This past weekend was a big one for us in the United States. Not only were we celebrating our July 4th Independence Day as we do every year, but it was an anniversary year for us, our 250th. The parties were more festive, the fireworks more explosive, and all of the celebrations focused on freedom and independence.

I talk often about independence, but naturally I'm usually talking about Independence of our fingers or hands in our harp playing. A key focus of every harpist's technical practice is developing more independent motion of the fingers and more independent playing of the hands. We want our fingers to be able to be equally strong, capable, flexible and expressive. We want our hands to be able to work together to create the music.

But today, I'm going a slightly different direction. I want to talk not about the independence of our hands, but about the interdependence of our hands. It's not a battle where each of our hands is fighting for independence from the other, even if it feels like that physically at times.

I think it's more to the point to consider the way our hands make music together. This goes beyond trying to figure out how one hand will do one kind of fingering while the other hand does something entirely different. This is about the role that each hand plays at any given moment in a piece of music, how each hand fits into the overall musical picture.

So what I'd like to explore with you today is a more musical approach to our two-hand coordination, one that goes beyond the usual "hands separately, hands together" practice plan. I'd like to show you three distinct ways our right and left hands work together in a piece of music. You'll see how this could completely change the way you practice, with the result that you'll get to the expressive quality of the music more quickly and, I believe, with much less struggle.

There is a lot of practical information that we'll cover, but remember this is really just about putting the music first, about seeing a little - just a little - beyond the notes to the bigger musical concepts. Don't think this doesn't apply to you because you're just a beginner or you only play a specific kind of music. Wherever you are in your harp journey, if you haven't learned this way of looking at music before - and I'm betting you haven't - you're going to be so glad you listened to this episode today.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• Join Compose for Christmas and get the best holiday head start ever!
• Register for the Chrysalis Music Workshop
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at podcast@harpmastery.com

Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-269

There are lots of ways to get our music ready for the holidays. Yes, I know it's only July and we have months to prepare, but that's actually the point. You could wait until the week before your first Christmas gig in December to practice your music, and I have to say that there were times in the past that was my strategy. As you might imagine, it isn't a course of action I'd recommend.

Or you could try the standard Christmas in July method. You learn your holiday music in the summer and then try to hang onto it until the holidays eventually come around. Granted, it's a much better plan than waiting until December, but as a preparation strategy it leaves a lot to be desired. If you've learned your music by the time summer ends, what do you do with it for the next three months?

Naturally, there are a lot of different approaches you could take, and some of those are going to feel more natural to you than others, just based on your personal practice preferences. There are external influences that might play a role as well. For instance, perhaps this is the year that you have ben asked to play Britten's Ceremony of Carols for the first time. The difficulty and scope of this piece will require a more focused approach than standard church or party holiday music.

While I used to be fairly undisciplined in my approach to my own holiday repertoire preparation - and believe me, I paid the price for it more than once - I am unwilling to let my students suffer the same way. So I have a few "always" ground rules and a couple of "never" caveats that I try to share with them. These have their roots in my own learning the hard way.

However, I also have a system that seems to work pretty well for most of my students. The odd thing is that I haven't really told any of them about it. We've used the system but I've never given it a name before. So here it is, making its official debut: my 5-4-4-3 plan for holiday music preparation. My students will recognize it, or at least most of it, and I hope this will organize more clearly what we have talked about already. If you haven't studied with me, I'm happy to share this with you for the first time ever.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• Join Compose for Christmas and get the best holiday headstart ever!

• Register for the Chrysalis Music Workshop

• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at podcast@harpmastery.com

Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-270

In 1782, Mozart was corresponding with a fellow composer about the art of composition. Mozart made the point that the true essence of music lies not only in the notes themselves but also in the spaces between them. That thought was echoed a century later by Claude Debussy who said, "Music is the silence between the notes."

Silence is powerful. One part of the power of silence is its ability to define the notes around it. The spaces between the notes create rhythm. Lengthening spaces create a ritardando. Shortening spaces create an accelerando. Actual silence, created by a rest in the music, causes tension that is only relieved, or possibly heightened, by the next note.

For us harpists, creating silence as we play is challenging. Our music naturally rings and resonates as each string is played. In those moments when we need to stop the sound, it becomes a physical and intentional act. We create silence on purpose.

But what of those moments between the notes, when we want a note to sustain and to hold the tension into the next one? Do those moments need special attention? I believe they do.

So today, I'd like to explore the two different kinds of silence we harpists have to consider: what each means and what we need to do to observe those silences with artistry and musicianship. And as we get started, here is another quote to let roll around in your mind. It's from Kate Kennedy's book, Cello: A Journey Through Silence to Sound. She writes this: "Silence is the opposite of music, but it is also its lifeblood — the breaths between the phrases, the drama, the anticipation, and the quality of the breathless hush between final note and applause."

