This is so true! I call these pieces "dream pieces"... and I say go ahead and buy the music, and then you know you have it, but you can set it aside and try it from time to time, until it feels like something you can actually do with a fair amount of ease. Great advice on this!
I played guitar and gave up cause i was stuck, i picked it up the following year and 😯 my fingers remembered everything! and i was able to progress further! I believe in finding a good pace for youself so you don't overload your mind and fingers. Its not a failure, its just getting to know yourself better🙃
You're doing a great job Christy-Lyn :) sometimes I feel a little bit alone as a harp teacher and you inspire me a lot. Your videos help me renew my ideas, and I think you say things in such a nice, respectful and clear way. You're doing a truly great job :)
Elvann Thanks Elvann! Ah yes, it can feel like a lonely road sometimes. But friendships through the internet help so much. My Virtual Harp Circle is happening later this evening and it’s such fun to chat to other harpists there :) Keep it up, you’re awesome!! Thanks for the comments xx
It's always my pleasure to come by and leave comments :) Internet friendships do help so much, I don't know what I would do without my awesome community, and without all the amazing person that I met so far on my journey
Thank you for the advice, it's very good to keep in mind! Could you make a video on making covers of songs? It's so fun to do and it would be nice to hear some tips about that too.
I'd just like to say thank you so much for your videos! My fiancé plays a bit on the side (she is studying to become an opera singer), so of course, I have to play around a bit too. It feels amazing, but your tips are really making a difference for me! I can notice that there's something off without being able to pinpoint what it is, but you help me forward.
Hi Christy I'm learning to play the Harmonica after many years of messing around with other instruments. I've was advised to download a metronome app to help improve my practice a playing, which I did. But i struggled to use it properly, so I stopped. After watching your video and downloading the app I'm getting along nicely now 👍. Thanks for posting and sharing it with us 😊.
I had dyslexia and I truly believe that it caused me to play the harp opposite shoulder and left hand for trebles and right for bass. Added on to the problem is that I am right handed. I have played since 1989 this way. I tried the natural way and shoulder like 99 percent of harp players do but cannot keep time. Being I am right handed, playing with left hand on trebles, my left hand is normally weak because I am right handed. Could I use an exercise that would help the left hand to be more agile and stronger. I can not switch to right shoulder being I have played all these years?
I am one of a few left shoulder harp players. I have played that way since 1989. I have tryed difficult pieces and did what you said and by other tunes i learned a techneque that di help me with a difficult piece i came back to. As for a harp teacher, it would not be possible being they all teach right shoulder. Even though my playing is reversed from most players i still can gain knowlege from you. I love the harp so that even though im left shoulder player i have had to go it alone in my learning but have learned a lot.
I recommend learning a few songs at a time, some are a bit easier and good for confidence and timing, and other songs that are challenging. Songs in key of C are best to start, like Ode to Joy.
I used to play the harp until I lost a part of my right index finger (nail down to and including the first joint) in an accident years ago. And, I gave up playing -- thinking that I couldn't play anymore. Since then, a prosthetic was created for me, which has allowed me to try playing the piano again. (I'm still getting used to the prosthetic.) And, I'm wondering if I might be able to play the harp again. Your thoughts?
Great video... thank you! I listened to your video on placing ahead, as well. I find I can play each hand alone well (more or less... :-) and look ahead. But when I put the two hands together--no way can I seem to look ahead for both hands at once, so the playing gets choppy as one hand or the other catches up. So is there a point in time where my fingers will know where to go whether I am looking at the strings or not? I hope so...:-)
Hi Christie-Lyn, could you possibly post a video about how to place the fingers when you're going straight back down with the same hand? eg. C E G (LEFT HAND) C E G E C (RIGHT HAND) G E C (LEFT HAND). Thank you!
Im in little trap :D but I still think that I can learn it :D although left hand is quite over my skills... these videos are so much helpful, thank you! Tomas
I have been playing the harp for 7 years now. I used to go to private lessons, but the teacher wasnt great. See, I cant read notes, I never could and she told me that I will get NOWHERE in my harp career if I dont learn to read notes. So then I kept trying but I just couldnt read. Then she gave up on me, I got so sad I stopped playing for three years. Now Im back playing, still cant read notes, but I play from ear. Is what she said about getting nowhere true??
