Instructions for harpists

The following pages are from the book The Complete Chromatic Harp by Donald Hall.

The choice of these chapters assumes that the reader does not play the harp at all, so commences with a brief guide to playing on the diatonic row of strings. For the reader who is already a harpist, proceed directly to the next chapters, which introduce you to the notions of trichords and tetrachords; the three finger and four finger patterns which constitute the entire basis  of the technique. It is the combination of these two fingering patterns which produces all the scales, major and minor, as well as many of the modes,  thus allowing you to find your way around the instrument and begin to play melodies.
            The notation for all of the examples and exercises mentioned in the text, are to be found at the end of the chapters. This is to make it easier to print them off and put them in front of you on the music stand without all the clutter of the text.
            Subsequent chapters take you through each of the major keys, with their relative minors, one by one, then go on to deal with the playing of three and four part chords and arpeggios, octaves, as well as the fingering for pentatonic, chromatic, blues, jazz, Arabian and Persian modes.For further information on these subjects, please feel free to contact the academy.

First chapter.          Preliminaries. Playing the ordinary harp.
Second chapter     Trichords      Three finger patterns.
Third chapter         Tetrachords   Four finger patterns.
Fourth chapter       Notation of exercises and examples.

CHAPTER FIVE - THE TRICHORD

A trichord is any set of three consecutive notes with intervals of either a tone or a semitone between them. It is a word made up for our purposes, not to be confused with the actual music terms tritone or triad, and derives from the word tetrachord, referring to four consecutive notes.

Together trichords and tetrachords, that is three note and four note fingering patterns, constitute the basis of our technique- all the major scales which we are about to explore are made up solely of these patterns, as are the majority of fingering patterns for melodic lines in major keys. With minor keys, chromatic scales and passages and modes, with which we will deal much latter, the two fingered thumb/index finger pattern is often used as well. In fact, trichords are the entirety of the Spanish technique on this instrument, reflecting the early music style of playing with only three fingers. (See the chapters covering the history of the instrument and the Spanish Method).

All of the ten points which are listed at the end of the previous chapter, covering the basics to be observed to develop a good technique, must be rigidly adhered to throughout the whole book, and, except in the cases where one or another point needs to be given special mention, I shall avoid the tyranny of pedantry by not endlessly repeating what has already been said a number of times. You will find that most difficulties you experience are because some basic element of technique is being overlooked, not because the instrument is awkward.

 For the first time, we are going to move onto the chromatic row as well as the pentatonic row with which we are already familiar. Since these are three note patterns, we get three types of trichords; those with all of the fingers playing on a single row, (the key of C major), those with two fingers on the diatonic row and one finger on the chromatic row, and those with one finger on the diatonic row and two fingers on the chromatic row. Since we have already covered trichords of the first type in the previous chapter, we commence here with trichords of the second type.

TRICHORDS FOR THE RIGHT HAND ON BOTH ROWS

1.         Begin by placing the third, index and thumb on the middle B. C. D of the harp. Ensure that the placement of the third is as close to the cusp as possible, taking advantage of the space between the intersecting strings to move up as high on the B string as is practical. Although your fingers are reaching downwards, you should feel as though there is some slack in them; that they are not at full stretch.

2.         Play in ascent and descent.

3.         Keeping the thumb and index static, extend third down onto the B flat string, which is waiting there, comfortably in reach.

4.         Feel how accessible, natural and easy the move is by repeating it a number of times. See Ex. 17.

5.         Play down the trichord, ensuring there is an evenness of tone on both rows, and that third is closing into the palm of the hand after plucking.

6.         If you find index is hooking, try lifting the thumb slightly higher.

7.         Play in ascent, feeling the grip that you can get on all the strings, to pull the notes out of them.

8.         Feel how effortless the transition from one row to the other is, and try to feel the line through space that these fingers form.