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• Join the Compose for Christmas Challenge

• Register for the Chrysalis Music Workshop

• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at podcast@harpmastery.com

Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-268

As I look back on my childhood and my very first music studies, I realize that I was incredibly fortunate, blessed, actually. Not because I was gifted or because my parents were not only willing but were able to support my harp lessons. Not because I was in one of the music capitals of the world and had access to world class teachers. Not because I had so many opportunities and people that encouraged me along my journey.

Well, yes, I was blessed because of all those things, certainly. But I want to talk today about a different gift that was given to me, one I didn't realize the value of until much later. The gift was this: I was always encouraged to play music outside the box. Let me explain.

I started piano lessons when I was four years old, and my piano teacher was not only a fabulous musician, but a creative and generous teacher. My lessons included all the usual piano exercises - which I hated - and sonatinas - which I loved - and she also made sure that she gave me performance-worthy arrangements of popular music. I played arrangements of "Blue Moon" and "People" from Funny Girl and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" that were written by pianists like Roger Williams. These were fancy arrangements that took quite a bit of technique and a lot of practice to play well, and I enjoyed them.

But my teacher never stuck exactly to the printed page. She always had some alterations to add a little more pizzazz to the arrangement. We were always taking bass notes down an octave or playing another part up in the high register like a music box, or changing dynamics and tempo. What she taught me was that music was self-expression. It was about so much more than just playing the written notes. It was about making the notes say what you thought they should say.

Please understand; we didn't take liberties with the classics. She made sure I played absolutely every note that Bach wrote on the page. But I learned very early on how to be creative in my music-making, and that has been a tremendous gift. I've never shied away from arranging, and in fact, it's one of my favorite things to do.

I'd love every harpist to learn the freedom of making their music their own, and that's what this show is about. I actually went back about two years into the podcast archives to pull out this episode which speaks directly to this. If you've ever wondered about what it takes to make an arrangement, or how to go about it, this is the episode for you. And afterwards, I want to tell you about an opportunity - a new challenge, in fact - to work with me on your own arrangement.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• Get creative with the Compose for Christmas Challenge

• Go even further at the Chrysalis Music Workshop

• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at podcast@harpmastery.com

Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-267

I don't know if you've ever had this experience, but there's something that happens when you realize that you have to shift your understanding of someone. It's a little unsettling, as if that person belonged in one little box in your mind and now you find out it's been the wrong box all along, and in fact, they don't really belong in a box at all. Your appreciation of that person takes on new meaning and your friendship finds a new level.

I found that kind of new level with my good friend and esteemed colleague Dr; Louis Anthony deLise, who is my guest on today's show. Louis and I became acquainted because we were both part of the freelance musical circles in Philadelphia, where I knew him as a percussionist. I didn't discover that his real metier was composing until much more recently and not only has that deepened our friendship, but it has brought a lot of new and wonderful music into my life, for which I am very grateful.

Louis is one of my collaborators on the Chrysalis Music Workshop event for flutists, harpists, and composers that is happening this September in New Jersey. So I thought this was the perfect moment to introduce him and his music to you. As you listen to our conversation, I want to you listen for the words that he uses as he describes composing and composers and musicians, words like adventure, experiment, game, and heart. You have heard me use those kinds of words often, so I know you'll understand why I value my work and collaboration with him so highly.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• Register now for the Chrysalis Music Workshop

• Listen to To Dance With You by Louis Anthony deLise on Soundcloud

• Purchase Celebrations! sheet music

• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at podcast@harpmastery.com

Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-266

Let me start by saying that technique was a struggle for me. You may have heard me talk before about how my double-jointed fingers wouldn't do what my teacher wanted, let alone what I wanted. I had been playing the harp for nearly ten years before I was able to develop proper mechanics, to make my fingers play with the form and strength necessary for the level of playing I aspired to. Granted, I was still a teenager at the time, so my fingers have endured decades of technical work beyond that, but I want to tell you that harp technique is still something I work on daily, not because I want to, but because I have to.

It's true that our technique gets stronger and more reliable over time. That's the good news. The more we focus on developing the proper mechanics, along with flexibility and speed, the more dependable our technique becomes. However, the results of our technical work can leave us in a moment.

There is a well-known quote attributed to the celebrated violinist Jascha Heifetz about this very thing. He said, "If I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it." Granted that most of us aren't playing regularly in the same concert halls that Heifetz was, but we notice the same disheartening phenomenon: our technique requires constant attention.

