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!
Category: Pedal Harp
Ep. 195 – two common harp accompaniment patterns
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.
Hope this is helpful!
Support from my patrons helped make this video possible: https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
Ep. 192 – Playing a left hand harmonic+chord (at the same time)
How to play a left hand chord with a harmonic on top. I talk about the various chords+harmonics in Godefroid’s take on “The Last Rose of Summer”.
The pedal harp sheet music can be found at https://archive.org/details/ladernirerosedtm00gode/page/2/mode/2up
I’ve arranged it for lever harp as part of my new book, “Transcriptions for Lever Harp”: https://www.joshlayne.com/store/?product=transcriptions-for-lever-harp-volume-1-downloadable-sheet-music-pdf
More videos on harmonics: https://www.harptuesday.com/harp-tuesday-ep-9/
Support from my patrons helped make this video possible: https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
Ep. 191 – How to play Xylophonic sounds on the harp
What are “Xylophonic Sounds” on the harp and how do you play them? Find out in this episode of Harp Tuesday 🙂
My new composition, “Uncharted Shores“, features some xylophonic sounds, as does my composition Forgotten Summer.
Uncharted Shores:
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og_yuRQz934
Sheet Music: https://www.joshlayne.com/store/?product=uncharted-shores-downloadable-sheet-music-pdf
Forgotten Summer:
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWhDpSrGUDo
Sheet Music: https://www.joshlayne.com/store/?product=five-solos-for-lever-harp-downloadable-sheet-music-pdf
Support from my patrons helped make this video possible: https://www.patreon.com/joshlayne
Ep. 190 – How to play the opening Mordent from Bach’s Toccata and Fugue
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 🙂
Watch my performance of the Toccata and Fugue:
Buy the sheet music at https://www.joshlayne.com/bachtoccata/
Ep. 188 – a look at “Farewell to Stromness”
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.
Ep. 187 – A look at A look at Hasselman’s “Chanson de Mai”
A look at Hasselman’s beautiful “Chanson de Mai” (Song of May), freely available at the International Harp Archives.
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).
While you’re here, consider signing up for my email newsletter – you’ll get a bunch of other free music! 🙂
Ep. 186- What is musical phrasing?
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.
This episode is a followup to a couple of recent blog posts about listening.
Part 1 https://www.joshlayne.com/blog/focused-listening-part-one/
Part 2 https://www.joshlayne.com/blog/listeningpart2/
Ep. 185 – Rolled Chord Drills
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!
Ep. 183 – Problem solving – a look at ‘Alla Turca Jazz’
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).
The sheet music is available at https://en.schott-music.com/shop/alla-turca-jazz-no354991.html
Ep. 180 – 8 note chord progressions
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/
Ep. 179 – Two exercises for playing syncopation and offbeats
Two exercises you can do with a metronome to work on playing syncopated and offbeat rhythms.
Ep. 177 – Learning new things – and why it can seem harder than it is!
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!
Ep. 176 – A look at Salzedo’s “O Christmas Tree” variations
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.
Ep. 175 – Playing a four finger chord – wrist and finger angle
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.
Ep. 174 – Carlos Salzedo’s Fantasy on a Catalan Carol (Fum, Fum, Fum)
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:
Ep. 173 – How to play Salzedo’s “Fraicheur”
Learn what all the different symbols and markings mean in Salzedo’s classic study of glissandi: “Fraicheur” 🙂
Ep. 171 – From the archives – a look at Mozart’s Sonata No. 11 arr. for harp
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).
Ep. 170 – Playing fast ornaments (featuring “The Nightingale”)
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/
Ep. 168 – How to play Rousseau’s Minuet in G minor
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.
Ep. 166 – Playing the harp without pain – a few thoughts
Some general, non-technique related thoughts on ways to stay pain-free while playing the harp. Please note: I am not a medical professional! 🙂
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://bit.ly/2Jo2aY9
Harpist in a Tree, episode 2, features me playing “Petite Berceuse” in a tree 🙂 Watch it at https://youtu.be/2hezgZDifyk
Ep. 164 – How to play with two hands at the same time (featuring Skye Boat Song)
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/
Ep. 162 – Playing a smooth left hand pattern in Fauré’s Pavane
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/
Ep. 161 – Relax! Staying relaxed while playing the harp
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.
Ep. 160 – How to analyze music and find patterns (featuring “Primavera”)
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 🙂
Ep. 159 – Polyrhythm – playing 3 against 4
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/
Ep. 158 – What Key Am I In?? (Music theory)
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/
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. 156 – Musing on fingerings
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.
Ep. 155 – Non-standard harmonics (extended technique)
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!
Ep. 154 – Arranging “Skye Boat Song” part 3
The final episode of my look at arranging the Skye Boat Song:
And here’s the music video:
Ep. 148 – How to improvise on the harp: two suggestions
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
Ep. 147 – How to play the “Little Fountain” downwards arpeggios
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:
Ep. 146 – Learn “Oh Come Emmanuel” on the harp
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
Ep. 145 – Learn “Deck the Halls” on the harp
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
Ep. 144 – How to play the opening of Handel’s Passacaille on the Harp
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
Ep. 143 – Avoiding buzzing in Debussy’s “Arabesque”
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!
