Nyckelharpa Course 1 DHW 2024-11-27

Hold, sit, stand and walk with the nyckelharpa

2

Lessons

2

Videos

All

Skill Level

4:11h

Duration

English

Language

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Overview

Most teachers start all type of education around an instrument with how to hold the instrument. There are two main reason for this. First, if you do not hold the instrument in a proper way, it may later limit your playing. Second, if you hold the instrument in a bad position you might get hurt (after some time), and if you get hurt you will not like to play and you will probably stop playing. 

So it is very important to hold the nyckelharpa in a way that makes you like it! 

Completing this course will help you:

Who is the course for?

For everyone as there is no other way to learn to play than to also learn how to properly hold the instrument

Learning Path

I am showing the traditional way of holding the nyckelharpa in the first part of the video. I am using the most common strap to hang the instrument around my neck. 

Today you can find both other ways of holding the instrument and other types of straps. It’s a big simplification but I would say that in Sweden all nyckelharpa player holds the instrument in the traditional way. If you go to France, Belgium or Italy it is common to see that you hold the  nyckelharpa with the right arm under the instrument and with the nykelharpa much higher up on the right hand side. 

When it comes to the strap, the traditional one band strap and with the swedish way of holding the instrument, can cauese a bit of limitation if you have a longer bow. An certain tones, the bow then can touch the band. The one band strap can easyily also make your back hurt. It is important to think about that and keep your back and head upright and often take breaks to rest and stretch. 

There is a new type of strap to hold the nyckelharpa which makes the instrument use the power of both your shoulders and your back, the same technique as used by a backpack. Please contact me and I can give you contact details to producers of that kind of strap. 

I have tried both and ended up with me liking the traditional strap more and I adjust the instrument to not limit my bowing. 

Don’t take this to seriously. The nyckelharpas may look about the same, but the players body often look very different. You need to find your way where holding the nyckelharpa not feel like a big punishment. Instead it should feel like the perfect extension of your body. A soundbox hanging above your belly from where this really great music comes out!

Video x Min 

The left hand must be free so it can flow over the keys like the hands fly over the keyboard on a piano. You should not use your let hand to hold the nyckelharpa in any way. Take extra care for your thumb, it needs to lean forward and slide along the neck of the nyckeharpa. The thumb should almost be like a ded thing that should not be used (there could be very advanced chords you want to do later on and then the thumb can actually be used for that, I show you in the extra material).

A great tip I learned when I was about 10 years old is to change so you have your whatch on your right wrist instead. It is more easy to twist your right hand a bit so you can see what time it is even if you do not want t stop to play. Normally when practicing nyckelharpa you lose all connection with time and space, so you might need to check what time it is if you have a bus to catch. 

Video x Min  

According to me the magic of music comes from the bow. The left hand is just muscel memory but the bowing is what makes the rytm, the grow and the scwung!

The bowing depends on how you hold the bow, how you flex your wrist and to learn to adjust the pressure from the bow to the string. 

Bowing is complicated and comes a lot from many hours of practicing and your feeling. The bow should go easy, be a natural extension of your right arm and be your best parter when you want to adjust between playing romanticly soft or techno-dance hard.

The bow will make your tune really sound like a captivant schottis, enchanteur slängpolska, a languissant walz or a powerful march.

Video x Min  

For me it has been a life saver to easily be able to switch between sitting and standing when you practive nyckelharpa. Just to change the position you give your back som streching and you can maybe practive 15 min longer without having to go to the hospital for backpain. 

If you only learn how to sit when playing or you only learn how to stand, it will be tough for you going to weekend nyckelharpa camps of things like that where you play for hours every day. 

In the video I also show how to hold the nyckelharpa in a resting position when you are not playing. There can be concerts, weddings or whatever when you need to stand up while waiting for your turn to plan. It is best to put down the nyckelharpa, but if that is not possible and show you how you can hold it in two different ways 

Video x Min  

You may think why on earth you should walk while playing the nyckelharpa. But rest asure that this will happen if you come to a gathering in Sweden, to a ”spelmansstämma”.  

Often our folk music gatherings are opened with a processing cermony where we march in to the stage while playing, and because nyckelharpa is the most beautiful instrument in the world, we ofte get to go in the first row. 

It’s not complicated at all to walk and play. We never run and play which make it more easy. Often there is a leader and you should whatch this person and the tempo played. Look at the bow or the steps so you place in the same tempo (very important). Also try to march with your own feet in the tempo you are playing. Listen to your neighbour, the players in front of you and the players behind you. You just need to play in the same tempo and of course the same tune. 

I often play at weddings and than it is very common you walk in or out of the church togheter with the lucky couple. You often get to go BEFORE them, so you can imagine how important it is that you can do the walking and to the playing at the same time. 

Finally, when I am practicing home and I am alone. I often go to our biggest room, hang the nyckelharpa around my neck, put the bow in correct position, close my eyes and I start to play. If I am standing I will be moving around. As my eyes are closed I never know in which part of the house I will finally end up in, but I feel it very nice to also move my legs a bit when playing. 

If you look at some Youtube clip with ACDC, you will see Angus make his type of walking and playing. You should be like him when you practice at home, it will make it real fun. When the rest of your family come home, you can, if you want, go back to your chair. 

Video x Min  

What I am saying

Any feedback? just contact me

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