Finger articulation, placing and extended techniques
- Continue to develop a natural finger articulation, with greater fluency.
- Join placed passages with clarity avoiding raising the wrist
- Play 3-note chords of various intervals with fully closing hands. Explore rolling the chords.
- Play, at a steady pulse, a variety of passages that have more rhythmic independence between the hands, maintaining coordination between the hands
- Play rhythmically and fluently, arpeggiated passages using three fingers passing between the hands at a variety of tempi
- Use consistent fingering within all passages
- Play single-note harmonics in both hands
Demonstrate to learners the phrasing implications of particular choices of fingering, along with placing as opposed to coming off the strings. Demonstrate the differences and discuss optimal sound.
With learners, discuss the best fingering choices to enhance fluency and maintain clarity.
For pedal harp, encourage careful practice of pedalling, aiming for as quiet a sound as possible.
Introduce two-octave scales, demonstrating the fingering used. Explain the importance in ensuring that the three-finger grouping remains in the same location within every scale.
Show learners the movement required for three-octave divided arpeggios, i.e. moving the left hand over the right, maintaining the same raised thumb position in a rising central line.
Remind learners of the importance of maintaining an even tone within the third octave.
Demonstrate glissandi using graded dynamics. Encourage playing rising glissandi with the right hand and descending with the left hand with fluency.
Explore rolled chords, beginning with playing an arpeggio and gradually increasing the tempo. Explain and demonstrate some simple exercises to ensure that all notes within the rolled chord are evenly played, both in terms of rhythm and tone.
Accent weaker notes within the rolled chord as an exercise to strengthen and even out the sound.
Demonstrate single finger harmonics in both hands, explaining how the position of the lever (and, for pedal harp, the pedal and consequently the disc) impacts the location of the harmonic.
It is important for the learner to move the hand away after executing the harmonic to allow for projection of sound.
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