Happy New Year! It’s January 1st, 2024, and I thought I’d take a moment to look back at all the videos I posted on YouTube in 2023. It can be nice to take that moment to look back and be reminded of what one has achieved during the past year, as well as looking ahead towards what the new year may bring.
21 Harp Tuesday episodes in 2023
The last time I wrote a post like this was, I think, in January of 2021. I found it interesting to look at the different categories the episodes fell into and it gave me some ideas for future episodes. Hoping this post will do the same :)
My goal is always to do a Harp Tuesday episode every other week, which means about 26 episodes a year. In 2023 I didn’t quite manage that during a year filled with travel and performances. Still, 21 is not bad.
The episodes fell into 4 broad categories: technique, specific pieces, harps, and issues, with some overlap (for example the first episode of 2023 was a look at harmonics, using a Bach Chorale as a way to practice them – so it was both an episode on technique and on a specific piece).
Technique – I’ve covered so much over the years, but I still managed to find topics to cover this year! This included things that I might have mentioned in passing in other episodes, but that got an episode to themselves this year. In chronological order:
Practicing Harmonics
A Fundamental finger exercise – being able to play ANY finger while the rest of the fingers are on the strings. A fundamental skill that is covered in the Paret First Harp Book for example, or of course the Renié method but which I hadn’t specifically covered before.
Left handed/one handed exercises
Play in the middle of the strings
Standard interval fingering
Glisses – Paret’s Swinging
What are pedal charts?
Figuring out pedal changes
I think in the end a nice mix of topics.
Then, music specific episodes. These hold a special place in my heart – the first two Harp Tuesday episodes were in-depth looks at A Ceremony of Carols and Dancing Day and I always enjoy doing a deep dive into a piece of music. This year I covered 11 different pieces:
Practicing Harmonics (Bach Chorale)
Mozart Sonata 11*
Grossi Pozzoli exercise 1
Paret Rondo
Paret Deep in the Forest
First page of Godefroid’s Etude de Concert
Practicing Chopin*
Paret Swinging
Hasselmans’ Rouet
Figuring out pedal changes (Carol of the Bells)
George Winston’s Carol of the Bells
Some overlap, as I mentioned, with Paret’s Swinging both being a look at how to play it, as well as a look at how to play glisses in general. I think this year had a good mix of easy and advanced pieces. I put a star by the Mozart and Chopin episode – for the Mozart, I’d been looking forward to doing that episode for quite some time! (Several years). I finally edited and published a music video of the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 11 and to coincide with it did a deep dive into the various changes and suggestions I have for playing Kastner’s excellent transcription.
And the Chopin episode was another favourite – it was not only about Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude but also more broadly about the power of recording oneself and listening back as a way to polish and improve a piece (as well as refine and improve ones ear).
Practical/Harps:
Carbon Fiber harp interview
Installing a pickup
Pickups – thoughts
Flying with a harp (thanks for all the great comments/stories that were posted on this episode!)
A few episodes this year dealing with harps/the practical side of owning a harp. See also the two live-streams I did about re-stringing and regulating my Camac Excalibur.
And finally, a couple episodes talking about broad issues:
Why I (generally) talk between pieces
Flying with a harp
Looking at all the topics and categories, for 2024 I have in mind to do some more broad topic episodes. And as always I’d LOVE to hear any suggestion on topics that you might have!
Harpist in the Wild in 2023
As 2023 started, season 4 of Harpist in the Wild was in full swing! January and February saw episodes 5-9 published, with the final episode featuring a part to camera filmed in New Zealand.
Episode 5, Bach Lute Prelude (UK)
Episode 6, Calanais by Carol Kappus (Italy)
Episode 7, Handel Harp Concerto, 3rd Mvt (Austria)
Episode 8, Bach’s Gavotte and Rondo (Czech Republic)
Episode 9, Granados Spanish Dance No. 5 (Canada)
I had a chance to visit and film in New Zealand, Australia, and Japan in February and March of 2023, and thanks to a bunch of help this turned into season 5 of Harpist in the Wild which just finished airing, and also featured 9 episodes.
Forgotten Summer
Dyades Duet
The Little Fountain
Pistache
Vanille
Le Dodo
The Last Rose of Summer
Chopin Nocturne
Fantasy on Greensleeves
I just did a live-stream talking about the season and sharing some extra footage, and I’m working on a longer “travelogue” video. It was wonderful to visit and film at so many amazing places!
A Hike with my Harp E – this video wasn’t part of a season of Harpist in the Wild, but more of a standalone short adventure
Music videos!
I also posted 6 music videos – both live performances and music videos filmed here in my studio:
Music videos:
Mozart’s Sonata No. 11, K.331 (First Movement). Love this theme and variations!
Andante from Bach’s Organ Sonata No. 4. An addicting piece to play, this was part of my concert program in New Zealand. I’m just about to publish the sheet music for it!
George Winston’s version of Carol of the Bells (Shchedryk) – I grew up listening to this from Winston’s December album and I discovered a few years ago that it works very nicely on the harp!
Live performances:
Nordic Spaces from a live performance in New Zealand
La Danse des Sylphes from a live performance in New Zealand
Renié’s Piece Symphonique from a live performance in Germany (such an amazing piece! I will be performing it in my Australian/New Zealand tour in 2024).
Live-streams
I already mentioned these, but thought I would collect them in one place – I did 3 live-stream (non concert) events this year:
Re-stringing my Excalibur
Regulating my Excalibur
Stories from season 5 of Harpist in the Wild
Final numbers:
21 Harp Tuesday episodes
15 Harpist in the Wild episodes (counting the hiking video)
6 Music videos
3 Live-streams
45 total videos – nearly 1 a week in 2023! I have lots more planned for 2024, thank you so much for watching, and special shout-out to all the helpers at the various locations who made season 4 and 5 of Harpist in the Wild possible, and to my patrons and other supporters! Bring on 2024 :)