In this episode of Harp Tuesday you get a real-time look as I start a new composition.
I always have a bit of a soft spot for these real-time episodes, but primarily I think they’re useful for me, haha 🙂 Still, I hope you find this interesting and/or useful – comment if you end up watching the entire episode!
The Governor in Our Brains and The Mountain… or the Jungle – why learning new things can seem hard. In this episode I talk about a couple of concepts that relate to learning things that are new to us. Hope you find this helpful, would love to hear from you in the comments!
Carlos Salzedo’s “Concert Variations on O Tannenbaum” is one of my favorite carols to play – so much fun! I just published a music video of it and here’s a Harp Tuesday episode going over the variations and offer some thoughts and suggestions.
Here’s a look at how to position your wrist and hand and how to close your fourth finger in order to play 4 finger chords cleanly and easily.
This week’s episode is a look at Carlos Salzedo’s extremely fun to play “Short Fantasy on a Catalan Carol“. (Aka Fum, Fum, Fum).
A music video of the piece:
Learn what all the different symbols and markings mean in Salzedo’s classic study of glissandi: “Fraicheur” 🙂
Join me as I attempt to adapt for lever harp this beautiful Chaconne from Handel’s Suite in D minor, HWV 448.
You can find the original sheet music I’m working from on IMSLP.
I was inspired to learn this Chaconne after watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh4i6acTgH4
I recently came across a transcription of Mozart’s Sonata No. 11 arranged for harp by a harpist called Alfred Kastner. He did an excellent job with it – join me as I take a look through the first movement in the 2nd in a series I’m calling “From the Archives” as I highlight sheet music from the harp archives.
If you’d like a copy of my current pedal and fingering markings (still a work in progress!) sign up for my email list and I’ll send you a copy (plus you get to stay up-to-date on what I’m doing).
In this episode I talk about how choosing a fingering that focuses just on a fast ornament or section and then comes off, even if there are additional notes after the ornament, can be a useful approach. I use two sections from Deborah Henson-Conant’s “The Nightingale” to demonstrate what I mean.
Sheet music for “The Nightingale” can be found at DHC’s website https://www.hipharp.com/
Come along with me on an adventurous Harp Tuesday as I talk about what goes into recording on location with my small electric harp. Plus, two short improvisations! If you liked this style of video, let me know in the comments 🙂
In this episode I take a look at a piece from Mildred Dilling’s collection “Thirty Little Classics for the Harp”. It’s a Minuet in G minor by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (yes, the philosopher). A beautiful, elegant tune that’s easy to play.
An ode to the design of a basic, no frills, metronome 🙂
Some general, non-technique related thoughts on ways to stay pain-free while playing the harp. Please note: I am not a medical professional! 🙂
A look at Alphonse Hasselman’s lovely “Petite Berceuse“. In the key of C and playable on a 25 string harp, the sheet music is in the public domain and can be found at archive.org – https://bit.ly/2Jo2aY9
Harpist in a Tree, episode 2, features me playing “Petite Berceuse” in a tree 🙂 Watch it at https://youtu.be/2hezgZDifyk
Is playing a separate pattern in each hand a challenge for you? In this episode of Harp Tuesday I offer some ideas of how to coordinate playing with both hands at the same time, using as an example a small section from my arrangement of The Skye Boat Song.
You might also find this episode useful: https://www.harptuesday.com/ep-110-coordinating-two-hands-contrary-motion-and-practicing/
My arrangement of The Skye Boat Song is available as a PDF at http://www.joshlayne.com/store/
“To Zanarkand” is a beautiful melody by Nobuo Uematsu from the video game Final Fantasy X. I plan to record a music video of this sometime this summer and I still need to practice the lever changes towards the end of the piece – join me as I work on them!
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I use the left hand pattern in Kim Robertson’s arrangement of Fauré’s Pavane to talk about three things to do to make an up and down left hand pattern sound as smooth and flowing as possible.
Kim Robertson’s Celtic Harp Solos is an excellent book. Your favourite harp music retailer will probably have a copy (or could obtain one for you). For example: https://gourd.com/robertsonbooks.html
It’s also available as a PDF download: https://harpcolumn.com/music/all-music/artists/kim-robertson/celtic-harp-solos/
Relaxation is so important when playing any instrument – both for speed and to remain injury and pain free. Making sure your fingers don’t stay clenched into the palm when they aren’t playing is one key to staying relaxed. In this episode I talk about how to achieve that (including using a rubber band as an aid!) and demonstrate how it looks.
