These are really helpful tips and exercises. I’m definitely going to try them out since buzzing is still a regular companion of my harp playing. Especially around the wire strings... not pleasant ;) Tip 3 is probably the most important for me... and I noticed that I often place my fingers and then slide them down on the strings to the right position... I do that a lot. So I’ve got to work on that. Thank you for another great video! They are so beneficial for my harp journey! Greetings :)
Hi Jasmin! I'm glad you found that helpful. Many of my students have struggled with that too - it just takes determination and practice to overcome. You can do it!!
Thanks for putting this together Christy-Lin. I will add those finger exercises to my practice.
your music got me buzzin but in a good way! ;)
😂👌🏻 Thanks Rumil! How are things on your side?
@@LearningtheHarp staying inside 😬 how about yall??
Some other difference to playing piano: on the harp it's sometimes easier to play successive notes of a (slow) melody legato with just one finger instead of different fingers.
Personally I find the plopp sound almost as irritating as the buzzing ^^
Oh no... 😱 haha! Not sure what else to suggest for you then 😆
@@LearningtheHarp It already helped me to get aware of this plopp-allergy :-) I will try to avoid muting sounding strings where ever it's possible to avoid it. Sometimes it is really vital to mute strings - of course!
The other thing to keep in mind is that the audible plop sound is not a permanent thing, it’s a practice strategy to make it audible and noticeable. Once you get skilled at placing decisively by practicing plopping, you will start placing only a millisecond before you play, and the sound of the notes playing will cover the sound of the plopping, so that it won’t be noticeable anymore. So I would suggest still practicing this strategy to become more accurate, and then just work on placing last-minute before you play. Does that make sense?
@@LearningtheHarp Yes, this absolutely makes sense! I have a special piece were the left hand is very critical with muting notes and I already tried for a long time placing the fingers in the last millisecond possible. It's very tricky, but it's getting better.
Thank you, I really needed this.
So glad it was helpful :) If you've gotten a chance to implement some of these tips, how are things going?
Thanks for the tips!! To me, the plop thing was the most useful tip! I realized I usually go slower than I should, instead of doing plop! I'll practice the exercises as you said.
Yay, glad it was helpful! It's something that lots of people don't know about, so you're not alone ❤️
Thanks a lot Christy-Lyn.
Thanks for all the comments, Jacomien. You’re a star! 💕
Loved 4 and 5! Sometimes the notes or fingers are just not working for you and that's ok. Also 1 obviously 😁
Haha :) Sometimes you just need permission to do what works for you, hey?
@@LearningtheHarp Exactly! And remind yourself that it's supposed to be fun, not a chore. In the end what you want is to be able to play a piece in a way that's satisfying for you (and therefore your listeners)
Absolutely! Not nearly as fun working on one piece for months just to get difficult fingering right, compared to getting it up to performance level and then sharing it!
Thank you. I’m going to try to change the fingering for my harp and see if that helps with the buzzing 🙂
Cool! Let us know how it goes :)
Learning the Harp with Christy-Lyn! Ok :)
would you make a vid on dampening strings please? thanks x
Oh my gosh this helped so much ty
Oh yay! That’s brilliant!! 😃👌🏻
These are very helpful tips. And I have watched your videos on finger placements and the basic rules so that we can progress. But when you talk about changing finger placement, at what point are we at a level to do this without jeopardizing our future speed and advancement? I mean I am learning the basics but there’s a song I have been working on and I can’t think of it off the top of my head (maybe when I find it I will bring it up again). It I believe it was with another harpist who uses the 4 finger to do repetitive notes. I am trying to stick with the way you teach, and only you, because I am finding there are others who break your rules pretty consistently. For example, you state repetitive notes should be done with finger 2. So maybe I play with 1 then switch to 2 for two more notes on same string. But another person does 1-1-1. So is this right or wrong? Or are rules made to be broken? 😉
Place your finger boldly.
Love this video thanks, you're so cute hehe "plop" hehe.
The other lady fingers horizontal, but u said fingers pointing down which one is better?
wowwwwww you are amazing
Thanks Jody!
Actually that was rom my wie Emilia, who aparently was using my account by accident. However, I will say that you are pretty cool rom the little bits that I have heard in passing.@@LearningtheHarp
One of my strings is buzzing when I have the lever engaged.
Aw that’s a bummer! It can be quite easy to adjust though, it probably just needs to be regulated.
I'm having a problem with my new harp. It's only ONE string, so it's not that I'm doing something wrong. If I were, it would be on more than one string. Playing After The Rain, the middle C sounds awful. All the rest of the notes sound right. It's twangy and weird sounding, but it's tuned exactly to middle C. I checked over and over because it sounds so off. I don't know what to do. I don't know if there's something wrong with the harp. That one note sounds just awful.
Edit: it's not a buzz. It's a twang. And even when I isolate that one note it sounds terrible. It doesn't matter which finger I use and it doesn't happen on any other note.
Oh no, that sounds frustrating! I’m sure we can figure it out. Can you check if perhaps the lever is slightly engaged? Sometimes the lever is pressing against the string slightly and it makes that horrible sound. Let me know if it’s that! What type of harp did you get? If we can’t figure out the problem, it’s a good idea to contact the harp maker because they’re usually very happy to help! 🤗💕
Hi again! I have to go to bed now, but if you’re looking for help from people in multiple time zones so you can have some company while you try to figure this out, I would suggest asking the community on the Activity Feed at www.learningtheharp.com 😃 Once you make your free profile you can interact with our lovely community members and ask a question (similar to Facebook), and usually there are a few people who will reply and try to help! I know how urgent it can feel when you’re excited in the beginning phases, and I don’t want you to feel alone, but I’m not going to easily see your replies here. Another place you could go for help is on our Facebook group, “Learning the Harp Together”. All the best, I hope it gets sorted soon!! You’re going to have so much fun with your harp, I’m so excited for you! ❤️❤️❤️ Sending love, Christy-Lyn
@@LearningtheHarp I did check for the lever possibly being partly engaged and it isn't. I tried that when I was trying to troubleshoot it. I was hoping that was the cause. It's a Harpsicle, so the strings are definitely floppy, but I'm not having any buzzing. I'm not a huge fan and will want a different instrument eventually.
@@LearningtheHarp I've made a profile and already registered for the monthly membership. While I was waiting for my harp I watched MANY harp videos and I decided beforehand that I wanted to learn from you. You're a very gifted teacher! After The Rain is very clever. I see exactly what you're trying to teach with that song. It's brilliant because it covers a number of basic exercises, but in a song form which is so much more interesting for students!
🤩
What’s not to love about you?
These a very helpful tips and exercises! I’m definitely going to try them out since buzzing is still a regular companion of my harp playing, especially around the wire strings... not pleasant ;) Tip 3 is probably the most important for me and I noticed that I often place my fingers on the strings and then slide them down to the correct position... I do that a lot, so I’ve got to work on that too.
Thank you for another great video! They are so beneficial for my harp journey.
Greetings :)
Glad you enjoyed them, Jasmin! Such a pleasure, I hope it makes your playing even more enjoyable!