Certainly I cannot
teach you the harp over the internet, but
I can assist you in getting a harp and learning
it step-by-step at my home. I believe that
everyone has musical ability and she or
he will progress with will, commitment and
love for the instrument. Most of my students
come for weekly lessons.
Do
You, Love to play the harp? "You'll never,
never know, until you give it a try!"
All young children
have the natural ability to learn easily by
imitation and repetition. Given the proper
training and environment, every child/adult
can learn to play an instrument. Since each
child/adult develops at his own rate, some
will progress more quickly than others, but
each can learn to play well at his highest
level of accomplishment.
I
have been teaching children to play harp since
1993. Harp is a great instrument for kids.
Lessons are designed with the individual student
in mind, for all ages and skill groups. However,
the expectations must be appropriate and the
parent must be fully involved to have successful
lessons at such young ages. Most of my young
students begin in elementary school.
Benefits of Harp Lessons
for Young People
Harp is instantly
gratifying - no difficulty in getting a
sound out as in a flute or reed instrument,
no screechy bowing as in a violin.
The harp strings
are tuned in a diatonic scale (major) so
there are more 'right' notes and fewer 'wrong'
notes. The 'open' diatonic scale is easy
to understand.
Any music lessons
develop the brain. Recent evidence shows
a strong link between music and math skills.
Specifically, musicians have a measurably
larger corpus callosum (the neural highway
connecting the left and right hemispheres
of the brain) especially if they began music
lessons before the age of 7.
Reading harp music
involves the grand staff (both bass and
treble clefs) just like piano. Music is
the same except not as much bass, mostly
for accent.
You can start learning
the harp at any age, however, it is best
to have a piano background but not necessary.
Private Lessons for
Young People
I will consider
working with almost any age, but below are
some things that as parents you should consider
before making such a comitment:
My students
must practice.
If your child
is too busy to devote 15 - 30 minutes
a day to their instrument, then reconsider
starting lessons at this time.
It is best not
to have a clock or watch in the area
of practice. Parents watch the time.
Tell the child it’s practice time
and he/she will play anywhere from 10
minutes to 30+ minutes. This is less
threatening, creating a more fun and
creative time, than having a clock or
timer tick the time away. Or a parent
hovering over them yelling and demanding
to keep practicing time isn’t
up.
I stress good
technique, theory and note reading.
I also teach
chords, dynamics, improvisation, and
composition.
Mostly, my students
learn songs that they select and are
intersted in playing, although, in the
begining they are given simple practice
songs to develop skill and learn the
basics of music theory!
Please Note:
I take the month of December off due
to my heavy freelance schedule.
Session rates are
$20.00 for a half hour lesson, or $40.00
for a hour lesson, paid the 1st of every
month for the whole month.
I teach all year
long, but with week to week scheduling.
I will take 2-4 weeks
off every year for vacation and will notify
parents and students well in advance of
this scheduling.
For info on harp
rental, see below.
Basic Posture
a) Correct sitting
posture to reduce fatigue and discomfort
b) Holding the hands and fingers so as to
allow maximum flexibility during playing
c) Taking care there are no energy blocks
in the hands and fingers by keeping a smooth
curve in the hands fingers & wrists.
The muscles which move the fingers are actually
in the lower forearm! The fingers are moved
by tendons stretching through the hand and
fingers, these must be kept relaxed.
d) Starting with carefully graded exercises
designed to build confidence and musical
appreciation.
Lessons for ½
Hour Include (depending on student)
Scales for agility,
harp posture, hand position, technique and
familiarity with instrument
Reading by note and basic music theory (Repertoire
adapted to each student's needs and desires)
Chords (to enhance
melody or arrangement)
Improvisation
Encourage making
one’s own arrangements to own the
piece of music and composition
Posture basics
Private Lessons for
Adults
1)
Lessons are designed with the individual student
in mind, for all ages and skill groups.
a) Adults are often
too reluctant to start lessons fearing that
they are too old, however, they are usually
very pleased at the progress made and the
enjoyment from doing something they've always
wanted to do.
b) A variety of music is encouraged to develop
versatility and unique repertoire.
c) Students who are interested in performing
will prepare for informal parties and weddings
and will be referred to appropriate jobs
when their ability reaches an acceptable
level.
2) I teach both folk
(Celtic) and pedal harp.
a) I teach classical
harp technique on both instruments because
it really works.
b) I do not teach Paraguayan or wire strung
harp techniques.
3) The beginning repertoire
I use to teach technique is mainly Celtic
because the repertoire is beautiful, simple
and satisfying to play.
4) We can work on harp
technique, theory, note reading, and dynamic
techniques, also improvisation, arranging
(and chords) and composition.
5) Basic
Posture:
a) Correct sitting
posture to reduce fatigue and discomfort
b) Holding the hands and fingers so as to
allow maximum flexibility during playing
c) Taking care there are no energy blocks
in the hands and fingers by keeping a smooth
curve in the hands fingers & wrists.
The muscles which move the fingers are actually
in the lower forearm! the fingers are moved
by tendons stretching through the hand and
fingers, these must be kept relaxed.
d) Starting with carefully graded exercises
designed to build confidence and musical
appreciation.