Finding patterns in music is such a powerful tool! In this episode I analyze a section from Einaudi’s “Primavera” as an example. Whether you want to memorize a piece or just improve your fluency while playing from sheet music, looking for and finding patterns will serve you well 🙂
A quick look at how to play a 3 against 4 rhythm. I did a similar episode on 2 against 3, using Debussy’s First Arabesque as an example: https://www.harptuesday.com/ep-124-playing-2-vs-3-rhythms-in-debussys-1st-arabesque/
A bunch of sharps or flats in the key signature at the start of a piece? Here’s how to figure out what key you’re in! 🙂
I have several episodes on chords that might also be useful:
https://www.harptuesday.com/ep-122-fundamental-exercises-on-the-harp-chord-progressions/
Here’s the start of a new type of video: From the Harp Archives. A quick look/read through of a piece of public domain music that I feel is worth highlighting. In this case, it’s Felix Godefroid’s beautiful setting of “The Last Rose of Summer”
You can view and download the sheet music at https://archive.org/details/ladernirerosedtm00gode/page/2
And the Harp Archives in general can be found at https://archive.org/details/byuinternationalharparchive
Like this idea of “From the Harp Archives”? Let me know in the comments!
A bit of a ramble about fingerings! When can we and can we not trust our hands to tell us when a fingering is bad or good?
As promised, here’s the link to Hasselman’s “Petite Berceuse“ at the harp archives.
Normally, when we play a harmonic on the harp it sounds an octave higher.
But it’s possible to play harmonics that sound an octave and a 5th higher, or 2 octaves, or 2 octaves+ 3rd, 2 octaves+ 5th, etc.
In this episode I demonstrate a technique I worked on recently to facilitate these extended harmonics that’s different from the way we normally play harmonics. Hope you enjoy 🙂 Would love to hear from you if you use an unusual physical approach when playing harmonics!
The final episode of my look at arranging the Skye Boat Song:
And here’s the music video:
Need to play a bunch of glisses and want to save your fingers? A hard felt pick might be just what you need 🙂 In this short episode of Harp Tuesday I demonstrate what a glissando with a pick sounds like.
I’m using these Ukulele picks from Amazon – 3 for $3: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B005A09I7Q/ (not an affiliate link) but I believe any hard felt guitar or ukulele pick should work!
I’ve found half page turns to be a super useful thing when working with an iPad and digital sheet music. It helps allow you to do both pedal changes and bluetooth foot pedal page turns, as well as reading “across” the page when practicing.
I’m using the forScore app for iOS – I highly recommend it as a way to view and manage sheet music on an iPad. https://forscore.co/
I did a longer episode talking about my experience using an iPad in place of paper music: https://www.harptuesday.com/ep-113-sheet-music-on-tablets-forscoreipad/
A look at Barbara Brundage’s wonderful arrangement of Themes from Scheherazade for lever harp.
You can buy it at https://www.harpcenter.com/product/pdf-download-brundage-class2-scheherazade/ or as part of Barbara Brundage’s collection “Classics on Request #2” https://www.harpcenter.com/product/pdf-download-brundage-class2-scheherazade/
I highly recommend listening to the full orchestral original. Here’s a link that shows the score as it plays: (We hear the violin solo+harp chords “Scheherazade” theme for the first time at 0:52 )
Hope you enjoy! Thanks to one of my patrons for the suggestion – I wasn’t aware of this arrangement and it’s beautiful and a lot of fun to play 🙂 You, too, can become my patron and support Harp Tuesday at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
Happy 2019 everyone! I’m busy finishing my annual New Year’s Improv video, and I thought what better subject for today’s Harp Tuesday episode than a look at improvisation. I offer two concrete ideas to spark your creativity and get you improvising in 2019 🙂
You might also enjoy episode 70
And here’s a playlist of my various improv videos
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about ways to practice playing fast downward arpeggios – using Samuel Pratt’s classical “The Little Fountain” as my example!
And I did a Slow Motion Monday episode from a different angle:
In this episode I show how to learn an easy version of Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel / Veni, Veni Emmanuel. Find the free sheet music at http://www.joshlayne.com/emmanuel
In this episode I talk about how to learn an easy arrangement I did of “Deck the Halls” (AKA Deck the Hall or Nos Galan).
