In episode 294 of Harp Tuesday I invite you to come along with me as I adjust the positioning of my bridge pin in order to get rid of an annoying twang.
Want to learn more about harp regulation? Check out this episode (plus the list of links).
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
To get a clean sound on the harp we often need to use the left hand to muffle – whether it be a single note or a certain region.
By working on pieces that incorporate various LH muffles at specific places during the piece you can start to training your left hand to be able to automatically know when and how to muffle.
I’m using my arrangement of the Bach Prelude for Lute in C minor BWV999 as an example – if you want to play it yourself I’ve arranged it for both lever and pedal harp (though muffling is a bit more challenging on the lever harp since there are a lot of lever changes going on 🙂
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
When we are performing, I think what we do at the end of a piece of music is one of the most important things – and on the harp it means what we do AFTER we have physically played the final note or chord!
In this video I talk about what to do with your hands and eyes to help create an appropriate and compelling ending.
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
The app I’m using is called Pro Metronome and its “rhythm trainer” feature. You have to pay a small amount to unlock the rhythm trainer plus “practice mode” which allows you to set the metronome to gradually increase in speed – super useful! (For example).
I’ve been happy with the app and it’s definitely been worth the money to me (despite the rather unintuitive interface!) but I’d love to hear if you know of any free options! (I believe Soundbrenner makes an app that has something like the rhythm trainer, but it has a monthly fee, i think).
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
I revisit Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols (my first ever Harp Tuesday episode) to share a few spots that I’ve updated over the years, finding better fingerings or other options.
As a bonus, I actually discover another change I want to make on camera – demonstrating the idea that it’s always worth looking for new solutions even in pieces you have played for decades!
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
Here’s a look at how to play left-handed harmonics on the harp, including some slow motion footage. I’ve done a bunch of other episodes about harmonics, check them out at https://www.harptuesday.com/category/harmonics/
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
Here’s a look at how to play two handed trills on the harp, including some slow motion footage. If you want to work on trills you might also check out these other Harp Tuesday and Slow Motion Monday videos.
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
In this episode I take a look at an old popular French song called Le Roi a Fait Battre Tambour. Louise Charpentier did an arrangement of it and Henriette Renie includes a version of that arrangement in her Method for Harp (this is the version I’m using).
You can find Charpentier’s original arrangement in her book “10 Pieces variees”
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
I’m excited about doing a Harp Tuesday episode on the first of Godefroid’s five fantasies on Schubert songs (I already did one on the Serenade (https://www.harptuesday.com/ep207/ )
In preparation I needed to write in pedal changes and some fingerings and I thought I’d bring you along! I hope this episode gives you a sense of how you can do quite a bit away from the harp – although there is no substitute for actually trying it out, I know for sure I will change some of the fingering – stay tuned for the Harp Tuesday episode featuring it 🙂
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
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
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
Once you understand the basics of learning to read music (I did an episode on it many, many years ago! Episode 5…) I think the best way to get fluent is just doing it enough that it becomes second nature.
Drill/flash card style apps can potentially be a good tool. I’ve always thought it would be great to have an app that would let you play the note you think it is on your instrument, and tell you if you were right or wrong! (Rather than typing it, or otherwise indicating the note on the screen).
Thanks to a Facebook discussion I became aware of Note Rush, an app which does just that. In this episode I go over how it works and some of the quirks and downsides.
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
I love George Winston’s take on Carol of the Bells (the traditional Ukrainian song Shchedryk). In this episode I take a look at how to play it on lever harp!
Here’s a link to the sheet music I’m using (note that this is an affiliate link – I will get a small percentage if you purchase the music using the link.
As I mention in the episode, there are several options for Winston’s music, none of which seem to be completely free of errors. If you like his music you might pick up the “George Winston Piano Solos” book 1.
I just bought the Kindle version of the book a couple days ago to see whether it is any more accurate and it seems to be exactly the same as the version I used (mistakes and all). The Prelude, however, seems more accurate, and of course it includes a bunch of other music!
I filmed a music video on pedal harp:
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
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
Pedal charts are the best way to easily and visually represent the settings of the pedals on a pedal harp at any particular time. In this episode I talk about what they are and how they are used. This episode also covers the topic of pedal charts, from the point of view of a composer or publisher.
