I had a blast at Limetree thanks to a brilliant sound engineer. I cannot say how many times I have been on stage and the sound has been terrible - even after I have asked them to use a certain mic and told them the exact settings... I am the last to know as I am quite deaf - I only know if it sounds right by the reaction of the audience... A classic comment from Burnley the other week as my husband Dave tried to help the engineers, after they had blown up the pick-up in the harp and were frantically trying to stick mics into the harp as I was playing on the main stage - 'but we can't make it sound like a harp' - NO!!! - that is the whole point actually! They got it right for the last tune ...
I took my inspiration from a medieval poem about the storytellers who played harp after battles - their strings 'shook the floor'. The resonance builds up as you play and on single strung harps you can 'damp' it with either hand - not so on the multi-strung harp as you have separate strings for each hand. The trick is to have longer strings with a wonderful 'bass' tone and to damp as you play.
As I write I am about to go on the radio yet again - Radio Leeds 3-4 pm Bank Holiday Monday - The Making of the Symphony for Yorkshire. I am hoping that they are able to fit in some of my music that originally impressed Benjamin Till so much - I am adding this just after listening to it - and thank you Benjamin Till and Ian Clayton ... as my step daughter, Olivia, used to say 'you can't grumble at that' !!!
Oh yes, I nearly forgot to say - I am booked at Limetree 'every year' now!
Monday 30 August 2010
Thursday 26 August 2010
Magical Music
Actually managed to do some weeding yesterday in the garden due to the break in the weather. We're all waiting for decent weather. Two of my 'kids' (all in their twenties now!) more than most. My daughter is taking part in a gliding competition and my son is 'crewing' for someone in return for beer money ... Imaginations are running into overdrive as they try and distract themselves. Yesterday my daughter woke up sealed into her caravan with ropes and tape -mysteriously towed into the middle of the airfield - ha ha! I gather my son might find himself in a much 'worse' situation this morning - we await news!
Hoping for a less blustery gig this Saturday at Limetree. Thank you Sean for inviting me back! A lot of people think that solo harp may be a little soporific - NOT SO (for anyone who hasn't heard it live). I have literally spent every day (and sometimes night) for the past 7 years designing a harp, composing music and learning new techniques to produce music that blows your mind. 'Magical' is the most used comment ... See you there!!!
There's a feature on Limetree on BBC 1's Look North tonight - (Harry Gration called me the 'exotic harpist' at the Symphony Premiere - hmmmm!)
Hoping for a less blustery gig this Saturday at Limetree. Thank you Sean for inviting me back! A lot of people think that solo harp may be a little soporific - NOT SO (for anyone who hasn't heard it live). I have literally spent every day (and sometimes night) for the past 7 years designing a harp, composing music and learning new techniques to produce music that blows your mind. 'Magical' is the most used comment ... See you there!!!
There's a feature on Limetree on BBC 1's Look North tonight - (Harry Gration called me the 'exotic harpist' at the Symphony Premiere - hmmmm!)
Monday 23 August 2010
locked out
My Dad and me used to spend hours digging 'the moat' at the back of our house. It was a hunting lodge in the old Forest of Knaresborough used up until the end of the 14th Century. We laid out all the bits of pot on the dried up bank. He used to tell me this tale that we were beaten by a family who had a castle near Leeds in the 12th Century. This incident was always referred to as a deeply personal affront that still touched a nerve.
I have done a few weddings in this 'castle near Leeds' but this one was ruled by a certain officious photographer (and wife). None of the guests were allowed a drink and he clung to his list of photographs and executed the order with military precision. I had played for the Ceremony and followed the guests as quickly as I could to play for the drinks reception, outside, the weather was windy but dry. These medieval castles were built without doors - obviously. No point in making things easier for the enemy. I lifted the sash window and opened the shutters below and slowly manouvoured the harp through. I appeared into the backdrop of a perfectly ordered photograph of 'bride and groom and guests of the groom' ... and got shouted at. The guests ushered me through but the photographer looked daggers at me as I stumbled in long frock with harp down the stone steps. I found a 'seat' on the stone wall overlooking the terrace and started to play. Didn't even finish the first tune - the photographer informed me (via his wife) that he would need the whole wall to stand on at any time.