9.         Try the passage up the octave.

You are now in a position to explore the other trichords, type two, that is, the other places along the strings where this fingering is able to replicate itself on the layout of the strings. If you let your third finger rest on each of the pentatonic strings in succession, you will see that a series of five trichords will extend from each note once the index and the thumb are added. These will be presented with sharps and flats according to the major scales in which they appear, and are all as easy and playable as the trichord already played. The fingering remains constant, but you will feel that there are slightly differing spans for the fingers to bridge.

Trichord 1.  B flat C D.

Trichord 2.  E flat F G.

Trichord 3.  C sharp D E. See Ex. 18.

Obviously, there are more of these trichords- F sharp G A and G sharp A B, It is worth being able to play them, but they are not as useful as the others- you rarely would use them in the fingering of any major or minor scale, and because in terms of fingering, these two trichords present dead ends, you rarely use them in playing a piece of music. Their importance lies in the fact that they are the base position for other trichords of the third type and sometimes tetrachords.

With trichords of the third type, you will find that the third and index are sitting on the chromatic row and the thumb alone is on the diatonic row. Therefore it seems easier to shift the focus of your placement on to the chromatic row, however, you must remember that it is your thumb, on the diatonic row, which is  actually your rudder, therefore you should place it first, then allow the index and third to slap down onto their respective strings.

1.         Place thumb on E, away from the cusp.

2.         Let index and third reach down to the D sharp and C sharp so that they fall at a distance from the cusp roughly the same as the thumbs. Your fingers and thumb should be comfortably extended, allowing for plenty of mobility for the index.

3.         Feel how the hand is beginning to play over the cusp.

4.         Play in ascent and then descent. Ex.19.

5.         Feel how solidly the fingers contact the chromatic row- it seems to be in the perfect spot for playing.

6.         Make sure the thumb is closing down after playing and that you are feeling and using the internal tension, or the pinch that is set up between the fingers and the opposable thumb, to generate  firmness of touch and tone.

7.         Place all fingers before playing, and remember to link all your notes.

Again, if you identify all the other places up and down the layout of the strings where it is possible to reproduce this fingering , you will have the trichords belonging to group three, which are notated for you in Ex. 20. As before, you will see that there are certain trichords for which we have little need. This is mainly because they all occur within the fingering patterns of the tetrachords, with which we deal in the next chapter.

Remember to apply neural patterning- the sooner you are able to see your technique at work in your mind’s eye, the sooner you will be able to see it in your music.

Trichords for the left hand on Both Rows

Again, although you will find three note patterns playing across the two rows in many places, you will find that we only require a certain number for the playing of our scales. As with the right hand, these trichords occur in three types, and the way in which they are approached in the same as we have already gone through for the right hand. The major difference is that this time, the thumb is finding its foundation on the chromatic row, and the fingers are falling down onto the diatonic row, an arrangement which seems slightly more rational and playable than the set up for the right hand.                                                                                                                             

The trichords belonging to the second group, that is, with one note on the pentatonic row and two notes on the diatonic row, in which we are interested are:-

Trichord 1.  A, B. C sharp.

Trichord 2.  C. D. E flat.

Trichord 3.  D. E. F sharp

Trichord 4.  G. A. B flat.

These are all notated in Exercise 21. Remember to use the music when you are doing the exercises, to get yourself accustomed to the processes of sight-reading.

1.         Place your fingers on the diatonic row trichord A. B. C.

2.         Raise the thumb, extending it onto the C sharp string.

3.         Play the trichord in ascent and then descent.

4.         Bring the fingers right in to the palm.

5.         Feel that vital tension between the fingers and the thumb, and feel how you can harness it for strength and grip.

6.         Feel the natural ease of the passage.

7.         Keep the tone even between the rows.

8.         Keep the thumb comfortably extended up and the fingers extending downwards at an angle.

9.         Repeat trichord in different octaves.

10.        Repeat the routine with the other trichords in this group.

Likewise with the trichords third type, since you are playing two notes on the chromatic row, you will find that your thumb placement must be sufficiently high to accommodate the index on another chromatic row string without it having to hook or become constricted when the thumb is down on its string. See Ex. 22.

1.         Place thumb on E flat string, far enough up to be able to fit index onto the D flat string very close to the cusp, right in between the strings. This should not be cramped, but long and free moving.

