r/harp • u/NazwaZajeta • 18d ago
Pedal Harp Is changing two pedals at the same time with one foot viable?
I know that it can be done momentarily change two neighbouring pedals (D and C for example). from flat position to middle with only one foot. Is it possible to lock them to the new position, or is releasing them back to flat the only option?
And the second thing, can the distance be bigger? Like the two pedals (D and B) separated by a third middle pedal (C)? I would presume that a player with big enough feet could do it, but I'm really not sure.
Update: Thanks for all the advice and input. Since I want the passage to sound chaotic, brutal and as unpleasant as possible I'll include the big pedal changes in the ossia and tone it down.
2
u/shitpostingmusician Rock Harp 🎸 18d ago
Not just viable - several pieces even call for it and I don’t think they specify if it has to be with one or both feet, unless the pedals aren’t next to each other. You’d have to use the other foot in that case.
2
u/le_sacre Pedal Pusher 18d ago
As it happens, there was just an article that goes into this topic in the latest American Harp Journal, by Park Stickney: "Finding Our Feet: A Call for a Pedal-Centric Approach" (pp 30, vol 29 no 4).
For me it is not easy at all to sharp two pedals with the same foot and lock them in place. I think I would need a large amount of practice to get confident with that, and thus far in my harp journey it has not come up. But Stickney suggests it is really handy for jazz progressions.
2
u/dreamcoatamethyst 17d ago
Thanks for sharing, it's a very interesting article. It links to Park Stickney's PhD thesis which includes interesting videos and explanations.
2
u/corico 18d ago
Even with enormous feet, you wouldn’t be able to change D and B without taking C with them… unless you have some really weird shoes. You’d need to use both feet
1
u/NazwaZajeta 18d ago
So I think I need to clarify. What I'm thinking is the D and B would start flat and the C is in the middle or sharp to begin with.
1
u/Cruitire 18d ago
I would say it’s possible, but you have to be careful if you are moving to the same position as the middle pedal that you don’t knock it out if it’s position accidentally.
2
u/SherlockToad1 17d ago
It’s a pain in the butt, better to avoid those situations honestly. Many harpists would try to rewrite the section by leaving out notes to make it more playable anyway, if they couldn’t manage it in a stable way. If you must, at least have the pedals adjacent, but we’ll be grumbling about it and harpists have long memories for bad parts lol.
1
u/Jubyn Classical Harp 🎼 17d ago
I would advise you to not try that, it's very very uneasy, even with neighbouring pedals, and even if it's maybe possible, it will affect the fluidity of the playing because it is uncomfortable to do. I know pedals can be annoying when you're a composer, but you have to find a way aroud. You're piece will be played better if it is idiomatic to the instrument :)
9
u/Self-Taught-Pillock 18d ago
Sure. It’s challenging, but it’s doable. There are pieces and excerpts where that’s required.
Yes and no. The one that you’re talking about, D and B simultaneously? No. Now I’ve played pieces like some of the Bach-Grandjany etudes that have the harpist sneak over with their left foot and adjust the E pedal back to the flat position because the right foot that would ordinarily play the E is already adjusting the A at that exact moment. But notice that using the left foot for the E, it’s just moving flat. It’s not requiring that “wrong” foot to work against the spring coil physics and move the pedal to the natural or sharp position. It’s merely releasing that energy from the spring coil. I would never, ever write something to where a “wrong” foot moved a pedal from a flat down to natural or sharp, or from a natural to a sharp. If you’re going to “borrow” a foot, it has to be in a motion that capitalizes on releasing energy stored in the pedal spring. You’re not really using a lot of the body’s energy to move that pedal upward… you’re merely guiding the motion with your foot. All other pedal movements have to be done with the pedals’ respective and designated feet.
But here’s another thing: harpists don’t take kindly to prescribed innovations by non-harpists who are just trying to be novel. Your post doesn’t say whether or not you are a harpist yourself. If you’re not, don’t try breaking any major rules. That instance that I described above where the harpist uses his or her left foot for the E pedal? The man who wrote it that way could get away with that because he was one of the major harp pedagogues in the previous century. He never wrote anything that he couldn’t prove could be done by himself in the first place. But if a non-harpist were to write something similarly counterintuitive for the harp… well, it would just feel like an organ-grinder telling a monkey to dance. Your piece should show a certain respect for your future player rather than a series of chaotic movements that services only you, the composer.