Snow – the Precipitation of Innovation

Well, it’s snowing in Boston – and I just escaped to NYC as a major nor’easter is about to hit the area with a foot or more of snow.

It reminded me that it’s BOSTON SNOW that was one of the driving factors in my determination to create a new instrument for myself.

About 30 years ago, I was a California transplant weathering one of my first winters in Boston.

I was living on Beacon Hill in a 5^th floor walk-up, and renting a room for my harp a subway-ride away in Central Square in the home of civilian with a day-job. When I had a gig, I’d get my car out of hock from the parking garage, where IT had a rented room – and drive to Central Square to get the harp.  Then I’d wangle the 75 lb, 6-foot-tall harp in its thick padded case from the house to the car.

Usually I could wheel it – but when it snowed, I’d have to carry it – and one snowy day I slipped and fell, the harp falling on top of me (thankfully not the other way around).

That I began to spark the idea of a harp that was EASY to carry – as easy as an electric guitar or an electric bass. Hey – if someone figured out how to do it for the BASS … why not the harp??

The story of how I finally got that powerful little harp is a long one, and I’d forgotten that that fall in the snow was one of the first inklings that things needed to change size-wise with my instrument.

You can read more of the story of the long road to a new instrument at my website on my new “About” page and you can hear me sing the story of that genesis — OR better yet  you can just come to my show Feb. 3^rd and see the instrument up close and personal.  Here are the details:

WHO: Deborah Henson-Conant (electric harp, voice & story)
WHEN: Sat., Feb. 3, 2018 at 8:00pm
WHERE: TCAN (The Center for Arts in Natick) 14 Summer St. Natick, MA 01760
TIX: General $30, Members $25
BOX OFFICE: 508-647-0097
TIX LINK: http://www.natickarts.org/performance/deborah-henson-conant-2018-02-03
MORE INFO: https://hipharp.com/blog/19101