Play the Harp

The harp is a beautiful instrument, one that many people admire, but fear they will never be able to play. The truth is it can be simple and rewarding with just a little bit of hard work and knowledge. It is never too late to start learning the harp. There are beginners of all ages and backgrounds who will discover great joy in playing the harp.

Steps

Knowing the types of harps

1. Learn a little about the types of harps. When most people think of a harp, they either picture a large, golden pedal harp in an orchestra or some type of lyre being played by angels on a Christmas card. Actually, the two most common styles of harp are lever harps and pedal harps.
   • Lever harps have sharping levers at the top to change the notes.
   • Pedal harps have seven pedals that can make notes flat, natural, or sharp.
   • There are also wire-strung harps, double-strung harps, triple harps, Aeolian harps and other less common styles.
   • Remember: a person who plays a lever harp is a harper; a person who plays a pedal harp is called a harpist.
2. Determine the type of music you are most interested in playing, as this will influence the type of harp you choose. While you can play Celtic music on a pedal harp or a classical piece on a lever harp, these styles of harps are really different instruments for different purposes.
   • The pedal harp is loud enough to be heard in an orchestra and its pedals allow it to more easily play classical music. It is big, relatively heavy, and has a complicated mechanism that needs periodic adjustment.
   • The lever harp is often softer and warmer in tone, and is lighter and more portable.
   • People who like Celtic music often choose Celtic-style lever harps, or wire-strung harps.
   • People who perform at Renaissance Fairs may choose a high-headed "Gothic" harp.
   • Those who like classical music often choose a pedal harp or a lever harp with concert tension and spacing so that the change to a pedal harp will be easier.
   • People who travel or do harp therapy sometimes choose a smaller instrument, while professional wedding harpers and harpists may want a decorative harp.
   • Some people like more unusual double-strung harps.

Purchasing a harp

1. Obtain a harp. Even used pedal harps will usually cost close to $15,000. If you aren't sure, purchase or rent a lever harp. With fewer strings and a smaller investment, a lever harp will allow you to get a feel for the instrument without spending an immense amount of money or having to deal with pedals/foot movements. If you want to play Celtic music, a lever harp may be your best choice anyway. But if you want to be able to play on a more advanced level, you should consider buying or renting a pedal harp since it is much easier to play when on a higher level.]
   • While it is best to be able to play an instrument before purchase, harps can be ordered from reputable harp-dealers on the internet. Be wary, however, of some of the inexpensive ($300-$400) harps that are made in Pakistan and only buy antique or used harps with the advice of an experienced harper/harpist. A cheap antique harp may need thousands of dollars of repairs before it can be played.

Sitting with and holding the harp

1. Sit at the harp correctly. Sit in a comfortable, solid chair that is the correct height for your harp. You need to be able to easily play the middle of the harp-strings. You will need the shortest strings closest to your body and the longer strings will be further away from you.
   • If you have a lap-harp, you may have to rest its base on a box in front of you.
2. Tilt the body of the harp between your legs and lean the harp onto your right shoulder. It shouldn't feel too heavy if it is balanced correctly. The harp doesn't have to be straight in front of you; you can turn it sideways a bit so that you can see the strings. You should be seated so that your arms are a little below 90 degrees angle with your body, parallel with the floor and in the middle of the strings. At this point, your feet should rest on the floor.
3. Position your hands appropriately. Hand position is a much-debated area among harpers/harpists. Some instructors follow one technique and other instructors prefer other styles. There is no "one" technique that is right for all harpers and harpists. There are some similarities, however, such as relaxing the hands as often as possible, that are good common sense and will help prevent injuries. Most teachers also emphasize being sure to close the fingers and thumb into the palm after playing a note. This will help you get more sound out of your harp, as well as minimizing injury risk.

Tuning the harp

1. Tune your harp. If you have not acquired a strong ear for music, you can use an electric tuner. Using the tuning key that came with the harp, you can carefully tighten or loosen the strings to change the notes. This is an area where an experienced musician will be of great help to you.
   • If you have a pedal harp, you will be sure that all pedals are disengaged before tuning. Place each pedal in the flat key, which is the top notch.
   • If you have a lever harp, be sure all levers are disengaged. With your lever harp, you will probably first tune to the key of C Major. That is, A strings will be As, the B strings will be Bs, Cs will be Cs, etc. Later you can tune your lever harp with some notes flat to make it easier to play songs in other keys.

Learning to play

1. Engage a harp teacher if at all possible. You may also purchase a self-teaching method, although this is not a complete teacher replacement. In looking for a teacher, try to find one who respects the style of music that you wish to play, and who can teach you the appropriate technique for your style of harp.
2. Take a look at the strings. They are like the keys on a piano: A,B,C,D,E,F,G repeated over and over again. The red strings are Cs, the black or blue strings are Fs. If you can already play the piano, the strings will come more naturally to you and you will most likely get used to the strings much faster than non-piano players.
3. Most lever harps and pedal harps are played with the soft part- sides or tips- of your thumb and first three fingers (the little finger is too small and weak to pluck with.) When playing a lever or pedal harp, fingernails must be kept short. Wire-strung harps and certain advanced techniques for other harps are played with the finger nails.
4. On pedal harps, all pedals in the middle position is C major. Raising a pedal will drop the note to a flat and lowering the pedal will raise the note to a sharp.
5. On a lever harp, raising the sharping lever will raise the note a half-step. If the string was tuned to a flat, then raising the lever will raise the note to a natural. If the string was natural, then raising the lever will make the note a sharp.
   • The E, A and B levers should always be up. Everything else should be lowered, unless a piece requires a C#, etc.
6. Now, with your right hand hold out your first finger. Place it on the harp strings as far as you can reach and pull it quickly toward you so that it slides and makes each string ring out. Be careful not to let your knuckles collapse as you do this, as that will decrease the sound quality.
7. Congratulations! You've just done your first harp glissando!
8. Keep learning the basics thoroughly, then branch out and develop your skill range. For example, do not try doing complicated glissandos ('glisses') until you have mastered the basics. And remember to develop hand positioning too, two fingers, then three, then four. Do not try to master harmonics until you have reached a higher level. Take it gradually and the more advanced learning will become easier if you've mastered the fundamentals fully.

Tips

• Check out a CD with harp music on it or attend an Orchestra concert and keep your eyes on the harp! Watching and listening are great ways to get acquainted with the instrument.
• To find a harp teacher, look around, and ask people you know. You may try a local or neighboring college or orchestra to find a name of a professional harpist near you. You can also search harpist websites listing teachers in the area.

Warnings

• Ask your teacher about proper care and maintenance of your instrument.
• Poor hand position or posture may result in an injury, start with good habits by learning from a professional harp teacher.
• Once people know you can play the harp, they may ask for performances quite often.

Things You'll Need

• A harp
• Harp tuner
• Adjustable bench
• Music
• A teacher

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See also

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• Rosin a Bow
• Tune a Lap Harp
• Play Slap Bass
• Tune a Mandolin
• Be a Cool Bass Player

What links here

• Choose an Instrument
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• Tune a Lap Harp
• Tune a Mandolin