One of the most common questions I get from learners is “How can I play faster?”
For many people, playing faster on the harp feels like a big hurdle they can’t overcome. As a result, they get frustrated and often then find themselves shying away from faster pieces, which only exacerbates the problem. Using the excuse that I "can't play fast", rather than working on developing the neuro-muscular pathways and techniques required in order to play fast will never improve your ability to play fast, so it’s time to tackle that belief head on!
So, how do you play faster on the harp? Well, there are lots of factors that play into it, and I’ll discuss these more in future blogs, but for today there’s just one thing I want to focus on, and it’s pretty simple: If you want to be able to play fast pieces, you have to get used to moving your hands fast! Or in other words, in order to play fast .... we must play fast!
Now before you say, ‘but Ailie, that’s exactly what I just said I can’t do’, hear me out! In the same way as a sprinter wouldn’t train to run faster by jogging, you can’t expect to be able to play fast harp tunes, if you don’t practise moving your fingers fast! You have to train for the activity you are trying to do! Whilst working slowly is mandatory when learning the piece and to fix most technical issues, there are some technical details that cannot be worked at slow speed. There are different techniques required to play fast piece than there are with slower pieces. To play fast pieces we have to work on developing our neural pathways, and playing slowly all the time will never develop them.
When you train to play faster you are training your nervous system to react more quickly. Studies have demonstrated neuroplastic adaptation of the motor cortical functions responsible for dexterous finger movements through musical training. Enhanced movement of the fingers results from neuroplastic alteration of finger muscular coordination. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6704118/)
The same muscles are involved when we play fast or slow, but there is a difference in finger preparation; When we play fast, the preparation must begin earlier, while the other finger is still working for the precedent note. Thus, developing the ability for fast movement in our muscles is done through constant training of the brain and muscles to move fast .
Now, in the context of a piece, particularly a new piece, it’s very hard to think about the notes you should be playing, the rhythms, the coordination of the hands, the phrasing, and ALSO try to increase your speed. For most people, this just doesn’t work effectively, and each new piece keeps feeling like a challenge.
What I think is FAR more effective is to use scales, arpeggios, and other technical exercises to help build the necessary finger speed to play passages of music fast. By keeping the actual musical content relatively simple, you can really focus on building the speed of these exercises. Choose a really simple pattern, or use exercises like the ones in my Technical Exercises book, memorise it so you don’t need to look at the music, and then really focus on getting your speed up, without having to worry about anything else.
When trying to increase tempo, it definitely helps to push yourself past your comfort zone, even if it means mistakes. Spend some time each day just going as fast as possible - guns a blazing, mistakes and all. Of course I don't do this all the time, but I've found that doing it can lead to breakthroughs as I push through "invisible walls" that were holding me back. Just don't try it before you've really learned to play an exercise.... that will lead to sloppy playing.
Play with a relaxed hand, focusing on getting your fingers to react quickly without tensing. The feeling of playing fast should not feel more tense than playing slow. Working with a metronome is an important step but don't ramp up your speed until you can master the current tempo completely relaxed and fluid
This all said, speed is one element we all should have in our bag of tricks but never let that be the primary focus of your playing. It's the seasoning, not the meat and potatoes! Tone, phrasing, and dynamics are what draw most listeners in, not raw speed.
