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Topic: Looks Like I have my life's work ahead of me: Eharp Bonanza |
Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 19 Jun 2020 7:36 am |
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Today in the mail I received a new stack of Eddie Alkire material to go along with the stack I already have. Interestingly, there is very little overlap from what I currently have.
I have no doubt in my mind that I now possess the largest collection of published Alkire material outside of the University of Chicago. In anticipation of receiving this new material I organized my current collection, and that took me days to do, this new stack is going to take at least a week to even organize.
After taking a break from the eharp tuning for a while, I've decided to go back to it. And really go through each piece of learning material. Let's face it, I'm never going to be a professional Or even play out again. But I can record and post on youtube and I see it as a life's mission to organize and present this work to the world, or as much as I can get accomplished in the time left me on this mortal coil.
First thing to do is sort through for duplicates. Anyone who is interested in learning the Eharp, I'm happy to send the dups I have to you, once I'm done. PM if interested.
Edit: dups spoken for
Last edited by Bill McCloskey on 19 Jun 2020 10:23 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 19 Jun 2020 9:18 am
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playing music is very personal. dont let outside entities determine what YOU do. enjoy playing and dont pit yourself against anything or anybody.
you have a fabulous wealth of music there. is there a method he taught to approach certain pieces before others? did he grade them as to difficulty?
please pick one, learn it, and post playing it here along with the music to follow along. amazing that there is no one out here right now doing what he did on a scale that he did it. an entire school of playing on a tuning he came up with. |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 19 Jun 2020 9:32 am
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| Bill, yes there is complete system Steps 1 through steps 24. In addiion, an advanced graduate series. Tons of supplemental materials geared towards where you are in the system. And then on top of that dozens of arrangements that can be played on any instrument with additional instructions attached to each arrangement. |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 19 Jun 2020 9:48 am
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Bill Here is the full course minus the "arrangements" which there are probably about 50-75 or so.
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Joe Breeden
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 19 Jun 2020 10:13 am
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| Go for it Bill. I have been following your adventure and I admire your endeavor. I was just thinking. You don't suppose there is a one of a kind "Masters" course lurking out there some where that you have not heard of? Just kidding Joe |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 19 Jun 2020 10:25 am
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| It is definitely a labor of love, joe. The masters course is learning all the arrangements Eddie created and published which is massive |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 19 Jun 2020 5:06 pm
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Thought you might be interested in Eddie's description of the Eharp system as presented in his Preface to the course:
Eharp, pronounced ay-harp, is the name I have given my new musical instrument which you are now about to study. Although the Eharp is simple to learn and play and offers the player tremendous resources in harmony and technic (sic), it was not a simple instrument to conceive and perfect because there were many problems to solve.
A NEW INSTRUMENT
The clarinet and flute while different have certain important points in common. They both use the Boehm system of fingering. The cornet and trumpet are related to a certain degree as is the viola and and violin. they are definitely not the same instruments; however, both trumpet and cornet are blown and have three valves and the viola and violin each have four strings tuned in fifths, fingered with the left hand and bowed with the right. Each is a different musical instrument in its own right.
THE EHARP IS NOT A HAWAIIAN STEEL GUITAR
While it is admitted that the Eharp was derived from the original steel guitar, the only thing in common with the Eharp and the steel guitar is that they are both played with a moveable fret (the steel) held in the left hand. But this idea is already 2500 years old. To begin with, the instruments do not create the same effect either harmonically or technically. A steel Guitarist hearing for the first time fast technical passages and full harmony played on the Eharp cannot understand how such things are possible on a stringed instrument played with a steel. In fact, the fast moving consecutive, rich four-part harmonies of the Eharp cannot be duplicated on any other stringed instrument. Likewise scale passages and arpeggios are performed on the Eharp at a rate of speed that is physically impossible on any other instrument played with the steel. Eharp harmony and technic effects and arrangements are exclusive and different, just as music for violin differs from music for the cello. Thus we see that the Eharp is a new musical instrument. |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 20 Jun 2020 8:01 am
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Not only did Eddie teach a method for Eharp, he also had a method for Teaching the Hawaiian Guitar. it goes into great length on how to teach a pupil, what to do, what not to do. It is really quite amazing.
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 20 Jun 2020 8:08 am
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Always the entrepreneur, Alkire wasn't just publishing, he was building small businesses using his method. Here is a sample from the Treatise on Teaching the Hawaiian Guitar from 1935:
"GIVE THE PUPIL TIME TO THINK - Just as we have explained in previous teaching suggestions, it is very important that you show a great deal of patience at this time. Right now is an important period in their training. We must not discourage the pupil and at the same time we cannot let him "drift." We must teach him to work. Keep him progressing but do not overwork him. You know, of course, that we could have made this complete Series of Pieces simple little tunes that small children could play at sight. (Some pupils welcome such pieces simply because they require no effort.) But such material does not develop musicians and therefore does not build business for the teacher." - emphasis mine. |
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Paul Strojan
From:
California, USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2020 8:34 pm
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| Alkire made a good point when he talked about teaching young students. I took violin for a year or two when I was in school. But I quit because I realized that I wasn't progressing as a musician and playing by rote got boring fast. |
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