Lessons Include (depending
on student):
Scales for agility,
harp posture, hand position, technique and
familiarity with instrument
Reading by note and basic music theory (Repertoire
adapted to each student's needs and desires)
Chords (to enhance
melody or arrangement)
Improvisation
Encourage making
one’s own arrangements to own the
piece of music and composition
Posture basics
Tips for the Beginning
Harp Player
• Please
note that some of the technique below applies
specifically to nylon and/or gut strung harps,
played with the pads of the fingers.
Note:
Books, tips and videos are all well and good,
but remember there is really no substitute
for having a real person there showing you
proper technique, watching you to make sure
you're not developing bad habits, and helping
you out with everything from good tone, to
arranging, to neat little tricks like how
to do ornaments properly.
•
To play the harp you use the thumb and first
three fingers: your baby finger is too short,
so mostly it just stays tucked out of the
way, except when using the whole hand to
do damping (stopping the string from vibrating)
or glisses (those great disney-waterfall-sounds
where you run your fingers up or down all
the strings at once). In harp music, finger
numbers go from 1 to 4, 1 being the thumb
(regardless of which hand you're using).
This just in - I have recently heard of
some people growing the nail long on their
pinkie and using it to do certain effects;
also that there is the odd person for whom
the shape of their hand and/or proportion
of fingers allow them to play with all five
fingers. I have never personally seen this
done however, and would recommend not trying
it unless you have a teacher watching you
to make sure that using your fifth finger
doesn't distort your hand position.
•
Keep the thumbs UP. Think of the hitch-hiking
sign. Your thumb should always be above
your other fingers. This allows you to do
cross-overs, which is a smooth way of moving
along the harp by either crossing your fingers
underneath your thumb, or your thumb over
your fingers. It also helps keep your hand
in a good position. In my experience, this
is one of the universals of all good harp
techniques, celtic and classical. (Note:
this does not necessarily apply if you are
playing with your nails.)
•
Keep your hand loose and open. Think of
holding a rolled-up paper or glass of water
in your hand.
•
Close your fingers all the way into your
palm when you pluck. This gives you good
leverage and keeps your finger muscles from
getting tight and stiff. Close into a loose,
flat fist; imagine having a butterfly in
your hand that you don't want to crush.
(Note: there are some exceptions to this,
such as when playing ornaments quickly,
or when playing the wire harp.)
•
Keep your elbows out from your sides. This
doesn't mean having them sticking up high
in the air (which could potentially hurt
your shoulders), just as long as there is
some space between your arms and body. This
will help keep your arm muscles loose and
free and will help keep your wrist from
bending awkwardly. My rule of thumb has
been: the elbows should only be as high
up as is necessary to keep the wrist straight,
and never more than 90 degrees perpendicular
to your torso.
•
Finally, try and keep your wrist straight,
not bent. This will help avoid carpal tunnel
and repetitive strain syndromes. Keeping
your hand open and your elbows up slightly
should help with this.
• Avoiding Harp-Related
and Other Music-Related Injuries. A practical
technique and proper posture when playing
(back straight - no slouching!) go a long
way towards avoiding injury. For the beginner
harp player, it is a good idea to find a
teacher who can give you some pointers on
technique. A good teacher should be able
to provide you with a technique that recognizes
your physical limitations and avoids bad
habits leading to repetitive strain injuries,
while still addressing the need to be able
to play the harp in an efficient and practical
manner. For more info on harp teachers,
click here.
The Following are
Some Bad Habits, that should be avoided:
•
Twisting or extreme bending of the wrist
•
Elbows too high (ie. more than 90 degrees
perpendicular from your body)
•
Elbows too low- You need at least some open
space between your arm and your body.
•
Shoulders hunched - Remember your shoulders
should come back as you go higher up on
the harp; they should not rise up.
•
Head and neck twisted to one side - Often people
will twist their head to look at the strings.
Try to look more with your eyes, and keep
your head as upright as possible. It's a
good idea to learn how to play without looking
at the strings at all; not only will this
discourage holding your head at an odd angle
to see the strings, but it will help with
sight reading, and with keeping eye-contact
with an audience, or any other people you
might be playing with.
•
Playing
with stiff fingers
- Generally your fingers and hand should
be as relaxed as possible. Bringing the
fingers all the way into the palm can help
the fingers stay loose and fluid when playing
•
Using
a chair that is the wrong height for the
harp -
Using a chair that is too low or too high
can lead to slouching, leaning too much
of the harp's weight against you, or having
your arms held too high. The effects of
these are often not noticeable immediately,
but if you play for any length of time it
can cause a great deal of discomfort, especially
in the lower and upper back. If you have
a harp that is not suited to playing on
a normal-height chair, you may want to consider
investing in a folding chair or stool that
is the proper height. In some cases, it
is even possible to play standing up, with
the harp on a box or platform of some kind;
or in the case of lap harps, to sit in a
normal height chair, with the harp placed
on a box or raised by using detachable legs.
Do
You, Love to play the harp?