Find the free sheet music at http://www.joshlayne.com/deckthehalls
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I look at how to play/finger the opening of Handel’s “Passacaille” (as transcribed by Tiny Béon).
The Passacaille is the last movement from Handel’s Suite in G minor, HWV 432
I talk quite a bit about finger independence throughout this episode – check out Harp Tuesday ep. 23
I’m home from my fall 2018 European tour and ready to get back into recording Harp Tuesday episodes! Here’s a look at a short section from Debussy’s 1st Arabesque that features two different places where you have to be very careful to avoid buzzing!
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I take a look at a fun pattern from Lauren Scott’s interesting new book, Adventures for Lever Harp
Hans Trneček’s transcription of Smetana’s “The Moldau” is one of my absolute favourite pieces to play. In this episode I look at the last 3 lines and talk about problem solving and how sometimes we can come up with a better way to play something!
A year ago I bought a beautiful new Camac “Excalibur”. I did a video talking about it when I first got it and I thought it would be fun to do something a year later (spoiler alert, I’m still in love 🙂
For more on changing strings, check out episode 10.
In this episode I talk about problem solving as I try to make a section easier at the end of Debussy’s “Prelude” (from his Suite Bergamasque).
In this composer-centric episode I talk about pedal change, pedal markings, and pedal charts. As a composer, should you include these in your scores/parts? Answer – it depends 🙂
Hopefully helpful and interesting to composers and non-composers alike! Questions? Email me at info@joshlayne.com
I use my arrangement of Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring as one of my examples – find the sheet music here.
Here’s part 2 of my process of arranging the Skype Boat Song. Was inspired to do this from remembering my Arranging Greensleeves Project and thought the time was right to do something like that again! I’ll be arranging the Skye Boat Song over several episodes, watch part 1 here.
A quick look at left hand muffling with open octaves. Also check out Episode 24.
A real-time look at adapting for lever harp the first of six “Noels” by Marcel Tournier. Tournier wrote these for pedal harp, and there’s a certain amount of modulation going on in this Noel. Still, having played through it a couple times I’m hopeful that I can adapt it for lever harp – join me for the journey and lets see if it works out! 🙂
My music video of “Caprice”
Slow Motion Monday video:
I fell in love with this song many years ago listening to a Zabaleta recording. Couldn’t find the sheet music at the time, but was thrilled to finally track it down a few years ago online at the harp archives
Labarre’s “Caprice” (as recorded by Zabaleta) is No. 7 from his “Grande étude pour la harpe : composée de huit caprices : op. 30”
All 8 etudes can be found here: https://archive.org/details/grandetudepour00laba
You can sign up to my email newsletter to get access to my fingerings and pedal markings – (existing subscribers can follow this link as well)
The Harp Archives are a tremendous resources: https://archive.org/details/byuinternationalharparchive
I did a follow up Slow Motion Monday video:
In this episode I take a look at Carlos Salzedo’s “Seguidilla” from his suite of eight dances. I give some tips on it in general, and then talk about playing fast and offer some ideas and ways to work on speed.
I also made a version of this episode which shows the sheet music onscreen as I talk about it, though the video quality is worse overall. You can watch it below:
I’ll be arranging the Skye Boat Song over several episodes, starting with this real time look today. Hope you enjoy!
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I offer a few practical tips on tuning your harp. For some additional information on tuning, see Harp Tuesday ep. 5
Some useful links:
Dusty strings:
https://manufacturing.dustystrings.com/harps/accessories-hardware/tools-maintenance
https://manufacturing.dustystrings.com/blog/sharping-levers-camac-vs-loveland
Thormahlen Harps:
http://www.thorharp.com/pages/regulatingcamaclevers.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRcLPupXuIc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFKYjmmjzvM
Great set of articles about all sort of harp maintenance by Mike Lewis, here’s the link to the article on regulation:
http://www.harptech.com/Articles/Regulation/Regulation.html
Rees levers:
https://reesharps.com/regulating-rees-harp-levers/
Loveland levers (via musicmakers): https://www.harpkit.com/mm5/pdf/Instructions/Lever-1Regulation.pdf
In this viewer requested episode I offer some tips and tricks to playing orchestral harp parts, written for the pedal harp, on a lever harp.
I do this by going over the harp part to Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol. You can download the sheet music and follow along.
In this episode I look at how to play the polyrhythm of 2 against 3 using examples from Debussy’s First Arabesque.