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
I talk more about the mechanics of playing downward 3 note patterns in an episode on Aurum Aqua (which can be played on pedal or lever harp):
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
In this episode I take a quick look at “Swinging” from page 5 of Betty Paret’s First Harp Book. It features right hand glisses – check out episode 18 for more on glisses: https://www.harptuesday.com/harp-tuesday-ep-18/
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
I’m working on Chopin’s Prelude No. 15 (Raindrop) and in this video I give a look at the process of refining how I play the first 4 bars. Recording oneself, listening back and making notes, recording again, listening again, recording again, listening again… is a very powerful technique to help polish a piece of music.
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
There’s a standard fingering to use for any interval. Of course you don’t always have to follow it (especially if you have particularly small or large hands) but it’s worth knowing about – as well as the reasoning behind it.
You can download a PDF showing these typical fingerings here.
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
In this episode I look at the first page of Felix Godefroid’s Etude de Concert in E flat minor. Download the first page with my markings on it here. The full piece can be found at the harp archives here.
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
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
Here’s a look at how to play the Rondo from Betty Paret’s First Harp Book. (I have wonderful memories of learning this piece 30+ years ago). It’s great practice for being able to smoothly turn around a 1,2,3,2,1 pattern.
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
In this episode I take a look at the first (grade 1/grado 1) exercise from Pozzoli’s “Piccoli Studi facili e progressivi”, found in Maria Grossi’s “Method for Harp” (page 90 in the edition I have).
If you’re looking for exercises the entire book has lots of good material, almost all of which can be played on a lever harp.
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
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.
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.
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
What to do if you have an injury/can’t play with one hand for awhile? I offer up a few ideas, exercises, and pieces, with a focus on the left hand, as it tends to not be as accomplished as the right hand so it can be worth doing some left hand work regardless of whether you can play with both hands or not!
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
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter!
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!
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
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
In this special 12th anniversary episode of Harp Tuesday, I show how I play the Prelude of Bach’s 1st Cello Suite with only the left hand. It ends up fitting so nicely, it’s almost as if Bach intended it for the harp and it makes a wonderful left hand exercise 🙂
I did a Harpist in the Wild episode featuring the cello prelude:
My original inspiration to try this Prelude with LH only was seeing that Fernando Guerrero had done so. Watch his video here and he has whole book of movements from the cellos suites arranged for LH only: http://www.arlu.org/arlu.html (click on “publicaciones”).
If you want to play the Prelude on lever harp, it’s one of the pieces in Anne-Marie O’Farrell book of Bach transcriptions.
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/nBSlz
In this episode I answer a viewer’s question about playing ascending intervals, and how to make them staccato, specifically in the end of Debussy’s Prelude No. 8 (“La fille aux cheveux de lin/Girl with the Flaxen Hair”).
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
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/nBSlz
Here’s a technique that you can use to “slide” your fourth finger along a previously played string to muffle it on the way to playing the string above it. Very useful to have in your bag of tools!
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
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
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/nBSlz
French harpist and composer Marcel Tournier’s “Etude de Concert” (Au Matin/In the Morning) is a beautiful piece of music that’s also very satisfying to play!
In this episode I offer a few practical suggestions for playing it. Make sure to watch my performance of the Etude here.
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
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/nBSlz
I love the feeling and sound that gets created by firmly gripping the harp strings – putting quite a bit of one’s fingers on the strings. In this episode I give a close up (and slow motion) look at how far I put my fingers between the strings.
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
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/nBSlz
These days we’re so lucky to have easy access to recordings and the full score when it comes to preparing many orchestral parts. In this video I show how I use these tools to help get ready to perform the harp part to Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Capriccio Espagnol”.
While this video is about learning a harp part, I think it’s relevant for any instrument, particularly those that have many bars of rest between playing… 🙂
IMSLP.org is an amazing resource for public domain classical music, and you can find there both the harp part and the full orchestral score to “Capriccio Espagnol”, along with thousands of other pieces.
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
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/nBSlz
This simple (but not easy!) exercise is particularly good for a number of things, but particularly for working on placing all 4 fingers on the way down, rather than walking the fingers down one at a time. Hope you find it useful!
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
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/nBSlz
In this episode I talk about three techniques you can use to help to memorize music and demonstrate them in action as I attempt to memorize a piece of music called Cherry Trees at Merchiston written by Isobel Mieras (http://www.isobelmieras.co.uk/) Written originally for the 2020 virtual edition of the Edinburgh Harp Festival, it is available as part of this collection: http://www.creightonscollection.co.uk/Pages/scores/SM/SM668.htm
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
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/nBSlz
I believe it always pays to keep an open mind – even when playing a piece of music you know extremely well. There’s always a chance there might be an even better way of doing something!
