Unusual Musical Christmas Gift by Terry Mack, musical explorer

My musical world is expanding in totally unexpected ways

For Christmas last year my creative and very supportive husband gave me a beautiful Celtic Harp. It has 22 strings from which you can play three octaves. Made from gorgeous dark rosewood, with elaborate carvings and trimmed with hand painted celtic knots, it is a beautiful instrument to behold.

But I don’t know how to play a harp. Hmmm. I thought to myself, I have heard that statement often enough as I am selling my flutes to people. Hmmm!!!!!. My first thought was that I would need a teacher, an instructor, someone well versed in how the harp makes sound to teach me how to tune it and play it. I was ready to run out, find an instructor and book my first lesson, but since it was Christmas day and I had a turkey to cook, that plan was set on the back burner.

HMMMM How does one go about learning to play an instrument without an instructor? I have been twiddling and fiddling with it, learning how to tune it and feeling my way along the strings striving to hear songs. This got me thinking about new flute players who happily take home their new flute excited about making their own music. It got me thinking about how difficult we make the process of learning to play our own music and how often we block ourselves with any number of excuses. While there are many good reasons to follow the formal process of musical instruction, there is a great deal to be said for learning to listen to your own music and express it through whatever instrument you find appearing in your life. This includes your own voice as well.

In playing my flutes, my guitar and now my new harp I have made a promise to myself.

That promise includes not being critical of my efforts as I am learning.

That promise includes a commitment to play every day.

That promise includes learning to listen, to the instrument, to the sounds around me and to my inner self.

That promise includes permission to freely explore how the instrument makes sound embracing the squeaks and discordant sounds and celebrating the good sounds.

That promise includes not waiting until a teacher shows up but to take my baby steps with the instrument and let it teach me.

And the scariest part of that promise is to move past the fear that has gripped me about being able to play, sing or make music in any way.

I have spent over 40 years of my life finding reasons not to make music, telling myself that I wasn’t musical but despite that, musical instruments keep appearing in my life. I may never become a world renowned harp player, guitarist or flute player but I will enjoy the journey of learning, the joy of hearing my music and the absolute delight of inviting others to take the plunge into finding their own music.

And now I get to meet the music that lies inside of that beautiful harp.

 

For fun you can play a virtual harp on line by clicking here:

http://www.playharp.com/index2.html or by visiting http://www.playharp.com