How to Soothe Your Doggie's Nerves with Harp Music

Guest blogger David Drasnin's little rascal Shih Tzu, Roxane

We've all heard the saying that music can "soothe the savage beast", but there are very real findings that harp music has an effect on man's best friend. My friend and guest blogger, David Drasnin, explains...

"Throughout the years, music has proven its therapeutic effects. It's significant role in healing and rejuvenation of the mind, body and soul is indisputable. Many listen to their favorite bands, solo artists, and composers the minute they feel down, stressed out, or simply when they've just had a bad day at work. Others recommend listening to special tunes when trying to relax, meditate, and read, or when practicing light breathing exercises. Some even prefer leaving their music player on when going off to sleep, while selecting ambient sounds of ocean waves, birds singing, and soft background harp music. 

The power of music influences our mood and temper. Keeping that in mind, we could select just the right music for our own benefit and channel positive emotions, thoughts and feelings. Recent studies prove that this is the case with animals, too!

It turns out that dogs--man's best friends--have a taste for music and specific music genres. For instance, according to the study conducted by R. Kogan, “Behavioral effect of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs”, dogs tend to like to sleep when you play classical music to them. Sleeping is generally associated with feeling relaxed, calm, and secure. Therefore, we might also conclude that classical music actually calms dogs down. As another behavioral psychologist puts it: “Long, continuous notes were universally used to soothe or calm dogs."

Today, there are a number of music therapists that attempt to help people (as well as pets) overcome stress and depression without drugs and harsh medications. For instance in Austria, harpist SonjaGrace, preps harp therapy sessions for animals and particularly dogs. She found that dogs which are known to be hostile changed their attitudes thanks to her harp music. She quotes medical authorities like Dr. Diane Schneider to explain that, “Harp music lowers the pulse, blood pressure, and respiration in animals, increases oxygen and endorphins to relieve pain, relaxes muscles, improves digestion, induces sleep, reduces anxiety”.

So, if you prefer the more natural approach, find the best harp players, whose works are available for download online--Including music from harpists like Anne Roos-- and play it to your puppy. Help your pet overcome fears and tension. You'll bring happiness to your pet and you’ll feel utterly refreshed and relaxed just as well."

--Special thanks to David Drasnin, a frelance writer and a sworn music fan from London. He loves animals, especially his little Shih Tzu rascal Roxane, who is full of surprises. Currently he is involved with a fascinating project on puppy adoption at San Antonio Dog Life.

Anne Roos' little parrot, Pippin

Would you like to share your love of Celtic culture, Celtic music, and Celtic harps? I'm always happy to feature guest bloggers. Contact me through the email address on my website at CelticHarpMusic.com to submit your article. 

Happy Autumn!

From my friend, harper, and guest blogger, Eliseo Mauas Pinto, some Celtic Autumn joy for you. You'll find this lovely image and more like it from Kristen Fox at deviantART.com.

"May this fall season reconnect us
to the ever-changing aspects of our lives:
color, complexity, beauty and mortality."

Bliss and blessings ♥ 

Please add your own thoughts for the season below, and link to music of the season, too (check out my A Light in the Forest Album on amazon.com and iTunes for beautiful seasonal Celtic harp and instrumental music).

Anne Roos--Coming to See You?

Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to perform at my cousin Joel's wedding. I traveled some 700 miles to get there, and I was tickled to perform for a reunion of many relatives whom I haven't seen in years. After I returned home, Joel asked me whether I'd tour up and down the coast of California, playing house concerts in the towns where my relatives reside--A "Highway 101 Tour", so to speak. I'm thrilled with the idea and look forward to seeing it unfold this coming Fall or Winter.


Then, it got me thinking. I'd like to see you, too! It would be so cool to meet you, in person!


One of my favorite things to do is house concerts, where I can really get to know the people I play for (and with!). These events are so much fun, and so memorable, that it's a growing national trend. American Airlines did a story on it last December, and CNN will be doing a story about it. Are you a little bit curious? 


·    Watch the short video that people use to promote these great events to their friends. 


·    If you think your living room is too small, you'll LOVE this.

Some of you may be thinking, "I'll wait until Anne plays another public performance in a bookstore". But currently, bookstores are pulling back on selling CDs due to the popularity of online downloads, so they just aren't as interested in hosting concerts anymore. Because of this trend, I am turning to this new way of touring and performing. It's the best way to share my music, including the cover tunes (tunes you know and love) from my new albums. As a means to reach more people, I'm seeking out House Concerts and Dinner and Song Concerts in addition to playing at weddings and corporate events.

I'd love to play for you and your friends, so please contact me if you are interested. We can compare calendars and decide when I could be in your area.

Just one other thing:

If you add a comment below and tell me what you like (or don't like) about DinnerAndSong and ConcertsinYourHome, I'll send you a link to an album download of one of my past CDs (really!)--This is how much I want you to spread the word about my availability to play a concert just for you and your friends. But this offer expires April 1, 2011, so you need to comment now...