2.         Extend third down onto C natural. It should fall in an easy alignment where it can still play on the fleshy pad.

3.         Play in ascent and then descent.

4.         Feel how the forearm and elbow are harnessed to add strength and support to the hand.

5.         Keep the palm of the hand roughly parallel to the strings.

6.         You should have the sense of the hand playing over the cusp with the fingers favouring neither one row or another in their placement.

7.         Apply your neural patterning.

TRICHORDS - DOUBLE HANDED

In many cases, the trichord which the right hand plays in a particular scale, can be played simultaneously with the trichord for the left hand in that same key. See Ex. 23. These exercises are a good way of easing the brain into the bilateral demands of playing double handed scales, and provide you with an a good revision of the structural elements of the different keys. It is important that as soon as possible you be playing across both rows with both hands simultaneously, and these exercises are a prime way of doing that. Make certain that your forearm position is kept high at all times, that you are linking all of your notes in ascent or descent, and that the fingers are closing right in after they have plucked their string. Try the same passages in the different octaves, if you wish.

TROUBLESHOOTING

If you find that you are having difficulty with the trichords, try checking out the following points of technique:-

• That your forearm unit, comprising of the elbow, forearm and wrist, is lifted and in straight alignment.
• That the wrist is not caving in or dragging down.
• That the palm of the hand is parallel to the strings.
• That the thumb is placed sufficiently high to avoid the scrunching of the fingers.
• That the top, (distal) joint of the fingers is not caving in, but is strong and arched.
• That your preplacement is secure and the fingers are gripping into their strings with tenacity.
• That your downward passages are as sound as your upward passages.
• That the overall hand position is not too far from the strings.
• That you are stroking up the instrument with your plucking, with a slight sense of pulling out sideways.
• That you are not sliding off the pentatonic row, by ensuring that your hand is playing over the cusp.

CHAPTER SIX - THE TETRACHORD

TETRACHORD FOR THE RIGHT HAND

The tetrachord is formed by simply adding another note to various trichord positions. The word goes back to Greek musical theory where two tetrachords, piled on top of each other, became the basis for our western scales and modes (as well as those of the Middle East, with the colonizing influence of Alexander the Great.)

The tetrachords with which we shall deal extend only to those formed with the consecutive fingering of fourth, third, index, thumb. There are certainly much more exotic fingerings for surviving various passages on the chromatic harp, but these all occur very naturally and logically within the context of straight-fingered tetrachords- they happen automatically within the turnovers and turnunders of extended passages and moving between tetrachords and trichords.

Since there are four noted involved, naturally there will be four different species of tetrachords. The best way to illustrate these is with what I call the core tetrachord for the right hand. See Ex. 24.

1.         If you place your fingers covering the diatonic tetrachord F. G. A. B, then you have tetrachord type one.

2.         If you drop the fourth onto the F sharp; producing F sharp. G. A. B, then you have tetrachord type two, where one finger in on the pentatonic row and the remaining three are on the diatonic row. If you have trouble with constriction, lift the position of the thumb, and this will draw all of the fingers up into a straighter position.  Make sure third is placed closely to the cusp. Alternatively, you may find it easier to place all of the fingers closer together with the thumb only slightly raised, so that they are sitting together as a little gripping unit.

3.         Next, let third drop down to join fourth on the chromatic row, placing it on the G sharp, so producing  the tetrachord F sharp, G sharp A. B, with two fingers on the pentatonic and two fingers on the diatonic rows. Again keep the fingers extended, strong and mobile. The third should again find a position close to the cusp on the G sharp string, but without having to crook or twist. This tetrachord is most easily played if the thumb and fingers are all placed closer to the cusp; a slightly lower placement of the thumb results in the rest of the fingers grouping together in a closer proximity, thus making the transitions between the rows much easier. Note that it is possible to keep the fingers extended onto the strings, even when the thumb is in a lower placement. It is all to do with the wrist.

