1. What kind of tokens do you leave?
What’s your special mark,
And what will be your legacy?
Every moment you share,
Though you may not be aware.
Consider: What kind of tokens do you leave throughout your life?
2. What kind of tokens do you share?
What do they remember?
Will it be your love and care?
Every moment you live,
There is something that you give.
Consider: What kind of tokens do you share throughout your life?
3. What kind of tokens do you hold?
Are they beneficial,
Or the thoughts that leave you cold?
Every moment you exist,
Life is made of consciousness.
Consider: What kind of tokens do you hold throughout your life?
Every moment you exist,
Life is made of consciousness.
Consider: What kind of tokens do you hold throughout your life?
This is a traditional Welsh lullaby, often used in harp therapy, whether for children or to calm someone of any age.
You will hear the melody played on lyre and left hand accompaniment played on zither. The second time through, both hands move up an octave.
This is the third of my double strung experiments.
I’m testing my ability to arrange for, and play on two rows of identically tuned strings, in preparation for a double strung harp.
I’ve learned that if I can successfully play two separate instruments at the same time, then I’ll surely be able to play one instrument that just happens to have two rows of strings!
I have logistical problems now, that I won’t have with a double strung harp. Namely, holding two instruments is difficult, since both are designed to be held on your lap. Uh, my lap is taken up by just holding the zither, let alone adding the lyre, which is larger and wider.
Also, I currently have to twist my left hand into an unnatural position to reach the second instrument. This won’t be necessary on a double strung harp, where both rows of strings are stationary and on a vertical plane.
Finally, the harp will have a lap bar, and if that’s not enough, there is a shoulder strap as well. This eliminates any trouble holding or balancing the instrument on your lap.
Tuning is a cumbersome task now. It’s easy to tune the lyre, which has nylon strings like a harp, and I always do that first. However, tuning the zither’s wire strings to match the lyre is frustrating.
The real double strung harp will have all nylon strings, and that fact, along with the natural resonance of the instrument, will make tuning both rows of strings in unison much easier.
Recording is another frustration. You can probably hear that the lyre and zither aren’t at the same volume level in these experiments. That’s because one instrument is closer to the microphone than the other. This won’t be an issue with a double strung harp. The rows of strings are very close together, and the microphone will be in front of the harp, rather than to the side as it physically needs to be now. So, the harp will record with better balanced audio.
I’m also doing these experiments because of what to me is a very large financial investment in a double strung harp! I wanted to find out if the benefits it brings to my work are worth the cost. My conclusion is that, yes, they are, and the harp will be a welcome and valuable addition to the instruments I use in songwriting, accompaniment, meditation, poetry, improvisation, and other calming and inspirational music!
Once again, I thank you for reading! If you have any questions, comments, or feedback on these two-instrument experiments or double strung harps, please do share! Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy listening to these arrangements!
Often a teacher will hear after years
How they helped a student with knowledge and cheer.
While parents are parenting, thankless it seems,
But they give their little ones great self-esteem.
It’s not only people enjoying their work,
But every soul living a life on this earth
Who leaves unique marks on our wonderful world:
You’re having an impact as moments unfurl,
Inevitable, choices changing our world!
—
67 words for Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt, Impact!
Lowell Mason composed the tune “Bethany” in 1856. In many parts of the world, it is the musical setting for the hymn, “Nearer, My God, to Thee.” I first heard this hymn in a documentary about the sinking of the Titanic. It is said the ship’s musicians played “Nearer, My God, to Thee” as the ship took on water.
I hope this zither arrangement brings you reflection, comfort, and peace in the midst of whatever you may be experiencing right now!
“Suo Gan” is a traditional Welsh lullaby, first published in print around 1800.
This is the second of my double strung experiments,
playing lyre and zither at the same time, getting ready for a double strung harp.
You can hear many places in this arrangement where both sets of strings (or instruments, in this case) play in unison. First, I play the piece with melody on lyre, and then on zither.
I vividly remember playing piano and singing “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” when I was in my teens. It was one of my favorite hymns to sing, and I didn’t know until recently that it was written in 1905. Clearly, it made no difference to me, or perhaps it did, since like many hymns and traditional tunes, it has endured for so long. The lyrics were written by Civilla D. Martin, and the music was composed by Charles H. Gabriel. If that name sounds familiar, you may remember “Send the Light,”
which Gabriel also composed.
Today I hope you enjoy this lyre arrangement of “His Eye Is on the Sparrow!”
1. My body is a little boat
That sails the raging seas,
Where illness, tension, pain and stress
Can get the best of me.
But Spirit guides my little boat
To everything I need.
2. My mind, it is a little boat
That sails a clouded sky.
When darkness falls, I see my fears
That vanish in the Light.
And Spirit guides my little boat
Through every stormy night.
3. My soul, it is a little boat
That sails eternally.
When I forget in trials deep,
To live my destiny,
The Spirit guides my little boat,
And I return to peace.
Yesterday I had every intention of creating and submitting a (hopefully musical) entry for the Weekly Photo Prompt from Sue at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo.
It’s become such an inspiration and positive routine for me that I start looking forward to it on Tuesday!
Well, as the saying goes, “Crystal plans, God laughs!” I was hit with a migraine last night that did not let up, didn’t sleep well, and then awoke to find the migraine turned to a full-blown thing, nausea and all. I’ll spare you the details, except to say that even walking and eating were extremely difficult. I do have chronic pain of other kinds, every day, but don’t get migraines like that very often. Suffice it to say that when I do, it is not fun! In fact, it’s debilitating!
This ruined my day and other things I had planned, ruined my husband’s plans, and had us worried for a while. I can still feel dull pounding (Is there really such a thing?) in my temples, but I bring you “The Arran Boat (Song)” for a reason.
The reason is harp therapy, or zither therapy, in this case. This traditional Scottish tune, first published in the 1880s, is often used as a calming, grounding piece. I’d been meaning to learn it for some time, and started practicing and arranging it a few days ago. This evening, after the pain subsided enough to think, I picked up little Ripply,
my 2-3 LB. zither/lap harp, and played this piece while I was laying down. On my back with my head propped on pillows and my knees up, I propped the zither against my thighs. I played the piece a few times before recording it and was surprised, though I shouldn’t have been, to find how comforting it was.
I share “The Arran Boat” or “Highland Boat Song” with you now in hopes that it will calm, comfort, and ground you as well!
“The Skye Boat Song” is a traditional Scottish air, often sung as a lullaby or waltz. The lyrics tell of the journey of “Bonnie Prince Charlie” (Charles Edward Stuart) from Benbecula to the Aisle of Skye, as he evaded capture by government troops after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. To this day, “over the sea to Skye” is a popular line used in tourism.
This traditional melody is often played by pipers (bagpipers, that is), pipe bands, whistlers, and harpers of many musical skill levels. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote alternate lyrics around 1885, as he didn’t think the journey of “Bonnie Prince Charlie” fit this calming melody. I tend to agree, but since I’m not singing here, I hope you enjoy this lovely melody played on lyre!
Mystical Strings 
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