I'm going to make a big assumption here, that you don't have hours every day to spend on your harp technique. Frankly, I don't either. I have to put time into my technique daily, but it's never as much time as I'd like, or as much time as my technique needs. But having spent years working through my own technique challenges and guiding students through the ones they face, I have three specific aspects of technique that many of us don't spend enough time on.

These are three very specific and actually very basic technical skills. If you pay attention to these three things, you will be on your way to solving many common technique glitches that prevent your music from flowing the way you want. These aren't cure-all remedies. They are three basic skills that truly matter to your playing. Most exercise books include them, but they don't tell you why they matter. That's what I want to tell you today.

Here's the thing: if I simply told you what the skills were, you'd probably dismiss them, thinking you already know how to do them, or at least two of the three. The difference comes once you know why they are so important, what they really mean for your playing. Even better, when they show up in a piece you are learning, you'll spot them and know exactly how to make that tricky passage smooth. Are you intrigued a little, maybe a lot? I hope so.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• Missing the Live Monday Warm-Ups? Click here to join My Harp Mastery to keep the momentum going!
• Blog post on octaves mentioned in the show: Play Better Octaves Today!
• Podcast episode #64 on scales: Spice Up Your Scales for Technique, Flexibility and Speed
• Finger Independence for My Harp Mastery members: Advance Level of Build, Extend, Advance Course.
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at podcast@harpmastery.com

Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-265

Here are some numbers to give you a little perspective before I introduce my guest today. The average length of a marriage in the United States is 20 years. Business partnerships don't do nearly so well, with nearly 70% failing within the first five years. We are not a society geared toward longevity.

But musical partnerships are different from business partnerships and certainly different from marriages, although they certainly have elements of both. My own musical collaborations tend to be quite longlasting, and the one I'm going to share today has not only survived, but grown and prospered and is now in its 40th year. That's right - that partnership is celebrating its ruby anniversary this year. And I'm proud to say that this partnership has been one of the most meaningful in my life.

So it's about time I introduced you to my musical partner of 40 years, my flutist friend Joan Marsh. Together Joan and I have performed and recorded together since 1986. Our partnership as the duo SPARX has been a constant through the births of our children and now our grandchildren. It's been there through our own marriages, house movings, individual playing commitments, individual business ventures and countless hair styles.

While in this conversation, we share all the usual details about how we came together, our duo history over these 40 years and why our partnership is still so important to us, I want to make sure you understand this one point: a shared musical journey is more rewarding than you can imagine, if you haven't tried it, and vastly more rewarding than we will be able to tell you. But we're going to try.

One of the reasons I want to bring this to you today is that together with our composer friend, Louis Anthony deLise, we have created a new event that speaks directly to the joy of making music together, and in the course of our conversation, we will tell you all about it.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• Learn more about Chrysalis Music Collaborative Workshop
• Live Monday Warm-Ups and Practice Labs are now exclusive to My Harp Mastery members. Join now with this discounted link so you don't miss out!
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at podcast@harpmastery.com

Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-264

There are plenty of things that make me feel old, for instance, when I remember that I used to have to go to the library to do research or that I didn't know who was calling me before I answered the phone. Here's another one that makes me feel positively ancient, and I promise you I'm not that old: I remember my mother handwriting music that my teacher wanted me to learn but was out of print. We didn't have easy access to a copier, although sometimes my dad could make a copy at his work. So, if I needed a piece of music that wasn't very long, my mother wrote it out for me. That feels practically Stone Age now.

When I started arranging music and publishing it back in the 1990"s, there were two programs that most composers had to choose between - Finale and Sibelius. I chose Sibelius on the recommendation of one of my teaching colleagues at Curtis, and I still use it today. It had a pretty steep learning curve when I first started, and it is still a powerful program that takes a little while to figure out, probably too long for a casual user.

In the years - okay, decades - since then, many more music notation programs and apps have come along, some of them as powerful, or nearly so, as the flagship programs, and for the most part, much simpler to use. This has meant that anybody with a modicum of patience for things technical can produce a professional-looking copy of a piece of music. That means progress for composers and arrangers.

It also means progress for any of us, even those of us who just want to learn to play the harp better. That's because these apps aren't just for writing down music you've composed. They can also be useful practice tools.

So on today's show, I'm going to give you my take on three of the most popular and most user-friendly music notation apps, explaining the best features and the potential deal-breakers of each. I'll also share some strategies to use these tools to help you in your harp playing, whether you are interested in composing, arranging, or just a little curious.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• For My Harp Mastery members: Bob Dexter's Musescore Presentation
• Love the Monday Warm-ups? Use this limited time discount to join My Harp Mastery so you don't miss out.
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at podcast@harpmastery.com

Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-263