Answers to Your Questions: Relaxed Playing and Tuning By Ear - PHH 248

It's time for another "Answers to Your Questions" episode. I love these episodes because I get to speak to topics that are on your mind, rather than just talking about topics I think you want to know more about. And we have two really great questions to talk about today. Before I tell you what those questions are, I want to say that my personal criteria for choosing these questions is when I have been asked the same question by three or more people in a relatively short time frame. Usually the questions come in response to something I've talked about in the podcast, like our first question today, or something we discussed on one of the Live Monday Warm-Ups. Today's second question came up on a recent warm-up. My feeling is that when three people have asked it, there are a bunch more harpists who would have liked to ask it but didn't. And so I know that there are lots of harpists who really would like to have the answer, even if they let someone else ask the question. So if you're one of those who asked the question, I thank you, and so do your fellow harpists who let you ask for them. If you're not one of those who asked the question but want to know the answer, remember that next time you can be the brave one and do the asking. If you're on a live call with me, I can tell you that I always pay attention to the questions that arise. But if you haven't been on a live call with me, you can always email me here at the podcast, and I'll register your question or comment that way. The email is [email protected].  So what are our questions today? The first has to do with tuning by ear and why I feel it is so essential, not just because your harp needs to be in tune, but because it's an easy way to intentionally focus on your aural skills, which are key to your learning music faster and playing with more security.   The second question brings up a really vital point about playing without tension. It's this: being relaxed before you begin playing is one thing, but staying relaxed while you play is another, more difficult one. How do you keep relaxed and keep tension away while you're playing? It's a topic that is so important to all of us; aren't you glad those three people asked? Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:  Don't miss the webinar, Your Breakthrough Year Let's plan the rest of this year together in the Harpist's Breakthrough Blueprint Intensive Live Monday Warm-Up from February 2, 2026 where I talk about sticky placing, tone and tension. View it on the Harp Mastery® YouTube Channel Harpmastery.com Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected] Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-248