Category: Free sheet music

Ep. 274 – A look at St. Columba’s Moon by Dorothy Cook

My friend Dorothy Cook asked me a number of years ago if I could write down a piece that she had composed. That piece is called St. Columba’s Moon, inspired by an experience she’d had at a harp event at a place called St. Columba’s house.

I’ve always wanted to do a Harp Tuesday episode about the piece – and here it is! Dorothy has made the sheet music freely available if you want to play it yourself.

Dorothy as an amazing storytelling and I’m so glad that I got the chance to film her telling the story behind the piece. Stay tuned to the end of the episode to hear her story and to hear me play through the entire piece.

Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter!

Support from my patrons helped make this video possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne

Ep. 271 – How to figure out pedal changes (featuring Carol of the Bells)

I’m using an easy version of Carol of the Bells (Shchedryk) as the example. You can get a free copy of it by signing up for my email newsletter.

I did a Harp Tuesday episode about learning how to play it (on lever harp) last year at https://www.harptuesday.com/ep250/

Support from my patrons helped make this video possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne

Ep. 257 – An in-depth look at the first movement from Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 11

In this episode I take an in-depth look at the first movement (theme and variations) from Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 11, transcribed for harp by Alfred Kastner.

Here’s a music video of the first movement:

You can find a copy of Kastner’s arrangement at the harp archives (or IMSLP).

Sign up for my email newsletter to get a copy with my fingering and pedal markings – both as a PDF and as a forScore file (in case you use forScore, which then gives you the option of easily erasing any of my markings you don’t need).

IMSLP has various editions of the piano music, including the first edition – useful to compare and check. And many of the editions include suggestions on how to play the various ornaments and appoggiatura.

I did an episode years ago featuring a very easy arrangement of the first half of the theme from this Sonata, as well as an “into the archives” episode offering a first look at Kastner’s arrangement.

 

Ep. 252 – Practicing harmonics – a harmonic etude

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Harmonics on the harp really benefit from sustained practice, but often pieces only have a few harmonics. In this episode I use a very easy setting of a Bach Chorale that I did several years ago (episode 181) and turn it into an etude for harmonics!

I’ve done many videos on how to play harmonics over the years: https://www.harptuesday.com/harp-tuesday-ep-9/

And here’s the episode on the Bach Chorale – my discussion of the phrasing and dynamics apply whether you’re playing it with harmonics or not! https://www.harptuesday.com/ep181/

Support from my patrons helped make this video possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne

Ep. 250 – How to play Carol of the Bells (easy arrangement)

In this episode I teach an easy arrangement I did of Carol of the Bells, suitable for small (fully-levered) harps.

Sign up to my email newsletter to get a free copy of this arrangement plus other free sheet music!

Support from my patrons helped make this video possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne

Ep. 223 – how to play Aurum Aqua

A look at how to play Aurum Aqua, a short piece featuring downwards arpeggios in the style of Hasselman’s La Source or Pratt’s The Little Fountain.

Susan Dahl Graham, the composer, has made the sheet music available for free! Download it here.

Support from my patrons helped make this video possible: https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne

Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter.

And make sure to watch the Harpist in the Wild episode featuring Aurum Aqua:

 

Ep. 220 – Harp fingering principles, featuring “The Wind that Shakes the Barley”

A look at harp fingering principles, through the lens of figuring out fingerings for a traditional Irish reel – The Wind that Shakes the Barley.

Want a copy of the leadsheet with my final fingerings? Get it for free (plus a bunch of other music) by signing up for my email newsletter! https://mailchi.mp/bcfffee4008e/barleyleadsheet

https://thesession.org/ is a fantastic free resource for traditional Irish music.

Support from my patrons helped make this video possible: https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne

Ep. 197 – Godefroid’s Etude in E minor arr. for lever harp

A viewer did this excellent adaptation for lever harp of the theme from Felix Godefroid’s Concert Etude in Eb Minor. In this episode I introduce you to the piece and look at how to play it.

You can download it for free (account registration needed) at https://musescore.com/user/30597084/scores/6352144

I did a look at the pedal harp version (sheet music available for free at https://archive.org/details/etudedeconcerten01gode/page/n3/mode/2up ) in Harp Tuesday episode 65: https://www.harptuesday.com/ep-65-la-source-and-etude-de-concert/

Support from my patrons helped make this video possible: https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne

Ep. 184 – Learning “Down by the Salley Gardens” by ear

I thought I’d do something a little different today and try and teach (and learn myself!) a tune by ear. A beautiful Irish tune known by a number of different names – Down by the Salley Gardens (or Sally Gardens), Maids of Mourne Shore, The Foggy Dew, etc.

While it kind of defeats the purpose (of learning it by ear) if you’d like a free copy of the music with my fingerings, sign up for my newsletter

(Existing subscribers, email me and I’ll send you a copy!)

Ep. 181 – An easy Bach “Chorale” – phrasing and dynamics

An easy Bach “Chorale” gives me an opportunity to talk about phrasing and dynamics!

If you’d like the sheet music for this easy harp arrangement of “Erkenne mich, mein Hüter” from Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion, just sign up for my email newsletter and I’ll send you a copy 🙂

Ep. 165 – How to play “Petite Berceuse” by Hasselmans

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://archive.org/details/petiteberceusepo00hass/page/2/mode/2up

Harpist in a Tree, episode 2, features me playing “Petite Berceuse” in a tree 🙂 Watch it at https://youtu.be/2hezgZDifyk

Ep. 157 – From the Harp Archives – “The Last Rose of Summer”

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!

Ep 132 Learning Labarre’s “Caprice”

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

Ep. 117 & 118 “Soupir” on lever harp

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:

Ep. 69 figuring out lever changes (Bach – Prelude No. 1)

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…”

Ep. 67 Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

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. While you’re here, consider signing up to my email newsletter. It’s the best way to stay up-to-date on what I’m doing, plus you get some free sheet music! (And you can always check out my other sheet music available at my online store).

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.

Partial fingerings

No fingerings