You can find Renie’s transcription of the Arabesque at IMSLP – http://imslp.org/wiki/2_Arabesques_(Debussy%2C_Claude) (Look for the “Arrangements and Transcriptions” tab).
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I use the Irish slip jig The Butterfly as a starting point to talk about fingering and technique. Music for the Butterfly and 1000s of other traditional tunes can be found at https://thesession.org/tunes
Sign up to my email newsletter to get a free PDF copy with my suggested fingerings!
In this episode oI talk about chord progressions and working on the ability to automatically go up and down a chord sequence (root, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion). As a companion to this episode you might find these two episodes helpful:
https://www.harptuesday.com/ep-34-chord-basics/
https://www.harptuesday.com/ep-71-chordjumping-exercise/
In this episode I talk about how to play a 4,3,2,1,2,3,4,3,2,1 pattern – a great basic exercise and good workout for the fingers!
In this first episode I take a look at a beautiful piece called Alfonso XII el Sabio (13th century Spain) from Kim Robertson’s sheet music book “Celtic Harp Solos . (I wonder if in fact it’s music associated with Alfonso X el Sabio).
EDIT – Thanks to Therese Honey in the YouTube comments – it is indeed from Alfonso X “Cantigas de Santa Maria” This is number 166 “Como póden per sas culpas”. Check out this site which has sheet music for the entire set of songs: http://www.cantigasdesantamaria.com/csm/166#music/r
With a rather hypnotic tune and great rhythms this is a very fun piece to play!
(Celtic Harp Solos is an excellent book. Your favourite harp music retailer will probably have a copy (or could obtain one for you). It also appears to be available as a PDF download. For example:
https://gourd.com/robertsonbooks.html
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/kim-robertson-celtic-harp-solos-digital-sheet-music/19899385
And check out Kim Robertson’s website.
In this episode I complete my look at the gear I use to create Harp Tuesday and music videos, etc.
This episode looks at some of the software I use.
Here’s a list of not only the software I talk about in the episode, but also other tools I’ve used:
Reaper. Fantastic audio editor that also functions as a pretty good video editor. Just recently discovered that it has more video editing capabilities than I was aware of and I’m super happy about that! I love it as an audio editing program and am now using it as my main video editing program. These two videos were both created in Reaper, for example:
Try out the complete program for free for 60 days, and it’s just $60 for a personal license. Highly recommended!
The rest of these programs are either free or have a free version:
Open Broadcast Software (OBS). Steaming/capture software that lets you record your screen if you want to display sheet music + video, for example (such as this episode):
Of course, you can also use it for livestreams!
Lightworks. Professional quality video editor. Free (basic) version only lets you export at a max of 1280 x 720. Steep learning curve and not particularly intuitive, but very powerful.
Since it’s free, potentially worth checking out. I have used it for various music videos over the years:
DaVinci Resolve. There is a free version available (scroll to bottom). I’ve played around with it a tiny bit, but wasn’t sure I wanted to tackle the learning curve given that I all ready know how to use Lightworks (to some extent!) and now I’m very happy with Reaper. Still, if I end up wanting to do some greenscreen videos, for example, I may revisit Resolve.
Handbrake. Open source (free) video conversion tool, can be handy to have around.
VirtualDub. Free tool for encoding/some editing.
FFmpeg library – many other programs make use of this library, can also access it from the command prompt.
In episode 117 I demonstrate how to play Marcel Tournier’s beautiful composition Soupir on the lever harp. Written for the pedal harp, it works very well on the lever harp as well! Download my adaption for free. (Want to play this on the pedal harp? The sheet music I used, sans my notation, can be found at archive.org)
(Note that in the video I’d forgotten to circle the low Gb at the end to indicate it’s to be played as an enharmonic (F#). The PDF link has above has the correct notation).
In episode 118 you get a look at me learning Soupir as I try to get it in shape to record it:
In this second of three Harp Tuesday episodes I talk about the gear I use to create Harp Tuesday videos and offer some thoughts and suggestions for those looking to record their own videos.
This episode is about recording equipment. I use a Royer SF12 ribbon mic and an AEA “TRP” preamp for most of my recordings. I also have a Zoom H5 for easy on location recording.
In this first of three Harp Tuesday episodes I talk about the gear I use to create Harp Tuesday videos and offer some thoughts and suggestions for those looking to record their own videos.