There are plenty of people who play the harp and can’t read sheet music, or choose not to learn that way 😊 Many Celtic harp players learn by ear, it’s a whole different style of learning - picking up the notes by ear instead of from a page. The way I see it, reading sheet music is nice because it opens up more options, but it’s not the only way to learn 😊💕
If you hit a piece that you would like to play, but it is too difficult, try dumbing it down. You got the harp because you want to play it. If a piece is too tough, find one that isn't. There are a few books that describe music theory. Music Theory And Arranging Techniques For Folk Harps by Sylvia Woods is not very complicated. There is a fair amount of detail in this book but it's not very complicated. It ain't rocket science. After I started referring to this book, I was able to quickly expand my repertoire. I don't read music fast, so I certainly don't sight play. I tend to plug away at a piece 'til I get it down the put the book away. Some music theory will make it easier to learn tunes. It will also make it easier to improvise. It can make the experience the fun you want it to be. A lead sheet is a piece of music vocalists may use. It contains only the treble clef, key signature, time signature, a single note melody line, the lyrics and the cord symbols. With some music theory you can take this lead sheet and improvise an entire arrangement much easier than you can play a full arrangement if you are slow at sight playing. Fake books are full of nothing but lead sheets. Many have over 1,000 tunes of all types. You are at your pleasure to make these tunes as complex as you like. You can keep it simple and grow a repertoire rather quickly. Once you get some music theory down and start winging it with fake books you can progress quickly. This type of thing gets to be fun. I'm not saying to drop the challenging pieces. Keep working on them, but grown your repertoire and HAVE FUN! What music theory will allow you to do is look at a piece and realize it's a bit to complicated as arranged for me. I don't need to be able to play it this way out of the box. I like the melody and I'd settle for a simplified version. Once you understand how the melody and harmony hang together you can dumb it down a bit and have an acceptable tune. Where music theory really empowers you is when you'd like to play something that was arranged for some other instrument, a piano for instance. Piano scores are frequently too much for a harp. That's fine. Harps have a longer sustain on the notes when a string is plucked so you don't need to play as many notes! Understanding some music theory makes it possible to take a piano score, and use the melody line and cords as your lead sheet and wing a harmony that you can play! Learning to play your harp isn't just about plucking at strings. It's about making music with a harp. You are free to apply all of music understanding to playing your preferred instrument. Why did you pick the harp? Because you like the way it sounds, right? So you need to make music with it. All it has to do is make you happy! You'll pick up the hard stuff easier, the more you play. Over time your skill set will improve. As you play simple things your skill set will grow as you play the simple ones better. If you are playing a folk harp, some tunes are beyond that instrument. I'm struggling to accept the fact that I'll never really be able to play Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple on my Aberdeen Meadows harp because there a just too many accidentals. You can listen to the Harp Twins play that on a pedal harp. Now if I had a cross strung harp I could maybe do it! Learn some music theory and have fun.
I also compose a lot so I compose my own pieces, but I usually tend to compose more complex stuff so sometimes I think "yeah, I'll be able to play this easily" and get frustrated when I can't play it. I mean-- :'P
This is so true! I call these pieces "dream pieces"... and I say go ahead and buy the music, and then you know you have it, but you can set it aside and try it from time to time, until it feels like something you can actually do with a fair amount of ease. Great advice on this!
It’s so tricky, because people get SO excited! But that’s a helpful way to respond, thank-you 👍🏻
I played guitar and gave up cause i was stuck, i picked it up the following year and 😯 my fingers remembered everything! and i was able to progress further! I believe in finding a good pace for youself so you don't overload your mind and fingers. Its not a failure, its just getting to know yourself better🙃
You have an amazing knack for saying what I need to hear, exactly when I need to hear it. Thanks Christy-Lyn!
Haley McL That’s such good news, Haley! Will you be able to come to the Virtual Harp Circle later today? :)
Thank you very much! That's a very useful advice for any instrument, not only for the harp.