Anne Roos and Stairway to Heaven on the Celtic Harp

Leave it to Anne Roos to bring us something completely unexpected on the Celtic harp. Both of her two new CDs break from traditional harp tunes and take us to the world of modern popular music.

In “Blue Jeans: Modern Pop on the Celtic Harp,” Anne plays her most requested songs from the 1950s to present. These are the tunes we seem to inherently know and can’t resist singing and humming along with.

The CD is packed with 22 songs originally performed by greats such as Sting, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton and James Taylor to name a few.

“Unchained Melody” and “Killing Me Softly” are particularly well-suited for the Celtic harp. For a real treat though, her version of Metalica’s “The Unforgiven” and “I’ll be There,” the song made famous by a young Michael Jackson, may turn up as surprise favorites.

For “Velvet: Timeless Standards on the Solo Harp,” Anne turns her strings to modern classic tunes from Broadway and Hollywood. Hearing how effortlessly they seem to transfer to the Celtic harp serves as a testament to the skill of some of the finest songwriters of this Century… including Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers and Mancini, combined with the skill of Anne Roos herself.

With 25 classics, Anne is on her way to translating the American Songbook to the Celtic harp. And who doesn’t stop in their tracks upon hearing the first chords of “Strangers in the Night,” “When I Fall in Love,” “As Time Goes By” and “That’s Amoré!”

Get a new perspective of Celtic harp music with a listen to “You Belong to Me,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Love is Here to Stay.” Or give yourself a real challenge… try not singing along when you hear Anne play “Moon River.”

Both CDs are available at Anne’s website www.CelticHarpMusic.com.

This is originally posted on Irish Fireside Blog and Podcast

Why bagpipes are played at weddings

It’s always a treat to perform on local radio, especially on comedian Howie Nave’s fabulous morning radio show on KRLT called “Howie’s Morning Rush”. Not that we have a morning rush here at Lake Tahoe at all. The pace is slow. And on Howie’s show, the mood is decidedly silly.

Piper Seán Cummings joins me in the interview as we promote our 5th Annual Celtic Concert, part of the Valhalla Summer Music Festival.

Hear Seán and I play “Mist Covered Mountains” (Seán plays the Scottish whistle on that number with me on the Celtic harp). Listen closely and you’ll hear me play a few notes of “Stairway to Heaven”. Find out why bagpipes are played at weddings and laugh along with us.

Thanks, Howie! We had a blast! (click on the links below to listen)

Harpist Anne Roos & bagpipe player Sean Cummings pt 1 (4min 18 sec)
Harpist Anne Roos & bagpipe player Sean Cummings pt 2 (4min 01 sec)

June Celtic Trivia: Flowers and Herbs

"Come live in my heart and pay no rent."
--Old Irish Proposal

Ancient brides used herbs, not flowers, in their bouquets. They believed that herbs had the power to ward off evil spirits. If a bride carried sage, she became wise, if she carried dill, she became lusty. Rosemary ensured the powers of remembrance.

Brides used to carry marigolds that were dipped in rose water. They later ate them because they were believed to be aphrodisiacs. Wheat was also used in the floral bouquet to symbolize fertility, not only in family matters but also with crops.

Flowers eventually replaced herbs and carried many different meanings of their own. They were later dried and hung in the bride's new home to preserve their meanings.

Brides wore their hair loose, which symbolized virginity. A wreath of flowers, matching those in her bouquet, adorned their heads, or they would have just a few single flowers and precious stones scattered in their hair.

Read more Celtic wedding traditions and toasts in the liner notes of my "Haste to the Wedding" CD, ©2005 Anne Roos.

April Business Tip

Beware: Someone could be pulling a nasty practical joke on you directly from your website...

Once upon a time, I included a link to a party planning website on my website. They were also kind enough to link back to me.

Months went by and cobwebs began to develop on my links page as I ignored it to pursue other online tasks. Then one day, I received an email from a visitor to my site, "Did you know that one of your links connects with a p*orn site?" Aaaaargh! How did that happen?

It turns out that the party planning site that I was linking to folded, and another company, a p*orn shop, bought that party planning site's URL.

Don't let this happen to you. Check all the links on your website regularly to make sure they are not dead, or worse, linking to sites that you had no intention of linking to in the first place.

It's not necessary to spend hours clicking on all the links on your website. Instead, download a friendly application that will check the viability of your links for you. My favorite is called Integrity, but there are many others available online.

More marketing tips are available for musicians (and all entrepreneurs) in my book, "The Musician's Guide to Brides" available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers including sheetmusicplus.com, Amazon.com, and of course, at my website at www.celticharpmusic.com.