Nothing for it but to sit it out. I carried the harp round the other side of the castle and waited with the waitresses and trays of champayne (going flat). Eventually most of the guests got fed up and defected for a drink to the bar - which of course was on the other side and we couldn't go through the door so we all ended up walking round the moat, me with harp ...
Imagine my dismay when I arrived at the Museum of Photography for a spot on the radio this morning at 10 only to be told that they wouldn't let anyone in early for any reason and I had to walk all the way round (with harp) to the door nearest the radio staff to try and attract their attention .... grrrrr!!!!
(Mystic-Al is about 2 tones down - I tune the 122 strings up twice a day. Hand-Al, the much needed small, carriable harp has all its strings on and is due to start tuning up tomorrow. Dav-Al is looking fantastic, awaiting its last coat of lacquer.)
I have done a few weddings in this 'castle near Leeds' but this one was ruled by a certain officious photographer (and wife). None of the guests were allowed a drink and he clung to his list of photographs and executed the order with military precision. I had played for the Ceremony and followed the guests as quickly as I could to play for the drinks reception, outside, the weather was windy but dry. These medieval castles were built without doors - obviously. No point in making things easier for the enemy. I lifted the sash window and opened the shutters below and slowly manouvoured the harp through. I appeared into the backdrop of a perfectly ordered photograph of 'bride and groom and guests of the groom' ... and got shouted at. The guests ushered me through but the photographer looked daggers at me as I stumbled in long frock with harp down the stone steps. I found a 'seat' on the stone wall overlooking the terrace and started to play. Didn't even finish the first tune - the photographer informed me (via his wife) that he would need the whole wall to stand on at any time.
Nothing for it but to sit it out. I carried the harp round the other side of the castle and waited with the waitresses and trays of champayne (going flat). Eventually most of the guests got fed up and defected for a drink to the bar - which of course was on the other side and we couldn't go through the door so we all ended up walking round the moat, me with harp ...
Imagine my dismay when I arrived at the Museum of Photography for a spot on the radio this morning at 10 only to be told that they wouldn't let anyone in early for any reason and I had to walk all the way round (with harp) to the door nearest the radio staff to try and attract their attention .... grrrrr!!!!
(Mystic-Al is about 2 tones down - I tune the 122 strings up twice a day. Hand-Al, the much needed small, carriable harp has all its strings on and is due to start tuning up tomorrow. Dav-Al is looking fantastic, awaiting its last coat of lacquer.)
Friday 20 August 2010
call for help
Every now and then Dave's bones give way and he takes a nasty fall. The cancer has left him with osteoporosis you see. Well this week was one of those weeks. I found him trapped inbetween furniture and had to help him free himself. The agony of watching him try and unravel his limbs is bad enough - the real thing must be horrendous.
I dosed off in front of the telly and suddenly heard this faint, strangled voice shouting 'Kate'. It sounded twice before I woke up and realised he was calling. I ran toward the direction of the sound, up the stairs and along the corridor. When I reached the bathroom I was confused - nothing there. Then it sounded again - very clearly through the window - a sheep bleating....!
We have about 20 sheep and one of them has this very strange 'baaa' - any kids walking the footpath fall about laughing if they hear it and I was caught out well and truly by this one!
Dav-Al is looking amazing. We are just waiting for some water slide decals... They have to be stuck on and then it is lacquered. It has had 3 coats of undercoat, 4 coats of black paint, 2 coats of sparkle and is waiting for another 4 coats of lacquer. (Then I have to pluck up the courage to drill the holes for the strings....!!!!)
I am at Burnley Community Festival this Sunday afternoon. In the woodland tent and a spot on the main stage.
I dosed off in front of the telly and suddenly heard this faint, strangled voice shouting 'Kate'. It sounded twice before I woke up and realised he was calling. I ran toward the direction of the sound, up the stairs and along the corridor. When I reached the bathroom I was confused - nothing there. Then it sounded again - very clearly through the window - a sheep bleating....!
We have about 20 sheep and one of them has this very strange 'baaa' - any kids walking the footpath fall about laughing if they hear it and I was caught out well and truly by this one!