This episode is about cameras. I currently record with a Canon T4i and Canon 18-135 STM lens. The Canon Rebel/Ti series are solid cameras, with the ability to connect a mic via a 3.5 mm input and an articulating screen, both essential features as far as I’m concerned. I’m currently eyeing the Panasonic GH5…
In this special episode of Harp Tuesday I’m very excited to show off my new Excalibur lever harp! (Made by Camac Harps and purchased from the Virginia Harp Center). It’s a super fun harp to play – I do some live improv to give you a chance to hear how it sounds!
Will be doing a lot more videos featuring this harp on locations around beautiful Victoria, BC.
The Virginia Harp Center can be found at https://www.vaharpcenter.com/
Camac Harps: https://www.camac-harps.com
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about my experience using the forScore app on an iPad air in place of physical sheet music. (I’ve found it very useful).
The Donner foot pedal I’m using
I mentioned three places to find free, public domain music online:
The International Harp Archives at Brigham Young University
And for traditional music – The Session
In this episode I continue my look at electric harps (playing a “Firefly 2” electric harp I bought last year from Wickford Harps / Dick Ranlet http://wickharps.blogspot.ca/) with a focus on looper pedals and some of the things you can do with a looper pedal!
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about and demonstrate the “Firefly 2” electric harp I bought last year from Wickford Harps / Dick Ranlet as well as talk about electric harps in general.
I will be doing a follow-up episode demonstrating using a looper pedal – if you have any questions you’d like answered let me know!
Video where Dick Ranlet demonstrates his two part harp system –
In this episode I take a look at a contrary motion exercise you could use to practice coordinating two hands at once. But the practice principle I talk about can be applied to anything you’re working on!
“Pistache” (Pistachio) is one of a collection of pieces by Bernard Andres called “Epices” (Spices) where every pieces is based on a spice (Paprika, Cinnamon, Vanilla, etc.)
Pistache is probably my favourite from book one of the collection, and in this episode I take a look at it. Pistache has a bunch of cool effect/extended techniques, some fun rhythm stuff, and is just overall a blast to play 🙂
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I take a look at pedal slides, an extended technique for harp that takes advantage of the sound created when we change the pedal of a still vibrating string. Two of the pieces that I talk about are Salzedo’s “La Desirade” and Andre Caplet’s 2nd Divertissement “a l’espagnole“.
A two part look at Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich’s beautiful harp solo “Songs of Nymphs“. Written for Erica Goodman in 1988 with the assistance of the Ontario Arts Council, Songs of Nymphs is made up of four songs, or movements:
Prelude
Reflection
Ritual
Freedom
I love playing this work, and recorded it in 2001 on my CD Masterworks for Harp
Here are videos from two of my performances of Songs of Nymphs:
You can buy the sheet music at https://www.musiccentre.ca/node/13668 Also check out http://www.mozetich.com/
Welcome to the 100th episode of Harp Tuesday! 100 is a big number and I feel proud to have reached it! 🙂 Thanks to all of you who watch and comments on my videos – you’re the reason I’ve made it to #100!
In this episode I offer some thoughts and advice on buying a harp, with an emphasis on advice for someone looking to buy their very first harp.
I hope this is helpful, and thanks for watching!
The complete episode is below, but I also split this episode into individual sections if there’s something specific you’re interested in.
1. Introduction https://youtu.be/lY2PVTGFb-A
2. General advice/synopsis https://youtu.be/znZ6D3Pyss0
3. Three categories of harps https://youtu.be/IINfg-emaQo
4. Celtic harps – how many strings? https://youtu.be/8m-vBBdJY7c
5. Celtic harps – do I need levers? https://youtu.be/OrqoGgxEc8I
6. Build quality and ergonomics https://youtu.be/JcdPXdPgG6k
7. Sound quality https://youtu.be/Q_hj0a-OvRQ
8. Strings – gut or nylon? https://youtu.be/P1xQUAT1mDw
9. Pedal harps https://youtu.be/9tz-M-EvqCQ
10. Other type of harps https://youtu.be/S87aHF79BiE
In this six part series I take a look at my Fantasy on Greensleeves, the lever harp version. Be sure to check out my Arranging Greensleeves project page for more info, or to buy the sheet music!
Intro and theme:
Practice tips/Variation 1
Variation 2
Lever changes, Rhythm, and more – variation 3
Bridge and Variation 4
Ending and tremolos
“I feel different” is one of my favourite compositions by Dutch harpist/composer Anne Vanschothorst. It felt like a great subject for my return to Harp Tuesday after a long break due to my European trip, etc.
