Harp Writing Tipsšµ
The Virtual/MIDI harp and how to anticipate the acoustic sound
Hi friends,
Thereās something about spring that screams ācleaning.ā Yes, Iām doing that for my actual house, but Iām also tackling the long-overdue project of cleaning up my harp tips blog. Between migrating my website and some duplicate posts, the blog is due for an overhaul. Since I do have nice archive, the next several harp tips will probably be derived from some of my older blog posts. This weekās harp tip somewhat humorously compares the sonic differences between the MIDI harp and the acoustic harp.
In this email:
Harp Tip: Comparing the MIDI/Virtual harp with the acoustic harp
Score Reviews and Consults-coming soon
Q&A (submit some questions!)
Harp Writing for Composers course update
Harp Tip: Comparing the MIDI/Virtual harp with the acoustic harp
Back in 2022, when I started offering harp consultations to composers, everyone seemed to comment āwow, that sounds so different on the real harp.ā
Besides the obvious timbral differences, the primary distinction you will hear between your notation software and the acoustic harp is the treatment of the harpās resonance, especially in the lower registers. Notation software generally does not account for the way that different strings will resonate for different lengths of time, as well as the fact that most harp strings are never actually muffled and will ābleedā into other notes and phrases.
This video is old, but includes a somewhat stark comparison of the two.
You might not always have the opportunity to hear an in-progress work on the harp, but if you understand the differences in resonance between the registers of the harp, you can anticipate some of the differences.
If youāre curious, here is the link to the original blog post. (Feel free to leave a comment there to help my SEO!)
If you need a refresher on the harpās resonance throughout the registers, you are in luck! I just recorded a YouTube video on this topic and hope to have it released in the next few weeks.!
Score Reviews and Consults-coming soon
If youāve been interested in getting feedback on your harp writing, either through a score review or Zoom consult, I hope to offer these again next month. Iāll likely only offer a limited number each month (due to the new baby), so if you have a specific project or deadline in mind, feel free to go ahead and reach out via email. Iāll prioritize those requests first before I reopen the reviews for purchase on my website.
Q&A
Do you have questions about writing for the harp? Submit your question here for the Q&A column of this newsletter! Iām also planning out my next batch of YouTube tutorials, so feel free to submit topic requests for those as well.
Harp Writing for Composers course update
My course, Harp Writing for Composers, has been on hiatus for the past year, but Iām excited to announce that enrollment is again open! This course is designed for composers with little to no experience writing for the harp and covers the essential principles of composing effectively for the modern pedal harp.
This course is self-guided with 5 video modules, includes guided prompts on writing a harp solo, AND includes feedback from me on your solo upon completion. Each module should take you 1-2 hours and it is recommended to complete the course within 5-6 weeks. However, you will have lifetime access to all the material in the course (plus any future updates), as well as access to periodic alumni-only Zoom workshops and office hours.
Feel free to email with any questions!
Until next time,
Danielle
Danielle Kuntz, MM, BM Harpist | New Music Curator
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