Harp Lessons - Online, Chicago, Indianapolis, Culver

Harp Lessons - Online, Chicago, Indianapolis, Culver

Meet Ryan Villamor – Jazz Harpist

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Ryan Villamor is an accomplished piano improviser, living in Manila, Philippines. He sees himself as pianist, a harper, a teacher and a learner. He is currently working on his own original renditions of popular/alternative songs and resonant improvisation.

Ryan believes that music improvisation is a spiritual opener. To submit your higher self to the unknown is the moment you let go of the notes you played. And that gives you the capacity to create new ones. Letting go is an act of humility and a mist of faith towards grace.

I asked him about his love of jazz and where it came from: 

 

Q: Hey Ryan, jazz is such at cool art form. Where did it come from? 

A: As far as I know, Afro-American claimed that it started from them around late 1800s to early 1900s. They called it hot music in New Orleans. New Orleans was the capital of trading black slaves by that time when Americans were trafficking black people from Africa. 

One significant element that makes it jazz music is primarily based on rhythm and syncopation which is common in Africa. African slaves makes music by chanting/singing in improvisation to express themselves, to express their grief, frustrations, joy and celebration of life. For them, jazz music is part of their daily lives as a social gathering where they feel free to express themselves through music. It’s their outlet, it’s their music therapy, it’s their prayers.

I think it came first from Africa, then it evolved in New Orleans where they started singing blues scales which is actually based in pentatonic minor modes.

 

Q: What instruments are in a jazz band?

A: There’s also a history of jazz band and its evolution. From an old marching band to big band and Small jazz ensemble to jazz trio. In a jazz band, you can have any of these instruments; saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, vibraphone, piano, guitar, double bass and drums.

But today, jazz has already evolved. It has something more than the music. It’s a philosophy of evolution, an organic way of using different musical disciplines not only jazz music, but classical music, asian music other forms of music. 

Jazz is a World Music. Did you know that blues pentatonic scale is based on asian pentatonic scale?

 

Q: If someone wanted to learn to improvise or improve their improvisation, what do you suggest? 

  1. Listen to jazz music. Jazz standards. Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, etc.
  2. Learn simple American jazz blues tunes. Melody and chords.
  3. Learn blues pentatonic scale and how to improvise with.
  4. Learn how to play jazz turnarounds, chords and jazz theory.
  5. Most important is train your ear to play by ear. Music notes are only instructions but you have to learn how to play music without them, so you can gain confidence learn to improvise along the way.

 

Q: What should someone wear to a jazz concert or club?  

A: I usually were Black Coat and Tie.

 

Q: What’s the best ways to listen to jazz?  

Through SPOTIFY. Type “jazz standards” or “Bill Evans,” “Brad Mehldau” “Miles Davis,” John Coltrane” and others. 

 

One more question… can you talk a little bit about how you use your harp when you’re playing jazz?

– I don’t really play jazz on harp. But because of my knowledge on jazz piano especially the chords and jazz music theory I can apply some of it on harp. When I improvise on harp, my musical mind (chord progressions and harmony) is still attached to the piano. My ears recognize the unique quality of the harp’s tones so I let my ears follow the sound while my music theory helps me to execute what my ears hears. 

In jazz, it’s very important to learn harmony because it’s your vocabulary and how to expand your music. I’m more of harmony/chord progression based improviser though I also think of modes sometimes. Musicians/improvisers have their own way of making music. Some musicians are leaning to modal scales, some are just playing whatever they hear, some are super gifted and they can play and compose beautiful music without knowing music theory, some are very leaning to chord progression and song form, some musicians are also rhythmic based improviser.

I think harp is an underrated instrument when playing jazz. Jazz chords, piano chords and harmonies sound very beautiful on harp.

 

Find and Follow Ryan Villamor

Email: villamor.ryan012@yahoo.com

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ryanvillamormusic/

Instagram: @ryanvillamormusic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY3Vs4yyHqz3PYlfiN_WLRg?fbclid=IwAR2xLEUJNBrwB56agjFDZ5IkGC-LydGCHzhwdy__n7isjsVw51fOuOucppU

Check out Ryan’s YouTube videos: 

Hallelujah…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8b1DCPZqcs

What makes harps such expensive instruments?

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A common question I get is “what makes harps such expensive instruments?”

what makes harps such expensive instruments?

Harps are expensive because it requires a lot of highly skilled, manual labour, and are often made to order. You truly get what you pay for when it comes to harps, and good ones run from $1000 to $25,000 and up for fancy pedal harps.

On both Celtic and pedal harps, the pillars/posts are often hand-carved. The in pedal harps linkages in pedal harps must be hand-laid, and all 90+ sharping disks must be installed and adjusted by a human being. Check out the video below to see this delicate manufacturing work…

Hand fitted inlay makes the high-end harps glow with beauty. Hand-burnished gold leaf shines, and the careful tuning of these string tension all require a human touch.

Skilled hands have a great advantage over computerized machinery for crafting harps that are beautiful, durable, and sound amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q57owlLmwQ

What Type of Harp Do I Play?

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There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to harps, so I have many harps for the various kinds of gigs and recording I do. In order of size, smallest to largest, I have:

what types of harp do you play

 

Harpsicle Lever Fullsicles: These are great little harps that fit in an overhead bin on an airplane, so I travel with them a lot. My first one is black, which I thought would be very cool and jazzy. But it turned out that it was hard to see the F strings (they are dark blue), so I had to make some paint modifications to be able to see the strings. My second and third Fullsicles are made with cherry wood and sound amazing. These harps can be strapped on like a guitar, giving me the freedom to walk and dance around. With 26 strings, you get all the notes you need. I add an Octaver pedal between me and the amplifier to create the illusion of having more bass strings than I really have. 