4.         Finally, let the index finger fall down onto the A sharp string, producing the fourth species of tetrachord with three fingers on the pentatonic row and one on the diatonic row. The thumb has plenty of room to move up the B string to find a comfortable alignment of the fingers.

5.         Play each of these in ascent and descent and in the various treble octaves.

This core tetrachord which is used in the construction of many keys, is useful not only as an introduction to the types of tetrachords, but is also a very valuable exercise to develop the differing finger placements of the tetrachord. Playing all four in repeated succession will give you a good grip on the minute adjustments required for each type of tetrachord. As you play through these, be careful that the fingers are doing the work, and that you are not moving up and down the strings with your entire hand to accommodate the chromatic notes.

There is a list of the other tetrachords belonging to groups two and three in Ex. 25. Work through these slowly and carefully, covering the second group successfully before you move onto the third group. The third group is actually much easier to play that the second group, because they do not have that awkward semitone to finger right in the middle of the tetrachord.

TROUBLESHOOTING

• You may initially feel a tightness or closeness of the fingering which occurs when one finger is playing on the pentatonic row, while the next finger in playing on the string at a semitone on the diatonic row (e.g. F sharp to G natural.)
• The solution to this is to open out the entire position of the fingers and hand so that you can see and feel a distinct angled line of the fingers spanning down from the thumb, nicely extended upwards, to the fourth finger, elegantly and firmly reaching downwards. This applies whether you prefer a close or extended placement of the fingers in relation to the cusp. You will run into strife if your finger positions are cramped and the knuckles of your fingers too bent.
• Try to keep the relaxed openness of the palm and fingers an active part of the technique.
• Ensure that the forearm position is unaltered, and elevated.
• Be certain that the fingers are following through to the palm of the hand, moving in a downward reaching arc, up into the hand.
• Develop an even tone by repeating each note in the sequence a number of times.
• Get the feel for the finger/hand shape of each individual type of tetrachord in this set by practicing them alone. Pay special attention to the distance fingertips are from the cusp.
• Make certain that the hand is playing above the cusp.
• Feel the continuity of each of these sequences; how naturally and easily each note follows the others, how there is a single plane across which the fingers move. Try to feel how the cusp and the two sets of strings unify with each other, producing the impression of a single dimension of movement. This is where the muscle memory developed through neural patterning, is far more helpful that visual memory, which in this case can only reinforce the complexity of the task.
• You may find it easier to play these passages in descent rather than ascent; this is because of the overall alignment of the hand. The more parallel to the strings, the more even the access of the fingers to both rows.
• Any problems with bunching of the inner fingers can be solved by either opening the position of the hand, by extending up and downwards with the thumb and fourth finger respectively, checking the elevation of the elbow- if it is dropped the fingers are compromised, keeping the palm parallel to the strings, or straightening out the knuckle action of the fingers so that you are not hooking, but using the top joint of your fingers more effectively. Your knuckles should move down not up, when you play.
• Remember to apply your neural patterning.

TETRACHORDS FOR THE LEFT HAND

With the left hand, the core tetrachord is again F. G. A. B, but down an octave. You will see that there is a sort of mirror effect with the fingering of the tetrachords formed by the left hand, with the resulting tone rows being completely different in each hand.  This is the beginning of the two lane highway that your brain must acquire to play the chromatic harp. See Ex. 26.

1.         Place fourth, third, index and thumb on F. G. A. B. The thumb should be placed as close as possible to the cusp.

2.         Let the thumb reach up for the B flat, without the other fingers changing position. You will need to place the thumb well up from the cusp so that the index finger has room to play on the pentatonic row as well in subsequent tetrachords. Play up and down. Feel the natural convenience of the position of the strings, and the easy logic of reaching them.

3.         Keeping the fourth and third in position on their strings, reach up with the index finger to place it on the A flat, with the thumb on the B flat. If you find it is having to crook, try placing it more precisely right in between the G and A strings, as low down the A flat string as possible, or lifting the thumb higher to provide more playing space on the A flat string, or lifting the placement of third on G as close to the cusp as you can, while reaching downwards with the fourth on the F. Play up and down, remembering to link all the notes, particularly the terminal notes.