This happened recently to me in a short section from a piece on which I’m working (Jaques de la Presle’s “Jardin Mouillé”). In this episode I demonstrate both my new and old approaches, as well as talking more generally about the benefits of keeping an open mind and cultivating an ability to change the way you play something!
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
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/nBSlz
“Au bord du ruisseau” (By the stream, or on the banks of the stream) is a short, beautiful piece by the Henriette Renié, a monumental figure in the classical harp world.
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
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/nBSlz
The time signatures of 3/4 and 6/8 both contain a total of six 8th notes. So what is the difference between them?? This is a question I’ve often been asked by students, and in this video I attempt to answer. (Quick answer – 3/4 has 3 beats or pulses per bar, and 6/8 only has 2 beats).
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
Get free sheet music and stay up-to-date on what I’m doing by signing up to my email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/nBSlz
Recording yourself and listening back is such a powerful way to help polish and refine a piece. In this episode I look at a small section from Presle’s “Jardin Mouillé” that I want to try and improve.
Placing all four fingers but only playing 2 at a time – featuring a section from my composition Nordic Spaces.
This type of finger independence can be extremely handy! For more, check out Harp Tuesday episode 23, plus page 32 from Betty Paret’s First Harp Book and/or the first set of the Lariviere exercises.
In this episode I attempt to clearly define the harp fingering rule of only placing in one direction/not playing out of order and demonstrate what that means in practice using Bach’s Prelude No. 1 in C Major.
In this episode I demonstrate how to use a metronome that is gradually speeding up to practice arpeggios. Also check out this episode on arpeggios: https://www.harptuesday.com/ep-39-exercises-arpeggios-scales-and-more/
How big a pedal harp do you need? In response to a viewer’s question, I thought I’d offer a few thoughts on whether to get a full-sized pedal harp or something smaller. (Answer – it depends!)
I use the Virginia Harp Center’s website as a handy reference for current US prices for Lyon and Healy, Salvi, and Camac: https://www.vaharpcenter.com/
I mention Tyrolean single-action harps as an interesting option for some people. Here’s a harp maker’s website: http://www.muernseer.at/en/harp/
In this short technique episode, I give a look at how to playing descending 2 note chords (3rds, 6ths, etc.) using a thumb slide – a technique that opens up the possibility of more speed than playing each chord individually.
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I take a look at a short piece from Betty Paret’s “First Harp Book”. “Night Song” is a beautiful piece, and great practice for right hand chords (3rds and 6ths).
I could resist a beautiful June day, and took Harp Tuesday outside! This also ties in with my new series, Harpist in the Wild. Episode 2 (A Baroque Feast) is about to wrap up, with the season finale on June 5. More at https://www.harpistinthewild.com/
Another “into the archives” episode, where I take a look at a piece of music from the International Harp Archives. In this case it’s a lovely little piece by Felix Godefroid called the “Mysterious Valley“.
Requested by a viewer, I wasn’t familiar with this piece but I really enjoyed reading through it, and as well as introducing it to you I offer up some ideas on how to approach a piece when you’re first learning it.
A chance to watch how I go about practicing a section from Presle’s beautiful “Le Jardin Mouillé”. I always think we need more options to watch people practice, rather than just seeing the finished product. Hope you find this interesting!
A short etude to work on your left hand’s ability to jump from a low chord to a high chord and back again! Playable on a small harp – no sheet music, but I just teach it by rote – hope you enjoy!
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I take a look at Felix Godefroid’s beautiful take on Schubert’s “Ständchen” or “Serenade“. Here’s a live performance of it from 2016:
Here’s my answer to a viewer’s question on what you need to do on the harp to make a chord major or minor. (Answer – the fingers play the same strings – it’s all about the lever or pedal settings!).
Come join me as I practice a section from Vivaldi’s “Winter“! We see the finished product (performance/recording, etc.) but I think that getting a chance to also watch a practice session can be very useful! Hope you enjoy 🙂
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I take a look at how to play Carol Kappus’ beautiful arrangement of “Poor Wayfaring Stranger”. Check out Carol’s music and sign up for her email list at http://www.carolkappus.com
I recorded “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” as a standalone music video:
This episode is special not only because it’s episode 200, but also because Harp Tuesday turns 10 years old today! Ten years ago on Dec. 1, 2010, I uploaded the very first episode of Harp Tuesday. (https://www.harptuesday.com/ep1/)
Support from my patrons has been invaluable over these past few years. You can become my patron and support the work I do on YouTube at: https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
A special virtual duet episode of Harp Tuesday! I’ve uploaded myself playing the 2nd harp part to Henriette Renié’s beautiful duet, “Les pins de Charlannes” and I invite you to play the 1st harp part along with me!
