{"id":124,"date":"2019-08-03T23:31:30","date_gmt":"2019-08-04T06:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/harpistanneroos.com\/blog\/?p=124"},"modified":"2026-01-04T02:33:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T10:33:11","slug":"when-in-doubt-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harpistanneroos.com\/blog\/when-in-doubt-play\/","title":{"rendered":"When In Doubt: Play!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I love the word, “Play”. The musical meaning of it is “to perform”, but it means so much more. It’s a magical word that opens up doors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Harpist
Having fun, playing harps in the exhibit hall at Somerset Folk Harp Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Doesn’t playing also mean having fun?\u00a0<\/strong>Play involves\u00a0many types of activities, from taking the ball in a sport, to frolicking with children, to a theatrical performance. Play is also making a maneuver in a game to take the advantage and win. And isn’t play simply moving freely without a care in the world, as the wind plays between the leaves?<\/p>\n

I don’t mean to wax philosophical here, but I’m “playing”–Running every which way with this word.<\/p>\n

Maybe this word means “noodling”. I led a workshop called “Noodling with Class” at the recent Somerset Folk Harp Festival<\/a><\/span>. To a room filled to capacity, I presented to harpers and harpists of all levels when to noodle on the harp, how to noodle on the harp, and what noodling is, in the first place.<\/p>\n

\"Anne
Teaching harpists how to noodle at the Somerset Folk Harp Festival.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The most important key to successful\u00a0noodling is: Don’t Stop! When the music stops, everyone thinks something is amiss.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I turn to noodling when the wedding minister signals me to play in the middle of the ceremony, and I have no music prepared. It’s for when the PowerPoint slide show won’t display and I’m asked to play something to stall for time at a business luncheon. And noodling definitely comes in handy when the rare accident happens at an event and I need to divert the guests’ attention away from the paramedics.<\/p>\n

In other words, noodling comes in handy when I’m in doubt.\u00a0<\/strong>What on earth should I play? How do I keep everyone happy? And how do I keep myself happy?<\/p>\n

I noodle until I\u00a0arrive back to\u00a0the place where I left off, and I know I’m there, because I’m back “in the zone.” In other words, I’m not longer thinking of producing the right sounds, but instead, I trust my fingers and become the audience to my playing, just listening to the sound.<\/p>\n

The sense of time escapes me, and I am completely absorbed in the sound of the harp. Have you felt this way with an activity that you play at? The world melts around you and you are inside of a bubble, playing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the Somerset Festival, I was prepared for my performance at the Friday night concert, memorizing the music that I’d perform. I had no idea what to expect. It was a packed house, with overflow seating outside the doors to the concert hall. I was the opener for the performance, with three other experienced harpers following me. We teach had 25-minute sets.<\/p>\n

I started my set with Celtic tunes. Then, even on stage, I questioned my choice of music for the performance. All the other musicians planned to play their own compositions, and there I was, playing cover tunes (tunes that most people recognize). I dove into “Stairway to Heaven<\/a><\/span>“, a sure crowd pleaser. As I began, I was thinking, “Should I have chosen something else?” and then….It was lost.<\/p>\n

\"Anne
Playing “in the zone” on stage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I played a creative bridge, and I announced to the audience, “Those of you who took my noodling workshop know what I’m doing right now.” Some audience members giggled, I found my way back, entered “the zone”, and then stuck my landing, as gymnasts do when\u00a0they finish their routines.\u00a0I\u00a0made a last-minute change to sight-read sheet music and stayed in that zone, taking a request form my cousin who attended the performance, and playing “Desperado<\/a><\/span>“. Then, I finished my set with Gershwin’s “Love is Here to Stay<\/a><\/span>“. (Sample all of these tracks on iTunes<\/a><\/span>.)<\/p>\n

Did I have doubts while on stage? Sure. Did I play and have fun? You bet! And after the show, audience members gleefully shared that they were singing and humming along to the songs I played.<\/p>\n

Noodling is fun, Fun is infectious. Playing is infectious. Did playing save you from moments of doubt? Have you tried substituting doubt with letting loose and having fun?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Okay, so maybe you’re too nervous to have fun when something goes askew. Use play to get rid of nerves. Give it a try.<\/p>\n

For musicians, Sam Anstice Brown delivers a musician’s hypnosis iPhone app<\/a><\/span>\u00a0that’s filled with suggestions for\u00a0curbing stage fright and practicing\u00a0better.\u00a0And it’s not just for musicians, alone. Have a fear\u00a0of flubbing when public speaking? Give it a go. I’m sure he’d agree with me that having fun dispels your doubts–Just listen to his freebie “buttocks” visualization<\/a><\/span>!<\/p>\n