You're doing a great job Christy-Lyn :) sometimes I feel a little bit alone as a harp teacher and you inspire me a lot. Your videos help me renew my ideas, and I think you say things in such a nice, respectful and clear way. You're doing a truly great job :)
Elvann Thanks Elvann! Ah yes, it can feel like a lonely road sometimes. But friendships through the internet help so much. My Virtual Harp Circle is happening later this evening and it’s such fun to chat to other harpists there :) Keep it up, you’re awesome!! Thanks for the comments xx
It's always my pleasure to come by and leave comments :) Internet friendships do help so much, I don't know what I would do without my awesome community, and without all the amazing person that I met so far on my journey
I hope to be able to rent a harp soon and teach myself to play, and I am loving your videos! They are a great help in preparing me before I even play.
I want to get mine out of storage!
Thank you for the advice, it's very good to keep in mind! Could you make a video on making covers of songs? It's so fun to do and it would be nice to hear some tips about that too.
Thank you so much Christy-Lyn for all of your great advice! I just discovered your channel and find it so helpful! Thank you!😊
Thank you so much for teaching and sharing your expertise to the general public about foundations. Please keep up the good work
Thank-you for the encouragement! 😘
Thanks for the insight.
More great advice - very useful. Many thanks - really appreciated.
I'd just like to say thank you so much for your videos! My fiancé plays a bit on the side (she is studying to become an opera singer), so of course, I have to play around a bit too. It feels amazing, but your tips are really making a difference for me! I can notice that there's something off without being able to pinpoint what it is, but you help me forward.
Hi Christy
I'm learning to play the Harmonica after many years of messing around with other instruments.
I've was advised to download a metronome app to help improve my practice a playing, which I did. But i struggled to use it properly, so I stopped.
After watching your video and downloading the app I'm getting along nicely now 👍.
Thanks for posting and sharing it with us 😊.
I had dyslexia and I truly believe that it caused me to play the harp opposite shoulder and left hand for trebles and right for bass. Added on to the problem is that I am right handed. I have played since 1989 this way. I tried the natural way and shoulder like 99 percent of harp players do but cannot keep time. Being I am right handed, playing with left hand on trebles, my left hand is normally weak because I am right handed. Could I use an exercise that would help the left hand to be more agile and stronger. I can not switch to right shoulder being I have played all these years?
This is awesome advice. . Better to do basics
I know this trapand oh my this is precisely the piece I'm intending to learn.
I am one of a few left shoulder harp players. I have played that way since 1989. I have tryed difficult pieces and did what you said and by other tunes i learned a techneque that di help me with a difficult piece i came back to. As for a harp teacher, it would not be possible being they all teach right shoulder. Even though my playing is reversed from most players i still can gain knowlege from you. I love the harp so that even though im left shoulder player i have had to go it alone in my learning but have learned a lot.
eye-opening... im always trying to learn much too difficult pieces :'( causes nothing but frustration!
Yap, that's me definitely.
I recommend learning a few songs at a time, some are a bit easier and good for confidence and timing, and other songs that are challenging. Songs in key of C are best to start, like Ode to Joy.
Hello! I want to buy one lever harp, but I live in Brazil then I have no many money ... how can I do this?
I used to play the harp until I lost a part of my right index finger (nail down to and including the first joint) in an accident years ago. And, I gave up playing -- thinking that I couldn't play anymore. Since then, a prosthetic was created for me, which has allowed me to try playing the piano again. (I'm still getting used to the prosthetic.) And, I'm wondering if I might be able to play the harp again. Your thoughts?
Great video... thank you! I listened to your video on placing ahead, as well. I find I can play each hand alone well (more or less... :-) and look ahead. But when I put the two hands together--no way can I seem to look ahead for both hands at once, so the playing gets choppy as one hand or the other catches up. So is there a point in time where my fingers will know where to go whether I am looking at the strings or not? I hope so...:-)
Thanks Christy- I’ve worked on some pieces for a year - this is probably my problem !!
Yes, sooo true. Thanks for this important post.
Hi Christie-Lyn, could you possibly post a video about how to place the fingers when you're going straight back down with the same hand? eg. C E G (LEFT HAND) C E G E C (RIGHT HAND) G E C (LEFT HAND). Thank you!
Thank you
Love your channel!!!
Very helpful.
oh please can you tell me the name of the piece that you play at the beginning at 0:22 sec? do you have in your shop the sheet music?