30 years ago, on Oct. 9th, 1990 I started learning “Good Morning, Little Yellow Bird”. This is the earliest piece of music I have on which my teacher (Kathryn Ely) wrote the date we started. 30 years later I thought it would be fitting to do a Harp Tuesday episode on it – hope you enjoy!
A look at two very common left hand accompaniment patterns and how to play them fluidly! 1,5,8,9,10 crossing under (or 1,5,8,10,12) plus the big stretch of a 1,5,8,10 without crossing under.
The mordent that starts the Toccata and Fugue in D minor is one of the most recognizable openings in all of classical music. In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about two possible fingerings – one that I feel is ideal for this type of pattern, and the other, that I ultimately ended up using 🙂
Farewell to Stromness is part of the “Yellow Cake Revue” – a set of songs plus two piano interludes (Farewell to Stromness being one) that Sir Peter Maxwell Davies wrote to protest a proposed uranium mine on the Orkney islands in 1980.
Written for the piano, I think it works beautifully on the harp (thanks to a viewer for the suggestion!). In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about some of the fingerings and other things I’ve done to adapt it for the harp.
A look at Hasselman’s beautiful “Chanson de Mai” (Song of May), freely available at the International Harp Archives.
[EDIT – I have come to believe that in the arpeggio section that starts with the second to last page, the 2nd bar is missing a flat symbol in front of the Cs, and they are in fact played as B natural. Here’s an updated version with pedal markings].
Click here for my annotated copy with pedal markings, etc. (Keep in mind that I wrote these marks on my iPad, so somewhat sloppy – you may want to print out a clean copy from the Harp Archives and transfer my markings over instead).
A look at one of the most important part of music – phrasing, or the space between the notes! In this episode I analyze three different recordings of a bar from Chopin’s Nocturne, Op. 9 No. 2 to try to make clear what I mean when I’m talking about phrasing.
Play along with me as I do some rolled (broken) chord practice on the harp!
I’m using a metronome app called Pro Metronome (thanks to viewer Keven for his suggestion!) and its “practice mode” to very gradually speed up the pace. Link below, though note that practice mode is a paid upgrade. Do you have a favorite app that does something similar? Let me know in the comments!
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!)
Here’s a look at 6 spots in “Alla Turca Jazz” where I ended up changing my fingering or otherwise problem solving in order to play it better!
Ekaterina Afanasieva’s excellent arrangement of Fazil Say’s “Alla Turca Jazz” is an irresistible piece to play (based on the iconic last movement from Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 11, K. 331).
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 🙂
A look at eight note (four notes per hand) chord progressions, using the opening of Naderman’s First Sonata as an example. (You can find the sheet at the harp archives).
Such a useful thing to automatically be able to do! Here are a few other Harp Tuesday episodes that touch on chords and chord progressions: https://www.harptuesday.com/category/chords/
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 🙂
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”
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!
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 🙂
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
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!
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!
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.
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”
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:
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:
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).
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:
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).
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:
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.
“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.
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”.
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”.
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 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 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 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.
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
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!
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.
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).
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 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 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 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. Sheet music (including PDF) available at the Sylvia Wood’s Harp Center.
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
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!
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 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 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!
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 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:
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 helps make continued Harp Tuesday episodes possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at 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!
Support from my patrons helps make continued Harp Tuesday episodes possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
I later did a follow up to this episode, plus an episode on changing wire strings:
And low octave gut strings:
I also did a live-stream of changing the strings on my lever harp:
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 helps make continued Harp Tuesday episodes possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
Over the years I’ve done a bunch of further videos on harmonics:
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 helps make continued Harp Tuesday episodes possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
In this episode I talk about how to play one of the quintessential sounds on the harp – the rolled or broken chord:
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 helps make continued Harp Tuesday episodes possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
Your second harp lesson. In this episode I talk about playing multiple notes at the same time (chords) and some fingering basics (connecting, etc.)
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 helps make continued Harp Tuesday episodes possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
In this episode I look at pedals changes, and how you can change two pedals with one foot. (Plus a follow up video)
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 helps make continued Harp Tuesday episodes possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
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. 80
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 helps make continued Harp Tuesday episodes possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
Your first harp lesson! I talk about some basics to get you started playing the harp:
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 helps make continued Harp Tuesday episodes possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
I 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.
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 helps make continued Harp Tuesday episodes possible – if you would like to help support future videos you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
