Practicing Harp Happiness

Ask a group of harpists what the hardest part of playing the harp is and you’ll get a lot of different answers: the technique, playing hands together, reading the notes, playing chords, putting on a new string, or maybe even moving the harp. Every harpist has his or her own bugaboo, a particular challenge in their playing. 

But we all agree that one of the trickiest parts of playing the harp is the fingering. 

From the first day we started the harp it was impressed on us that we need to follow the printed fingering. Placing our fingers accurately and in the right order - all at once or one at a time - helps us battle gravity and stay physically connected to the strings. I like to think of us as musical acrobats - only without the death-defying aspect. So much of what our instrument demands of our technique requires us to be airborne. We have to lift our hands to prolong a sound, to relax our hand, to move from one octave to another. And unlike pianists, we are...

Today’s show is dedicated to you, the podcast listener. I have gathered some of the most interesting questions from our podcast inbox and I will be answering them in this episode. 

After all, advice is only good if it’s the advice you need when you need it. Obviously, a podcast isn’t the same as individual instruction, or having your harp teacher on speed dial, but it’s important to me to talk about the topics that matter to you, those things that will make a difference in your harp playing. That’s one of the reasons I like to give you an action step or two with each podcast. Taking action, doing something rather than just talking about it, is how progress happens. It’s how we grow. Just think; if we only talked about practicing and never actually did it, our harp playing would never improve. In fact, it would start to wither and die. 

If being a harpist - or harper if that’s more “you” - is part of who you are, then...

You and your harp are the perfect Valentine’s love story. You met your harp, fell in love and the rest is history. When I talk about harp happiness here on the podcast and elsewhere, I’m talking about that love connection you have with your harp - that magical feeling that you began with and about continuing that feeling, deepening it, nourishing it, helping it flourish. 

 Of course, sometimes harp happiness has its bad days, those days when the joy just isn’t there. Those moments of frustration are the bumpy part of a harpist’s journey, and today’s podcast is about one of the major bumps in the road for all of us harpists: playing chords. We want our chords to sound lush and lovely but sometimes they just come out like a disorganized cluster of random notes. 

There are so many ingredients to playing a lovely-sounding chord.You must place multiple fingers quickly and accurately on the strings and then play them either at exactly the same...

Does sight reading scare you? Do you wish you could instantly play any new piece you want to learn, even just enough to get the idea of how it sounds?

Being able to read music fluently and learn it quickly is a “someday” skill for many harpists. Fortunately, you can improve your sight reading with a few essential skills that you are probably already practicing. The dramatic and nearly instant results will amaze you!

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• Getaway Retreat
• 4 Easy Ideas to Take Your Music Reading from Fumbling to Fluent blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected] 

Is your technique your biggest harp issue? 

Perhaps you know your technique is holding you back. Maybe you know you need to find the next level but aren’t sure how to get there. 

Today Anne reveals three ways to level up your technique and free your fingers to do your bidding. The good news? You might be doing the right things already. The better news? A faster, more accurate and secure technique is just a few simple tweaks away.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Getaway Retreat
• Four “Smart” Finger Patterns You Must Know blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

The most powerful musical expression isn’t created by magic. It’s written into each note. It’s up to the performer to discover it and bring it to life.

If you’ve ever questioned your expressive choices or felt uncomfortable making those choices, today’s show reveals how to discover the composer’s intention and interpret it with creativity and confidence. Plus I’ll show you where to look - and listen - for the hidden expressive clues in any piece.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Join My Harp Mastery
• Blog post on Your 5 Day Plan to Better Musical Awareness
• Beyond Dynamics: 3 Keys to More Musical Harp Playing podcast
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

Without question, the glissando is the signature harp sound. It’s likely the very first thing you ever tried when you first touched a harp. 

It’s equally likely that at this point in your harp journey you have questions about how to make them sound glorious. On today’s show I will share the expressive secrets to a sweeping glissando plus the technical specifics. Whether your favorite term is glissando, sdrucciolando or flux, you can make it magical.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Waltz of the Flowers Cadenza Challenge
• Develop Your Glissando Color Palette blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

I used to listen. For instance, when I first started playing the harp there were no electronic tuners; I had to learn to tune by ear.

I am convinced we harpists have lost some essential listening skills. What role does listening play in your daily practice? I believe listening is too often the last resort. On today’s show I suggest some practical strategies for making focused listening and informed musicianship part of your harp playing every day.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Waltz of the Flowers Cadenza Challenge
• Listen Like a Superhero blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

Do you think you’re too old or too uncoordinated to have agile fingers? Think again.

Agile fingers aren’t just for the young or the gifted and they don’t happen by magic. Developing finger facility is key to faster learning and more stumble-free playing. Listen and discover the three things you need to stop doing and the three you need to start doing now to teach your fingers to play with more speed and security at any age.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Two Step Chord Theory for Harpists webinar
• The Failsafe Fix For Fast Flexible Fingers blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

The first step in achieving a harp goal is believing you can achieve it.

On today’s show I interview Houston harpist and Harp Mastery® Certified Coach Caitlin Mehrtens. Caitlin is expert at helping her students succeed and she shares her advice on how to choose the right goals for you, as well as the two most powerful factors for success. You’ll also learn when to take a step back and refocus so you can move forward. This is a must-listen episode!

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:

• Caitlin Mehrtens’ website
• Loop 38
• Square One, beginner course
• Progress Planner Download
• Are You Living Your Harp Dream or Just Thinking You Are? blog post
• Harpmastery.com