Feels great to be back, and on almost exactly the five year anniversary of the very first Harp Tuesday episode!
Hope you enjoy – I’ll be doing a couple follow up Slow Motion Monday videos from this piece – look for that next week.
Check out Anne’s music at http://www.harpandsoul.com/ and buy her music books here: http://www.harpandsoul.com/#!shop/c1c9t
And of course check out her YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/user/annevans…
In this special edition of Harp Tuesday from the Zagreb Harp Centre in Croatia (http://zagrebharpfestival.com) I take a look at the “Rondo” from Bochsa’s “Air and Rondo” – the first piece in Samuel Milligan’s “Medieval to Modern volume 2”.
Last episode I talked about the Air: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo8Nf…
Was wonderful to record surrounded by all these amazing Camac harps (http://www.camac-harps.com/)
In this special edition of Harp Tuesday from the Zagreb Harp Centre in Croatia (http://zagrebharpfestival.com) I take a look at the “Air” from Bochsa’s “Air and Rondo” – the first piece in Samuel Milligan’s “Medieval to Modern volume 2”.
Next episode will look at the “Rondo” 🙂
Was wonderful to record surrounded by all these amazing Camac harps (http://www.camac-harps.com/)
In this edition of Harp Tuesday I take a look at Prokofiev’s wonderful Prelude in C, Op. 12, No. 7.
I played this as part of a my livestream concert on August 2nd (2015).
IMSLP has the preludes, though depending on where you live they may or may not be public domain.
In 1997 I recorded the Prelude on my CD “An Afternoon of Harp Music“
We so often play chords with a break/roll, even if it’s very slight. It’s good to be able to play chords with every note sounding at the exact same time – here I offer a few thoughts on hand position and finger action when playing 4 finger solid chords.
Here’s a “Slow Motion Monday” video of me playing chords:
In a first ever for Harp Tuesday, this episode features a guest – harpist and harp maker Robin Ward. I met with Robin backstage after a performance at the Rio Harp Festival and he talks about and demonstrates on the triple harp!
Check out Robin’s website and his YouTube channel
Thanks Robin!
I talk about learning En Roulant from Betty Paret’s First Harp Book.
Among other things I discuss counting/clapping a 6/8 rhythm and looking for patterns when learning a new piece!
In this episode I look at a very small section from Marcel Grandjany’s composition “Rhapsodie” and talk about and play around with different ways of phrasing it.
In many ways what it boils down to is first figuring out how you want it to sound (in your head) and then working on being able to play it that way on your instrument…
In this episode I have fun slowing down three short clips. To start is a look at a right hand scale, followed by the last page of Grandjany’s “Rhapsody”, and finally a short section from Anne Vanschothorst’s “A Bird Came Flying”
Harpist and composer Bernard Andrès has written a lot of music for harp, here in these episodes I look at three pieces from his book Ribambelle – a set of 10 short works for lever or pedal harp
In these episodes I give an in-depth look at Handel’s Concerto for Harp, including Grandjany’s extended cadenza
I learned and play the Grandjany edition, but you can find the original on IMSLP
One of the very first videos I ever uploaded on YouTube was the Grandjany Cadenza:
And here’s a performance of the entire concerto:
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I take a close up look at playing a left hand pattern often referred to as an “Alberti Bass”. (For example, C, G, E, G, C, G, E, G, etc.)
From orchestral playing to harp ensembles to duets, playing with other people is a lot of fun! In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about two aspects of playing with others and give some specific exercises you can practice on your own.
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I finally (!) finish my look at how to read music. In December of 2010, for my fifth episode of Harp Tuesday, I talked about how to decipher notes on the printed page and translate them into which strings to play on the harp… In this episode I talk about the other aspect of written music – Rhythm!
This was a tricky episode to put together, and I’m still not sure how much sense it makes, but if you’re trying to learn to read music hopefully this will help!
You can download the PDF sheet showing what shapes equal what note durations (Whole note, half note, etc.) here.
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about some ways to try and make playing with both hands at the same time feel easier…
In these episodes of Harp Tuesday I look at a piece that I learned as “Variations sur un theme de Mozart”, playable on the Celtic harp and edited by Odette le Dentu. However, it turns out it may have nothing to do with Mozart! Thanks to a youtube comment I found the original on IMSLP – it’s the first of 4 Airs and variations by French composer Martin Dalvimare.