I believe it's called Sally Garden and you can get it from the link to her shop mentioned in the description box.
Im in little trap :D but I still think that I can learn it :D although left hand is quite over my skills... these videos are so much helpful, thank you! Tomas
This is really excellent advice!
I have been playing the harp for 7 years now. I used to go to private lessons, but the teacher wasnt great. See, I cant read notes, I never could and she told me that I will get NOWHERE in my harp career if I dont learn to read notes. So then I kept trying but I just couldnt read. Then she gave up on me, I got so sad I stopped playing for three years. Now Im back playing, still cant read notes, but I play from ear. Is what she said about getting nowhere true??
There are plenty of people who play the harp and can’t read sheet music, or choose not to learn that way 😊 Many Celtic harp players learn by ear, it’s a whole different style of learning - picking up the notes by ear instead of from a page. The way I see it, reading sheet music is nice because it opens up more options, but it’s not the only way to learn 😊💕
If you hit a piece that you would like to play, but it is too difficult, try dumbing it down. You got the harp because you want to play it. If a piece is too tough, find one that isn't.
There are a few books that describe music theory. Music Theory And Arranging Techniques For Folk Harps by Sylvia Woods is not very complicated. There is a fair amount of detail in this book but it's not very complicated. It ain't rocket science.
After I started referring to this book, I was able to quickly expand my repertoire. I don't read music fast, so I certainly don't sight play. I tend to plug away at a piece 'til I get it down the put the book away. Some music theory will make it easier to learn tunes. It will also make it easier to improvise. It can make the experience the fun you want it to be.
A lead sheet is a piece of music vocalists may use. It contains only the treble clef, key signature, time signature, a single note melody line, the lyrics and the cord symbols. With some music theory you can take this lead sheet and improvise an entire arrangement much easier than you can play a full arrangement if you are slow at sight playing. Fake books are full of nothing but lead sheets. Many have over 1,000 tunes of all types. You are at your pleasure to make these tunes as complex as you like. You can keep it simple and grow a repertoire rather quickly. Once you get some music theory down and start winging it with fake books you can progress quickly.
This type of thing gets to be fun. I'm not saying to drop the challenging pieces. Keep working on them, but grown your repertoire and HAVE FUN!
What music theory will allow you to do is look at a piece and realize it's a bit to complicated as arranged for me. I don't need to be able to play it this way out of the box. I like the melody and I'd settle for a simplified version. Once you understand how the melody and harmony hang together you can dumb it down a bit and have an acceptable tune.
Where music theory really empowers you is when you'd like to play something that was arranged for some other instrument, a piano for instance. Piano scores are frequently too much for a harp. That's fine. Harps have a longer sustain on the notes when a string is plucked so you don't need to play as many notes! Understanding some music theory makes it possible to take a piano score, and use the melody line and cords as your lead sheet and wing a harmony that you can play!
Learning to play your harp isn't just about plucking at strings. It's about making music with a harp. You are free to apply all of music understanding to playing your preferred instrument. Why did you pick the harp? Because you like the way it sounds, right? So you need to make music with it. All it has to do is make you happy! You'll pick up the hard stuff easier, the more you play. Over time your skill set will improve. As you play simple things your skill set will grow as you play the simple ones better.
If you are playing a folk harp, some tunes are beyond that instrument. I'm struggling to accept the fact that I'll never really be able to play Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple on my Aberdeen Meadows harp because there a just too many accidentals. You can listen to the Harp Twins play that on a pedal harp. Now if I had a cross strung harp I could maybe do it!
Learn some music theory and have fun.
This can happen with a lot of different instruments 😭
stephanie walker I completely agree!
this is happening me with my kalimba 😭
Yup! Sometimes I've noticed that my mind is playing one thing and my fingers seem to be playing another.
True. That's why I switch to harp bec. I got frustrated with piano
I do not have a harp in my area.
I also compose a lot so I compose my own pieces, but I usually tend to compose more complex stuff so sometimes I think "yeah, I'll be able to play this easily" and get frustrated when I can't play it. I mean-- :'P
Me with the violin
Oh and also I have learning disabilities and I do have two harps
another 5 stars!