Dav-Al is looking amazing. We are just waiting for some water slide decals... They have to be stuck on and then it is lacquered. It has had 3 coats of undercoat, 4 coats of black paint, 2 coats of sparkle and is waiting for another 4 coats of lacquer. (Then I have to pluck up the courage to drill the holes for the strings....!!!!)
I am at Burnley Community Festival this Sunday afternoon. In the woodland tent and a spot on the main stage.
Tuesday 17 August 2010
opera singers anon
Well, I completely forgot to tell you that it's not me that does the opera singing - definitely not!!!
I have been accompanying James Hutton for about 10 years or so now. He lives in Stanbury near us and is officially a Baritone ... but has been known to sing Tenor on occasion. In fact he tells me his voice is getting higher and is trying to change the keys of a few tunes. I say 'trying'. It is sometimes impossibly difficult and takes a huge amount of time to change keys on the tripleharp. Every 'move' has to be planned and practised - not like the piano where you can learn your scales and it gives you a thorough grounding. Also whereas the piano has 5 'black notes' for every 7 'white notes' the multistrung harp has 7 for each!
Anyway, back to the point, James and I have a gig coming up in Haworth at Cobbles and Clay on 3rd September and will be dueting our mostly Neapolitan repertoire - with added bells ... hmmmm! (James wasn't sure at first but I persisted and the audience loved the added touch of flamenco.)
I am at Burnley Community Festival - on main stage and mostly in the Woodland Tent this Sunday. Last year I had a wonderful afternoon. Robin Shepherd was making his clogs and did a spot on his violin every now and then. Fantastic stuff. All my kids wore clogs for the first 5 years (alas the school couldn't stand the noise of them clattering across the wooden floors...).
More news of harps very soon - with pictures - amazing developments afoot ....
I have been accompanying James Hutton for about 10 years or so now. He lives in Stanbury near us and is officially a Baritone ... but has been known to sing Tenor on occasion. In fact he tells me his voice is getting higher and is trying to change the keys of a few tunes. I say 'trying'. It is sometimes impossibly difficult and takes a huge amount of time to change keys on the tripleharp. Every 'move' has to be planned and practised - not like the piano where you can learn your scales and it gives you a thorough grounding. Also whereas the piano has 5 'black notes' for every 7 'white notes' the multistrung harp has 7 for each!
Anyway, back to the point, James and I have a gig coming up in Haworth at Cobbles and Clay on 3rd September and will be dueting our mostly Neapolitan repertoire - with added bells ... hmmmm! (James wasn't sure at first but I persisted and the audience loved the added touch of flamenco.)
I am at Burnley Community Festival - on main stage and mostly in the Woodland Tent this Sunday. Last year I had a wonderful afternoon. Robin Shepherd was making his clogs and did a spot on his violin every now and then. Fantastic stuff. All my kids wore clogs for the first 5 years (alas the school couldn't stand the noise of them clattering across the wooden floors...).
More news of harps very soon - with pictures - amazing developments afoot ....
Monday 16 August 2010
Chinese Lanterns
We tried to launch one of those Chinese Lanterns last night. The weather conditions were 'perfect' just as the sun was setting. We struggled not to tear it as we wrote 'Happy Birthday Olivia, we love you, miss you and will never forget you'. Then we took it outside, following the instructions. It lit well, inflated and then the moment of truth! It went up ... sort of ... then drifted off towards Hebden Bridge and crashed! We will try again!
I finished putting the strings on at 9.30 pm last night - phew. Dav-Al is hung up in the rafters of the barn drying. A fantastic sight - one day there will a a whole row of them!! (Barn-Awls?)
Do you fancy a Night at the Opera - Haworth style? Informal with a glass of wine (or two), good company and lots of laughs - September 3rd - Cobbles and Clay - their telephone number is on the dates page
I finished putting the strings on at 9.30 pm last night - phew. Dav-Al is hung up in the rafters of the barn drying. A fantastic sight - one day there will a a whole row of them!! (Barn-Awls?)