You can find the score and play along at IMSLP
Opening theme and first variation
Variation 3
Variation 4
Variation 2
Variations 5 and 6
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I take a quick look at the end of Felix Godefroid’s “La Danse des Sylphes”
A very fun piece to play 🙂
You can watch the last couple minutes in a video I just recorded:
Or a live performance of the entire piece from 2007:
I also recorded it in my 1997 CD “An Afternoon of Harp Music”
If you’re interested in learning the piece it appears to be available on archive.org
A look at my arrangement of Mozart’s Sonata No. 11.
Click one of the links below to download the free PDF!
In A Major (original key)
In C Major
In F Major
Public domain editions of the original and complete Mozart sonata can be found at Mutopia and IMSLP – you might enjoy exploring the rest of the Sonata!
A chord/jumping exercise! Download the free PDF here!
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about creating simple accompaniment patterns for the left hand based on chords, and offer some ideas on improv. Both draw heavily from a firm knowledge of chord structure – I did an episode on chords that might prove useful.
I use Auld Lang Syne as the demonstration piece for this episode. I’m reading from a handwritten lead sheet (chord symbols + right hand tune). Download the PDF here.
The section on improvisation starts at 10:22
Note that since this episode I’ve been doing more and more free improvisation – here are a couple shorter improvs and an improv concert:
In this episode of Harp Tuesday, I try to arranged Bach’s Prelude No. 1 in C from the Well-Tempered Clavier for the lever harp.
The episode:
And you can watch me figure out the lever changes in real time:
I used a public domain setting of the piece from Mutopia
Here is a scan of the completed version with all my markings – download the images by right-clicking and selecting “save image as…”
Harpy Halloween everyone! 🙂
For this October 31 special, I take a quick look at some of the spooky sounds you can get on the harp!
In this episode I talk about Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” (from Cantata BWV 147)
The beauty of virtual sheet music is I can easily offer a whole bunch of different versions!
So pick the one you prefer, or download them all!
The arrangement is for the public domain, so feel free to copy and distribute as much as you would like.
(All files are PDFs)
For lever harp with complete fingerings
For pedal harp with complete fingerings
The only difference between the two versions is a low B in the bass, and the markings for the lever/pedal change. The next two versions include the low B.
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I take a quick look at “Two Bagpipe Tunes” from Mildred Dilling’s “Old Tunes for New Harpists”.
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I conclude a look at some of my favourite Etudes. I talk about Hasselmans “La Source” or “The Brook” and Felix Godefroid’s Etude de Concert.
Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a short bonus clip of the conclusion of the Godefroid etude.
In this episode I start a 3 part look at some of my favourite Etudes.
I look at 3 etudes from Bochsa’s set of 50 etudes.
No 31 starts at 2:57
No 8 starts at 8:16
No 10 starts at 13:12
In this episode I talk about transcribing music written for other instruments, with a focus on “solving” pedal challenges. I also demonstrate how I change 3 pedals at once for a Beethoven Sonata
In this somewhat silly episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about some of the useful things I keep in my harp bag, plus ways to deal with difficult page turns.
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I take a look at pedal changes, with a bird’s eye view of how I change pedals, plus a simple exercise to help familiarize your feet with the pedals!
The piece I play at the end is the 2nd half of the Gigue from Bach’s Partita No. 1 in B flat major, BWV 825.
In this episode I take a look at Deborah Friou’s wonderful arrangement of Scarborough Fair
In this episode of I take an in-depth look at Anne Vanschothorst’s A Bird Came Flying from her book of five original solos.
I recorded a music video of A Bird Came Flying last year.
The piece can be broken into 5 parts, here are time links to when I start talking about each part:
Start – Page 1 1:50
Page 2 12:15
Page 3 18:56
Pages 4+5 24:50
Page 6 30:15
Information on ordering the music book of A Bird Came Flying can be found here: http://www.abirdcameflying.com/order.htm
You can watch Anne Vanschothorst’s beautiful music video of one of the other pieces in the book (I Feel Different) here
Here’s audio from a concert I gave last summer of A Bird Comes Flying + I Feel Different – https://soundcloud.com/harpandsoul/harpist-josh-layne
For the first Harp Tuesday episode of 2013 I tried something new – a virtual duet of the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria.
I’ve recorded both parts to the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria, with the idea being that you can pick a part to play (tune/accompaniment) and then playing along with the video of the corresponding part – a virtual duet!
