Cymber
Harp Meditations by Cymber Lily Quinn
Blog, Testimonials
“Thank you so much for making these audios to help Alex remember his beautiful, healthy, loving, vibrant beating heart…the visualization was perfect!”
Corporate Programs & Events, Harp Concerts, Hawaii, Music, Performances & Events
I was honored to play The Queen’s Music for the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce last month. Each quarter, the Chamber hosts a New Member Luncheon, and I was asked to play the harp for this group.
It’s always a pleasure to bring the harp out to a group of people who don’t usually get live music in their meetings. Looking forward to playing more for them as time goes one.
Blog, Creative Process, Hawaii
Seven years ago, around this time, I recorded my first CD, “Seasons of the Soul.”
In writing the music for this CD, I used the system of Chinese Medicine – the seasons. Summer, Spring, and Winter came to me relatively easily.
Autumn was another matter entirely.
I wanted Autumn to be light and cheery. It is my favorite season after all – season of my birth, when the aspen trees of my home state of Colorado turn colors, the crisp dry crunch of leaves, even the season when I first arrived in my adopted home of Hawaii.
But in Chinese Medicine, it is the season of death and decay. I didn’t want to face that. I struggled and twisted. And eventually found my way into the Circle of Life. Death, it turns out, is just a step on the way to Winter, which turns again into New Beginnings.
Once I understood that, the music came easily. You can listen to my interpretation of Autumn here…>>> https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/cymberlilyquinn
As you listen, think of things in your life that are ready to turn to crispy leaves, gently falling to the ground, eagerly awaiting the crunch of your feet. Make a big pile of them, and jump in!
If you listen to modern Hawaiian music, you are listening to the Queen. The last monarch of Hawaii, Lili’uokalani was also one of the nation’s more prolific composers. Like all royal children, she was trained in music, and she wrote more than 300 songs, and about 150 are still in existence today.
Before her time, Hawaiian music was created from chanting and drumming. But with the arrival of the missionaries, so came the modern idea of melody and harmony. Liliu’okalani took these ideas and created beautiful poetry and melodies that reflect her deep love of nature, beauty, love, and devotion to Church and God.
When I first heard her music, it seemed so familiar in melody, so foreign in words. In my research, I found that we had church music in common and that her favorite instrument for composing was the autoharp.
It has been my great and humble honor to bring her music to life again through my own arrangements of her music and to play them with the talented flutist, Kathy Dorn. More recently, Kathy and I have joined together with the incomparable actress Jackie Pualani Johnson, who has a passion for Living History and bringing the monarchs of Hawaii’s past to life. It is with the blessing of the Lili’uokalani Trust that we are able to do this work.
I look forward to including more of the Queen’s Music in an upcoming dance production, called The Whale Hula, that is under construction. I’ll make more announcements about The Whale Hula in the near future.
Classes & Coaching, Getting Started, Lessons, YouTubes
Anyone who wants to play harp has to face the daunting challenge of choosing their first harp. It’s a very personal decision, like choosing which dessert you want to eat. Knowing what goes into each type of harp is really helpful, so I made this video to help you get started.
In this video, I introduce you to a variety of non-pedal harps: Several lever harps including the the standard Harpsicle Harps Fullsicle (with electric pickups), the Harpsicle Grand (also with electric pick-ups), and the Salvi Egan electro-acoustic. And I’ll show you a different kind of harp, a Paraguayan-style harp that I built myself, based on the designs of harpmaker, John Kovac.
The best way to choose your first (or next) harp is to rent and try several different harps. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you are lucky because Jim Peek has a large rental library of harps. I can connect you to Jim if you want to try different harps.
If you live elsewhere, be sure to visit your local harp store – local is a relative term. You may need to drive several hours to get to your “local” harp store. And if you live far away from any store, please feel free to email me and ask questions. I recently helped a composer from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to pick his first harp.
No matter what you choose, you will learn a lot about what you love. As Harper Tasche says: “When you get a harp, your life will change forever. Fortunately, it is always for the better.”
Programs, Radio Shows
Lots of folks ask me how I got to be a harpist, and are surprised to learn that I started playing harp when I was 42 years old. I was fortunate to be asked by Hourglass Workshops to tell the story of how I left corporate life behind and began a new chapter in my old love, music. Hope you enjoy this interview with Cherryll Sevy and Nancy Burns.
http://www.hourglassworkshops.com/2016/10/31/midlife-finding-your-lifes-purpose/