NEW! Consulting and Mentoring Available:
Anne Roos' Guidance to Making a Living by Gigging

You've certainly heard the phrase, "Don't quit your day job". But in this economy, many are choosing to leave their day job to do exactly what they want in life, and to make a living doing it. Whether you are a gigging musician, or a gigging freelancer in another field, I can help you to make a living doing just what you want to do, to find your own happy niche in the marketplace. Contact me to get started today.

Renaissance Magazine Calls Anne Roos’ Music “A Genuine Treat”

My 5.1 Surround Sound CD, A Light in the Forest, is “Highly recommended to those who enjoy Celtic harp and traditional music,” says Elaine Cunningham on pages 65-66 in Issue #65 of Renaissance Magazine. Here is an excerpt of the review:

“A Light in the Forest, the latest CD from Celtic harper Anne Roos,
is a genuine treat for people who like their traditional music played
well, without electronic embellishment, in simple but interesting
arrangements. This beautifully produced collection is presented in
a booklet that illuminates each track with notes, stories, poetry,
and art. Organized around a forest theme, this collection of
traditional and early music has a nice sense of coherence while
offering considerable variety.

Highly recommended to those who enjoy Celtic harp and traditional
music, this would also be a good choice for those seeking music
that evokes a Renaissance spirit while remaining easily accessible
to the casual listener.”

Renaissance Magazine is a print publication that features articles
on history, castles, heraldry, culinary and herbal arts, and in-depth
interview with the movers and shakers of the re-enactment and faire
communities. Regular columns review period books movies,
music, web sites, and games.

A Light in the Forest is on the Cambria Master Recordings label.
This and other albums by me are available for purchase
online at Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, and many online stores. It
is also available for purchase at retail outlets such as Barnes &
Noble and Borders stores. Autographed copies can be purchased
at www.celticharpmusic.com.

Are You New to Performing At Weddings?

Here Are Some Wedding Favorites to Get You Started

Do what you do best, and you’ll love what you do. The music you
play that resonates within you carries your own fingerprints.
Even if other musicians can play the same songs as you do, what
you bring to these songs is uniquely your own.

To get you started, this is a list of some wedding music
standards that you might want to consider including in your
repertoire:

Wedding Ceremony Music—The Common Requests

The Top Ten Classical Music Requests (in order by composer):

1. “Air in G” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D (J.S. Bach)

2. “Ode to Joy” from Symphony No. 9(Beethoven)

3. “Trumpet Voluntary” or “Prince of Denmark’s March” (J.
Clarke)

4. “Clair de Lune” (C. Debussy)

5. “Hornpipe” from Water Music Suite (G.F. Handel)

6. “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (F.
Mendelssohn)

7. “Canon in D” (J. Pachelbel)

9. “Allegro From Spring”, first movement theme from The Four
Seasons (A. Vivaldi)

10. “Bridal March” from the opera Lohengrin or “Here Comes the
Bride” (R. Wagner)

Wedding Ceremony Music Alternatives (Because Not Every Bride
Wants to Enter to “Here Comes the Bride”):

Favorite choices for Christian weddings:

1. “Amazing Grace” (American Folk Melody)

2. “Ave Maria” (F. Schubert)

3. “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” (J. S. Bach)

4. “The Lord’s Prayer” (A.H. Malotte)

5. “Simple Gifts” (Elder Joseph)

Favorite choices for Jewish weddings:

1. “Dodi Li” (N. Chen)

2. “Erev Ba” (O. Avissar & A. Levanon)

3. “Siman Tov” (traditional Israeli song)

4. “Sunrise Sunset” from the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”

Favorite choices for Celtic weddings:

1. “Mairi’s Wedding”

2. “Star of the County Down”

3. “When Irish Eyes are Smiling”

4. “Skye Boat Song”

5. “My Wild Irish Rose”

This is a short excerpt from my new book, “The Musician’s Guide
to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings” published
by Hal Leonard Books. I’m sure you can think of more tunes to
add to these lists. Add them in your comments below and help out
other musicians to get a good start playing at weddings. Next
time in this blog, we’ll tackle timeless reception favorites.

View Anne’s new book--see some individual sample pages.



The book is available wherever Hal Leonard Books are sold: music and bookstores, and through online retailers (including barnesandnoble.com, sheetmusicplus.com , and amazon.com.
I may sound like I'm shamelessly promoting it here, but I really would like to have some constructive feedback about it. I fully intend to write future editions, so your feedback would be of great help to me. Please feel free to respond with your kind constructive comments, and certainly, respond with wedding favorites that you would like to add to the above lists.


My best to you,
Anne Roos
Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos

An Introduction

Hi, I'm Anne Roos, Celtic Harp Musician and author.
As an introduction to myself, I am including a video that was taken of me in different settings. I hope you enjoy it.


Thank you,
Anne Roos
Celtic Harp Music by Anne Roos

http://www.celticharpmusic.com

e-mail: anne@celticharpmusic.com

"Beautiful music!"--United Airlines Inflight Music Service