Do you fancy a Night at the Opera - Haworth style? Informal with a glass of wine (or two), good company and lots of laughs - September 3rd - Cobbles and Clay - their telephone number is on the dates page
Sunday 15 August 2010
Fishing line but no fish
I am taking a break. It has just taken 3 hrs and 40 minutes to get the first 42 strings on. (another 80 to go - arghhhh!!) I had to take most of the pegs off another harp (which is second in line to be repaired). I use fishing line - not because I am a 'skin-flint' but because my harps are designed to sound different and to do this I have altered the lengths of the strings. All mathematics. When I asked the string manufacturers for quotes to buy rolls they wouldn't let me have them - only pre-cut lengths available. Huh!! Eventually a fellow musician who owned a fishing supplies wholesale company let me have every guage he had in stock!
Another problem I had was that I have to use harpsichord pegs to hold the strings onto the harp. To get more than one set of strings on the top (head) of the harp you have to be pretty organised - there isn't much room! The harpishord pegs have a standard width of hole in the end to thread the wire string through before you start winding it on and tightening it. The hole is much too small for the first octave of nylon strings. Solution ... to hammer the end of the string flat on an old shoe last and carefully cut a thin sliver off so it fits through!
As I write this the air is acrid because a local mill burnt down yesterday in Haworth, also Dave is outside spraying the first coat onto Dav-Al. Be patient Dave!!! He is so excited to see the finished result he worked till midnight in the barn the other night... (but I can't wait either!).
At Burnley Community Festival next Sunday - Queen's Park
Another problem I had was that I have to use harpsichord pegs to hold the strings onto the harp. To get more than one set of strings on the top (head) of the harp you have to be pretty organised - there isn't much room! The harpishord pegs have a standard width of hole in the end to thread the wire string through before you start winding it on and tightening it. The hole is much too small for the first octave of nylon strings. Solution ... to hammer the end of the string flat on an old shoe last and carefully cut a thin sliver off so it fits through!
As I write this the air is acrid because a local mill burnt down yesterday in Haworth, also Dave is outside spraying the first coat onto Dav-Al. Be patient Dave!!! He is so excited to see the finished result he worked till midnight in the barn the other night... (but I can't wait either!).
At Burnley Community Festival next Sunday - Queen's Park
Friday 13 August 2010
Making DavAl
Actually exhausted myself and overslept - usually up with the lark (or the cockrells on our farm). I have been finishing the new 'Elizabethan' quad harp, Mystic-Al and helping my husband, Dave, to finish the modern 'harp of all harps', DavAl. Thank you to all those who have asked when AngAl will be made.... and also my son who added when is FinAl going to be made!!! He has a point and I have struggled to make these harps as Dave is now realising. It is not easy. I have 2 re-makes, 2 harps to mend and am in the process of re-making HandAl, alongside MysticAl. THAT WILL BE IT!!!! My arms ache!!!
Talking of which... we ordered the specialist long drill bit so the drill is on charge! Today's job is to start drilling the outer string holes on MystiCal - reinforce the head with long screws and put together the soundboard of HandAl - a remake. This was the harp my daughter took to Oxford with her and caused a huge stir down there. It was then I realised I had some very serious 'fans' who were following my career, albeit from a distance and unknown to me. HandAl was very heavy and the soundboard wasn't brilliant so hence the re-make.
I am playing at the event Incredibly Edible Rossendale this Saturday 11.30'ish. Just past Kingfisher House on lhs coming out of Bacup on Rossendale road. All about growing yr own veg...
Talking of which... we ordered the specialist long drill bit so the drill is on charge! Today's job is to start drilling the outer string holes on MystiCal - reinforce the head with long screws and put together the soundboard of HandAl - a remake. This was the harp my daughter took to Oxford with her and caused a huge stir down there. It was then I realised I had some very serious 'fans' who were following my career, albeit from a distance and unknown to me. HandAl was very heavy and the soundboard wasn't brilliant so hence the re-make.
I am playing at the event Incredibly Edible Rossendale this Saturday 11.30'ish. Just past Kingfisher House on lhs coming out of Bacup on Rossendale road. All about growing yr own veg...
Tuesday 10 August 2010
proud to be widdop!
Last night we attended a meeting of the Aire Valley Vintage Machinery Club in Keighley. The talk was by Michael Laycock, formally of Widdop Engineering.
