Play the music not the instrument...

Harps are such funny little instruments and often they live within a repertoire all of their own. This is kinda cool in a way and part of what "being a harpist" is all about - you're own private magic music, only to be made by other harpists. The problem is that it leaves you isolated and without links to other musicians (except other harpists). So you have to take the harp to other musics and in doing so you can take the harp into other scenes and settings.

The harp doesn't work like any other instruments and you and your fellow music makers have to be very careful to leave space for each other. There are somethings it naturally does brilliantly and some that it does very badly indeed! The challenge is to figure out what you can do with what you've got.

My favourite people who are the playing the music, not the harp, are...

Mary McMaster & Donald Hay with their recent cd
Uschi Laar - amazing jazz compositions
Michael Rooney - Irish traditional music excellence
CatrionaMcKay - in anyone of her ensembles but mostly Starfish

All tbese people transcend their harpiness and step into a bigger realm. Often the harps aren't so clear to hear because of the other instruments present and so harpists per se are not necessarily so enamoured. But all of these folk exist in a bigger setting beyond the harp world, get to share their music more, get to be beyond themselves just a little more. That sounds like an excellent place to be.