4.         Place the fingers in the above tetrachord position. Keeping the fourth finger in position, lift index to place it on the G flat, more familiarly the F sharp. If you have any trouble getting it there, lift the entire hand position higher. You will see that there is plenty of space on the F string for the fourth to be able to take a very high positioning, giving a very comfortable alignment for the fingers. Play up and down.

5.         Play the tetrachords down an octave and up an octave then down to the lower octaves, ensuring that the wrist remains in strong alignment with the knuckles, across the top of the hand.

6.         Remember, with all your tetrachords to link the sets- before you pluck with either the bottom or top finger, make sure that the other three are down and preplaced.

7.         Play each type of tetrachord separately, feeling its particular shape alignment, and then in conjunction with one another. Make sure that each shape is secure within itself, and fluent in ascent and in descent.

8.         To develop tone and vibration control, play each note repeatedly before moving on to the next in the row.

9.         The hand should be playing over the cusp, with the sense of moving through a single dimension.

10.        You need to be playing on the fleshy pads of the fingers, or the sound will be boney. Remember, since this is the left hand where the strings are thicker and the intervals between them wider, you will have to pay special attention to your finger-work, both to balance the tone and volume with that of the right hand, and to avoid the possibility of damaging your fingers. Make sure that your arm unit is involved in contributing to loudness and strength of playing.

Ironically, the more complex keys are easier to play than the simple ones, which is one good reason to become familiar with them all at the one time. However, it is still wise to be able to be able to play one passage successfully before rushing on to the next.

You are now able to go on to explore the other tetrachords in the left hand. Again, we do not need all of them for our purposes, as some of them are chromatic. Exercise 27. takes you through the remaining useful tetrachords, again in terms of types two and three. Remember to apply your neural patterning at every stage of the above process.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Check the following points if there is any difficulty in playing the tetrachords:-

• You may be moving through the material too quickly. Try slowing down and revising the work you have already covered.
• Make sure that the arm unit is straight and firm, and that the wrist is actually supporting the hand through its stability.
• Make certain that you are plucking up the instrument with a slight pulling out from the strings.
• Ensure there is a regularly maintained angle that the four fingers form with each other. If one finger is working outside that alignment, the other three will be seriously compromised.
• Keep the palm parallel to the angle of the strings. This means, in the case of both hands, staying parallel to the bottom row of strings, which results in a slight lifting of the lower end of the top of the hand.
• Make certain that you are playing with a relaxed open hand, having the fingers comfortably extended rather than bunching up.
• Keep the thumb position lifted. Its exact placement can be the solution to a lot of fingering problems.
• Make certain that your left hand is strong from the start. It requires a good degree of muscular action and stamina to make the larger bass strings sound beautiful. You will need to be loud and firm with your fingerings.
• Get accustomed to the differing spans of different tetrachords by repeatedly playing them so that the brain takes on a neural plan for the different reaches required. Each tetrachord is a shape in itself.
• Try playing with the hand above the cusp.
• Alternatively, if you are having strife with particularly the tetrachords of group three, you might try slightly adjusting the overall height of the hand position, sliding a tiny way either up or down the pentatonic row to see if it opens up more space for the fingers on both rows. This tactic is sometimes useful on the narrow necked instruments which have a more acute angle for the fingers to transverse.

Before you continue any further, it is recommended that you become thoroughly conversant with the playing of every individual trichord and tetrachord, so that you can see and feel them in your mind’s eye, as Hamlet would say, and play them, ascending and descending, fluidly and evenly, without any sense of awkwardness or groping. If you have these fingering units at your technical disposal, you can literally race through the learning of the major and minor scales, as you will have already completed the most novel and different part of the technique. Every major scale and its relative minor, covered in the next chapter, is made up of one of these trichords combined with one of these tetrachords.

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Click the following list to go to other lessons

Exercises 2 - 5
Exercises 6 - 9
Exercises 10 - 13
Exercises 14 - 17
Exercises 18 - 21
Exercises 22 - 25
Exercises 25 (cont) - 27
Exercise 27 (cont)