#harpatx

[angelicstrings]

Amazing weather this evening at the Villa! #lessstress #puffyclouds☁ #concertharp #viola #weddingmusic #harpatx (at Villa Antonia Event Venue Austin, Texas)

[angelicstrings]

The concert harp in the sanctuary #merrychristmas #harpATX #angelicstrings (at Central Christian Church, Austin Texas)

[angelicstrings]

Romantic evening wedding 12/09/16 at Mercury Hall. Bride's music was 'Be Thou My Vision', 'How Deep the Father's Love for us' and 'Ode to Joy' as the recessional. #harpATX #angelicstrings #viola #love (at Mercury Hall)

[angelicstrings]

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Christmas music! Frosty the Snowman🎄🎻🎼🎄😇 #harpATX #angelicstrings #haveharpwilltravel (at Town Square Park, Steiner Ranch)

[angelicstrings]

Church music & Eric Clapton :)

Realized today while practicing vocals for a wedding next Friday 3/6/15 (harp+vocals by me) that I could practice piano instead of harp.  :)  Practicing the standard hymn "Come Thou Font of Every Blessing" on piano gives me three major advantages over practicing with harp: 1) I get to practice piano... & get one more piano song memorized. 2) I get to practice my vocals verryyyy sssslowwwwlyyyy... which is what my voice needs right now.  Last week I fought off a cold that dropped my voice down to the Johnny Cash range.  Just gentle coaxing & stretching on easy vocal lines.  (which would be VERY boring on harp since I can play the piece blindfolded). 3) It may get me ready to someday help a church out with their piano needs.  I'm not sure why church harpists are not more common because the concepts of harp & church & angels traditionally go together... you don't hear many comments about angels playing piano in heaven, do you?  Whatever works though.  :) 

The other piece I'm working on for our 3/6/15 wedding is vocals for "Wherever You Go", but up a step to the key of C.

Last night I memorized "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton on harp (with vocals).  I'm making serious progress on "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond... the harp part is fine, & now just need to finish memorizing the vocal line.  Both are recent requests, & turn out to be really straightforward songs.  The way Eric Clapton writes lyrics is so different than my own method.  To me, that's really neat.  I like knowing there are so many different ways to write beautiful music.

Jurassic Park is starting to come together (finally).  And Zelda's "Great Fairy Fountain" piece for a fall wedding on Concert harp is now fairly solid.  :)

[angelicstrings]

Going to California

Very nicely amazed with how beautiful "Going to California" by Led Zeppelin is on my Celtic harp.  Obviously not a wedding song... unless maybe they are moving to California.  I have a friend of a friend who loves the song, and that's my excuse to prepare & memorize it.  I definitely have loved & still love "Going to California", & am very glad to have a reason to work on it.  It's about 60% memorized after two days.  Working on that in addition to memorizing the lyrics, melody & chords to "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg... in addition to my normal shenanigans. 

Practiced piano yesterday, and went through the beginning of "Minnie the Moocher", the Cab Calloway & Irving Mills song from "The Blues Brothers".  My brother, Steven, had obtained "The Blues Brothers Souvenir Songbook" while we were still in high school.  Just playing this song for fun though.  This song is definitely not appearing on my harp or piano in a public performance anytime soon... however much I love the song, which by the way... is quite a bit.  Hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-ho!

Love me some "Peter Gunn" though... which I had learned on Concert harp so many years ago.  It would probably take me several weeks to relearn that one.  Very tricky on a Concert harp... or at least it used to be. 

I have a piano (& viola) gig coming up this week.  Just popped in my lap.  I do so love a well-tuned piano, & not having to carry an instrument to a gig.  It's like "Oh wait... you mean you have an instrument like a harp, but it actually has ALL the notes of the chromatic scale, AND I don't have to carry it around, AND it's significantly easier to sing & play at the same time, AND most of my memorized romantic music for harp is played effortlessly & easily AND still sounds magical.  I'm so there."  :)

Meditation tonight on Shaiko-hachi.  Love me some deep peaceful Native-American style flute music.  :)

[angelicstrings]

November Rain youtube

Possible clients with a definite song request - so I went ahead and recorded a rough version of November Rain.  I was surprised how beautiful the song sounded, as I just hadn't been exposed to this awesome Guns 'n Roses song.  It definitely translates well to harp, & I can definitely hear possibilities of other instrumentation too.

This week I published an older 2014 short clip of "Just Dance (by Lady Gaga)" on harp & had this notice on twitter messages:"

Lady Gaga Fans and 6 others followed you

"

Though I definitely appreciated the follow by "Lady Gaga Fans" on twitter, I imagine I'll get unfollowed eventually as "Just Dance" is currently my only Lady Gaga song; though I do love Lady Gaga.  I just don't get much call to do Lady Gaga at weddings (or retirement homes or fine-dining establishments). 

For example, when I previously had published "One Love (by Bob Marley)" I was followed briefly on youtube by a reggae fan... but, he went away after the next three songs weren't reggae.  No worries though mon. 

Best wishes always from Angelic Strings  : )

[angelicstrings]

Low D Pennywhistle - coming in February :)

Just confirmed a ship-date on a really nice Low D pennywhistle that my Aunt Fran ordered me for Christmas delivered next month (mid-February 2015).  Really looking forward to it.  Check out the sound of his Low D (scroll down a bit on this page).  I have a very low quality pennywhistle, and honestly I wouldn't use it except as a baton.  This one is going to rock.

Recorded "November Rain", & transferring the video to my mac to examine.  The speakers on my video camera are ... insufficient.  A few minor stumbles in my performance, but I don't think anything most people would hear.  Forgot to record "Super-Mario Bros. Theme", so I'll do that Thursday or Friday. 

Sent out most of the price requests & scanned contracts out from the Austin Bridal Extravaganza.  We have a few more complicated ones that I'll be double-checking before sending out.  What a great show it was.  :)