Other than this, it was a perfect day

“This” is a broken string.

It happens to harps. With all that tension on your frame, you’d snap something once in a while, too.

It's normally not a big deal when a string decides to go. However, this snap happened at a very inconvenient time.

Let me back up to the perfection of the day. Absolutely beautiful August weather. Nice drive to the wedding ceremony. Arrived at the church and there were a bevy of handsome groomsmen waiting to help me haul the concert harp into the church.

Nice, nice guys. Turns out, all of them were musicians of one sort or another, and they were absolutely fascinated with the harp. Watched every move I made unloading, setting up, putting down the pedals, tuning.

I wish you could have seen the view from my angle. I was standing on the right side of the harp, looking through the strings at my music stand and tuner. And in a perfect semi-circle around the left side of the harp were six pairs of very shiny black shoes.

One guy even got out his iPhone and watched the pitches along with me as I tuned (who knew iPhones had built-in tuners?)…“Dude, look! That’s a D-flat. That’s an E-flat. That’s an F-flat. That’s an…F-flat again,” he said and looked up at me, concerned. I told him not to worry – you’re supposed to tune a harp in flats.

Then a woman from the back of the church yelled, “So are you guys gonna leave her alone and start ushering in these guests or WHAT?” The shiny black shoes scattered and I started to warm up.

When I began to play Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, it sounded kinda bluesy. Jazzy maybe. I checked the tuning again. Yep, what should have been a G was definitely coming in at an F-flat.

I should have listened to the guy with the iPhone.

Upon examination, the string was fraying where it came out of the soundboard. Not a good sign. I spent a moment wondering if I should risk it lasting through the ceremony. I thought about waiting until afterward. It usually takes days and days for a gut string to stabilize. And it was 5 minutes before I needed to start the prelude.

I couldn’t do it. I changed the string.

I tuned and tuned and tuned. Played the prelude. Quick tuned and played the processional. Quick tuned and waited for the unity candle (cried when the groom said his vows because HE was crying…). Quick tuned and played the recessional. Quick tuned and played the postlude.

And the bride was none the wiser. Which is really what it’s all about: making things as perfect as possible for her, without her even knowing what goes into it.

There were compliments all around after the happy couple sped off with their wedding party in a huge black limo. Several guests wondered what the “flurry” was up at the front of the church at the last minute.

“Oh just the normal harpist stuff,” I said.

And they were none the wiser, too.