The tune is quite easy – just single notes for the right hand. It can be played on the lever harp (there are two lever changes, but since the left hand isn’t playing they should be fairly painless…)
The accompaniment (Bach’s Prelude No. 1) is harder, and involves a number of pedal changes. I’m also not sure how easy it will be to try and play along with the tune, since the tune has a lot of long notes, where there is no way of knowing whether we’re together or not… Would love to hear your experiences if you try it!
You can download a PDF of the sheet music. As long as it isn’t too confusing, I’d suggest trying to play from the score, which has both parts. This lets you see what the other part is supposed to be doing 🙂
I take another look at the basic finger/hand motions involved in playing the harp, including some close-ups that give a clear picture of what I’m talking about!
An in-depth look at Ank van Campen’s Variations on a Welsh Carol
Looking at 4-finger trills
I talk about using the metronome and some of the things that it can and can’t do
I talk about how to do lever changes on the folk harp
I talk about getting a good tone
I talk about ornamentation – turns, graces notes, trills, mordents, etc.
This wikipedia page is a good place to start exploring ornamentation
In these two episodes I take an in-depth look at my composition Passage, plus a video of me performing Passage.
I recorded Passage on my 2013 CD Passage: music for solo harp
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about three different types of exercises – scales, finger independence, and arpeggios. I give a somewhat in-depth look at arpeggios starting at 14:26
In this episode I try and cover some fingering basics and rules
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about dealing tricky rhythms – with a look at sections from Flowers in the Valley, the Sarabande from Bach’s Partitia no. 1, the Interlude from Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, and The Blue Dove.
I talk about looking at patterns as a way to help memorize music, and demonstrate by memorizing “Flowers in the Valley” from Betty Paret’s “First Harp Book”.
I talk about chords – some very basic theory (what is a chord, anyway?), inversion, some possible exercises.
I had a lot of fun with this series of episodes – all about arranging Greensleeves. I ended up with an arrangement/composition that I really like, and it’s neat to see it happen bit by bit, including in the first episode, in real time!
And the music video!
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about taking piano music and adapting it for the harp. I use the example of Bach’s Partita No. 1, in particular the Courante:
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I demonstrate learning the Old English Country Dance from Mildred Dilling’s “Old Tunes for New Harpists“.
Still one of my favourite episodes 🙂
A look at both thumb and fourth finger slides:
A two part look at muffling and dampening techniques:
Plus check out episode 135:
And these Slow Motion Monday videos:
In this episode of Harp Tuesday, I talk about playing 4-fingered chords, and working on finger independence:
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about learning “O’Carolan’s Air” from Betty Paret’s First Harp Book.
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I go back to look at some basics, and talk about how to cross over/under to play scales and similar passages.
A two part look at Carlos Salzedo’s Chanson dans la Nuit (Song in the Night):
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about glissando or glisses. The gliss is such a quintessential harp sound – but here I also explore some of the more unusual glisses that are possible:
Over these five episodes I offer an in-depth look at Fauré’s Impromptu. I recorded the Impromptu on my 2013 release Passage: music for solo harp.
Trills:
Arm and wrist movement:
How to change a harp string:
I later did a follow up to this episode, plus an episode on changing wire strings:
And low octave gut strings:
In this episode I talk about harmonics:
In this episode I talk about how to play one of the quintessential sounds on the harp – the rolled or broken chord:
Your second harp lesson. In this episode I talk about playing multiple notes at the same time (chords) and some fingering basics (connecting, etc.)
In this episode I look at pedals changes, and how you can change two pedals with one foot. (Plus a follow up video)
In this episode I cover two topics – tuning your harp and learning to read music. I’ve also included the conclusion to my look at learning to read music, Harp Tuesday ep.
Your first harp lesson! I talk about some basics to get you started playing the harp:
A look at John Rutter’s Dancing Day – part 2
Was still working on the format of Harp Tuesday and was splitting everything into shorter videos. Also, sound balance is not great – you may find you need headphones while listening.
A look at John Rutter’s Dancing Day – part 1
Was still working on the format of Harp Tuesday and was splitting everything into shorter videos. Also, sound balance is not great – you may find you need headphones while listening.
November 29, 2010 – Episode 1 – An in-depth look at Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols. The first ever Harp Tuesday! I ended up re-uploading this after adjusting the audio levels – I’ve linked to that version, but you can still find the original on my YouTube channel.
