Let’s Play “What If”

By Anne Sullivan 

Let’s play “what if.”

• What if Mozart had written “Three Blind Mice?” 
• What if Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony were played on a music box?
• What if the happiest harp piece you know was played like the saddest harp piece in the world?

What’s the point of all these “what if” questions? 

They get us thinking about what makes music sound like music. All the choices that a composer makes to communicate the message relate to the major elements of music: melody, harmony, and rhythm, plus more subtle elements like dynamics and tempo. When we indulge in a little experimentation with the music we are learning, it helps us to understand the piece better, and expand our musical knowledge. Plus it can be fun too. 

When practice feels like it’s getting too boring or you need a five minute energy boost, you can try one of the “what if” ideas below. Bonus tip: these often work wonders for your attitude when you use these techniques on a piece you’re not particularly fond of but need to learn.

1. Look at the key signature of your piece and decide whether it is written in a major or a minor key. Then set your levers or pedals for the other one, meaning if your piece is in E Major, change it into E minor. If your piece is in A minor, change it to A Major. If the transposition doesn’t work easily, for instance going from B-flat Major to B-flat Minor, try a random setting of sharps, flats and naturals and see how that sounds!
2. Choose a piece you’re learning and try this “what if:” Can you play it with a cowboy rhythm or as a waltz? Can you play a normally peppy piece as a funeral dirge or a calm, quiet piece as a rollicking jig? Mix it up with different rhythms or tempos and discover how your piece changes. You will know you’re doing it right if you can make yourself laugh.
   
   
3. What if your piece had been written for two players, instead of just one? Choose a piece you know well and try to arrange it for you and a friend to play. You might arrange it for two harps, or for harp and another instrument or voice. You don’t even have to write your arrangement down; you can just create it when you and your friend get together. Get a little creative by adding some special effects like a glissando, harmonics or even tapping on the soundboard if you like. Stretch your imagination!
   
   

My mother used to tell me to “stop messing around” when I practiced this way, but my teacher always encouraged it as a part of my practice. I have now given you permission to “mess around,” so get going and have some fun!