It was fascinating - really! The Widdop engineering works was HUGE and so well respected, even 55 years on. There were men there who had worked for 14 months, back in the fifties, and came up to me enthusing about their experience. Apparantly it was one of the best attended meetings - there was talk at the end of setting up a proper archive somewhere - I hope so. The engines were mainly for boats - from barges to trawlers and were legendary in their reliability.
I was touched to be treated with such respect by these dedicated engineers - as a harp designer - thank you!
Thank you also to the information about drill bits - will do!
It was fascinating - really! The Widdop engineering works was HUGE and so well respected, even 55 years on. There were men there who had worked for 14 months, back in the fifties, and came up to me enthusing about their experience. Apparantly it was one of the best attended meetings - there was talk at the end of setting up a proper archive somewhere - I hope so. The engines were mainly for boats - from barges to trawlers and were legendary in their reliability.
I was touched to be treated with such respect by these dedicated engineers - as a harp designer - thank you!
Thank you also to the information about drill bits - will do!
Friday 6 August 2010
Gluing the Laurel and Hardy way
It took a whole week to get the glue off my hands! I am making my new 'Elizabethan' harp, Mystical, with 4 sets of strings which means it will have a luted soundboard and therefore a different design. I started joining the top of the soundbox to the 'neck' of the harp and discovered a problem ... screws and drillbits are just not long enough. I tried to buy some - must be very specialist as the local DIY shop couldn't help. Nevermind I thought - I will use some of that expanding glue.....arghhhhhhh....(as it turned out).
The plastic container of glue had been put deliberately to the back of the cupboard after the last attempt. It sets so fast that I could feel that the top half was solid, but, if I sawed the bottle in half (I am impossibly practical - 'waste not, want not'). I thought I was prepared - a metal tray, old honey jar at hand to pour it into, masking tape and plastic stuck all over the harp, newspaper on the floor, etc etc.
Two hours later it had finally set hard and I had finished scraping all the 'runs' off the harp and had trimmed my hair from its new fashion of 'christmas-tree-like' baubles. It burst straight through the masking tape, managed to fill the tray and expand to the table and all attempts at keeping my hands clean were futile. ... BUT ... it did solve the problem ... however ... do I do this again or can a better method be found?
The plastic container of glue had been put deliberately to the back of the cupboard after the last attempt. It sets so fast that I could feel that the top half was solid, but, if I sawed the bottle in half (I am impossibly practical - 'waste not, want not'). I thought I was prepared - a metal tray, old honey jar at hand to pour it into, masking tape and plastic stuck all over the harp, newspaper on the floor, etc etc.
Two hours later it had finally set hard and I had finished scraping all the 'runs' off the harp and had trimmed my hair from its new fashion of 'christmas-tree-like' baubles. It burst straight through the masking tape, managed to fill the tray and expand to the table and all attempts at keeping my hands clean were futile. ... BUT ... it did solve the problem ... however ... do I do this again or can a better method be found?
Sunday 1 August 2010
Harpist - Look North
Had a really nice day , we took a walk into Haworth this afternoon after watching the BBC symphony for Yorkshire on the BBC website
Dave is off to collect some more wood tomorrow for a new fore pillar for the new harp
looking forward to seeing more on the news tomorrow
Look North BBC1 - 6.30pm
Dave is off to collect some more wood tomorrow for a new fore pillar for the new harp
looking forward to seeing more on the news tomorrow
Look North BBC1 - 6.30pm
A Symphony for Yorkshire
Well, we just heard it full blast on the computer (where everything is heard these days)! I am looking forward to actually seeing it again next week - Benjamin Till has huge creativity and sensitivity, not just for music and his ability to include a whole multitude of musicians and make them feel special - but wait till you see what he does with directing a camera ... You will see a steam train puffing in time to the music - done in one take apparantly! A beautiful girl with such a sense of fun blowing through her thumbs in perfect tune - on top of a bus! a surf board dancing in the middle of Sheffield .... Everytime you will see something different.
Things are tough for a lot of people out there at the moment, we are hanging on by a thread it seems but this will make you want to dance!!!! Looking forward to watching it next week - see you there!!!!
Things are tough for a lot of people out there at the moment, we are hanging on by a thread it seems but this will make you want to dance!!!! Looking forward to watching it next week - see you there!!!!
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