 

Harpsicle Lever Grand: I love my Grand. The current one is ruby red, and I did an Unboxing Video recently when it arrived at my house. It’s just a little over 10 pounds, which makes it a wonderful performance harp. With 33 strings, there’s plenty of bass power. 

 

Paraguayan Harp: I built this harp myself from a kit made by John Kovac. I love the sound, and the lightweight design. It doesn’t have levers, so it’s limited to what keys it can play in. But the rich sound of the 36 strings more than makes up for it. 

 

Salvi Electroacoustic Lever Harp: This is my recording harp. It has a pick-up on every one of strings, and creates crystal clear recording sound. The 38 strings have an extraordinarily powerful sound, which more than makes up for the weight and difficulty carrying the harp around. 

 

Lyon & Healy 85E Pedal Harp: This is the high end of my harps, equivalent in price to a small to midsize car. Rather than adjusting the pitch with levers, as most of my other harps do, this harp changes pitch with pedals on the feet. 

 

Got questions about your harp, or wondering which one is right for you? Give me a call or shoot me an email, and I do my best to help! 

What Are Harp Strings Made Of?

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Have you ever wondered what makes the beautiful sound of the harp? A huge part of the gorgeous sound comes from all those strings. But have you ever stopped to wonder what are harp strings made of?

 

“In the past, harp makers and string makers used whatever they could find,” says Sue Raimond, one of the string makers at Robinson’s Harp Shop in Laguna, California. “Harp makers used cactus sinew, veggie braids, and gut sinews from cows (not cats).”

 

Today, far fewer animals and vegetables are sacrificed for strings. String makers today use modern materials including nylon, soft copper, and phosphor bronze.

 

A HARP IN EVERY COUNTRY
“Every country has a traditional harp for that country,” Sue says. “Every country has a different culture of sound that their people expect to hear, and that’s what they want to hear.”

 

Unlike with many other instruments (such as guitars, violins, and even pedal harps), there isn’t a standard set of strings for the lever harp. Although this gives the makers the ability to precisely tailor the size, sound and feel of each harp they design, it also means that harp strings are not easily interchangeable from one harp model to another.

 

COLOR CODED FOR EASY PLAYING
If you look closely at a harp, you will usually see three colors of strings: blue, red and white/clear. “Continental Stringing” means that red strings are the note C, blue strings are Fs, and the white strings are D, E, G, A, B. This makes is easy for the harper/harpist to see quickly where the notes are on the harp.

 

“But Paraguayan harps have the colors reversed, so that the note F is red, and the note C is blue. Alternatively, you might see a Paraguayan harp with red D strings and blue A strings,” Sue says. “But string colors vary by country and area.”

 

WHAT GOES INTO A STRING?
In the United States, the lower bass strings are made of two parts: a central core string, which is then wrapped with another material. The strings might have a nylon core with a nylon wrapping, which is common on Dusty Strings harps. Other wrapped strings might have phosphor bronze core, wrapped with nylon. The bottom strings might be a steel core and a soft copper wrapping.

 

The upper strings do not need a wrapper in order to sound correct, and these strings are referred to as “monofilament” strings.

 

In other countries, string makers may use different ways to manufacture strings, in order to achieve the cultural sound that they want. In Ireland, for example, string makers there will use a plant fiber core, wrapped with nylon or soft copper.

 

HOW STRINGS ARE MADE
To make a fiber core, wrapped string, Sue and her team start with fibers that are .002 of an inch thick, about the same diameter as a human hair. These strands of fiber are then stretched across two hooks (think of a tiny, super-tight hammock), back and forth, about 10 times, until the desired total thickness of the core material is created.

 

The fiber is then stretched even further, nearly to the breaking point. Then the wrapper string is hand-tied with six knots on one end (no glue!), and the wrapper is spun onto the core string. Once the wrapper is in place, 12 more hand-tied knots secure the wrapper in place. The wrapper material is cut, and the tension on the string is released. The string relaxes like a spring at rest.

 

THE PET PEEVES OF STRING MAKERS
Like every industry professional, there are things that string makers wish their customers knew. Here are a few:

 

  • Every single harp is unique. Every. Single. One. So please don’t call Sue and say, “I need an A string.” All harps have lots of A strings on them. You need to know which string you need to have Sue make for you. She can’t read your mind nor your harp’s mind.
  • Get a string chart for your harp. Your harp manufacturer usually has them available on their websites, or you can call and ask them to send you one. Then you can call Sue and tell her exactly what you need.
  • Learn how your harp manufacturer numbers the strings. On my Salvi Egan electro-acoustic, the very top, tiny string is No. 3. So if I’m ordering from Sue, I would count my strings starting at the top, and starting with No. 3. The string numbers on all my other harps is different, too.
  • If you are ordering custom strings, be sure to measure your string length from the soundboard to the BRIDGE PIN (not the tuning pin). If you are not sure where your bridge pins are located, you can contact me or Sue to help you. DO NOT give the measurement from the soundboard to the tuning pin because you won’t get the right string.

 

HAND-MADE, ONE AT A TIME, WITH LOVE
In a world where so much is mass-produced, Sue and her team make harp strings by hand, one at a time: “Because every harp is unique, we don’t just turn around and take strings off the shelf. We make individual strings for individual harps.”

 

Robinson’s Harp Shop