Ep. 141 – Problem solving with “The Moldau”
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!
Ep 139 – How to change 5th Octave guts strings
For more on changing strings, check out episode 10.
Ep 138 – Problem solving on the harp with Debussy’s Prelude
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).
Ep 137 Composing for the harp – pedal markings and pedal charts
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.
Ep 136 Arranging “Skye Boat Song” part 2
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.
Ep 135 Open octave/muffle refresher course
A quick look at left hand muffling with open octaves. Also check out Episode 24.
Ep 133 How to play Barbara Allen on the harp (patterns and shapes!)
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 131 How often do harp strings break? Do I need a replacement set?
Ep 130 – Turn your harp into a guitar – strumming techniques
I did a follow up Slow Motion Monday video:
Ep 129 How to play fast – Salzedo’s Seguidilla
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:
Ep 128 Arranging “Skye Boat Song” part 1
I’ll be arranging the Skye Boat Song over several episodes, starting with this real time look today. Hope you enjoy!
Ep 127 practical tips on tuning your harp
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
Ep 126 How to regulate your harp
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
Ep. 124 Playing 2 vs 3 rhythms in Debussy’s 1st Arabesque
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).
Ep. 123 Looking at the Butterfly jig
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!
Ep. 122 Fundamental exercises on the harp – chord progressions
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/
Ep. 121 Fundamental exercises on the harp – 4 finger 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!
Ep. 120 “Alfonso el Sabio” from Kim Robertson’s “Celtic Harp Solos”
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.
Ep. 113 Sheet music on tablets (forScore/iPad)
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
Ep. 111 Exploring electric harps part 1
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 –
Ep. 110 Coordinating two hands, contrary motion, and practicing
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!
Ep. 109 “Pistachio” by Bernard Andres
“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 🙂
Ep. 108 Pedal slides
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“.
Ep. 106-107 An in-depth look at Songs of Nymphs by Marjan Mozetich
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/
Ep. 100! A guide to buying a harp
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
Ep. 98 A look at Anne Vanschothorst’s “I Feel Different”
“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…
Ep. 97 a look at the Rondo from Bochsa’s “Air and Rondo”
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/)
Ep. 96 Bochsa’s “Air” from “Air and Rondo”
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/)
Ep. 95 Looking at Prokofiev’s Prelude in C, Op12, No. 7
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“
Ep. 94 Playing unbroken chords
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:
Ep. 92 Learning “En Roulant” on the lever harp
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!
Ep. 91 Experimenting with phrasing in Grandjany’s “Rhapsodie”
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…
Ep. 90 Slow motion scales and more!
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”
Ep. 87-89 Ribambelle #1, 2, and 8 by Bernard Andrès
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
Ep. 83-86 A look at Handel’s “Harp Concerto”
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:
Ep. 82 Playing an “Alberti Bass” pattern on the 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.)
Ep. 81 Playing with other people
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.
Ep. 80 How to read music part 2 – Rhythm!
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.
Ep. 79 Coordinating two hands while playing the harp
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…
Ep. 74 – 78 Looking at “Variations on a theme by Mozart” (or is it?)
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
Ep. 73 A look at Godefroid’s “La Danse des Sylphes”
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
Ep. 72 Mozart’s Sonata No. 11 on the Harp
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!
Ep. 71 Chord/jumping exercise
A chord/jumping exercise! Download the free PDF here!
Ep. 70 Accompanying and improvising
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:
Ep. 68 “Scary” sounds on the harp (extended technique)
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!
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.
(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.
Ep. 66 Two Bagpipe Tunes on the harp
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I take a quick look at “Two Bagpipe Tunes” from Mildred Dilling’s “Old Tunes for New Harpists”.
Ep. 65 La Source and Etude de Concert
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.
Ep. 64 Bochsa etudes part 2
Ep. 63 Bochsa Etudes
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
Ep. 62 Avoiding buzzing and surface noise
Ep. 61 Beethoven, 3 pedals at once, and transcribing/pedaling
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
Ep. 60 Double harmonics and tremolos
Ep. 59 Dynamics and control
Ep. 58 Dealing with difficult sections
Ep. 56 Thoughts on practicing
Ep. 55 Pedal Changes!
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.
Ep. 54 Scarborough Fair
In this episode I take a look at Deborah Friou’s wonderful arrangement of Scarborough Fair
Ep. 53 In depth look at “A Bird Came Flying”
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
Ep. 52 Ave Maria duet
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 🙂
Ep. 51 Back to basics
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!
Ep. 49 Poem for solo harp
Ep. 48 and 50 Variations on a Welsh Carol
An in-depth look at Ank van Campen’s Variations on a Welsh Carol
Ep. 47 Working on 4-finger trills
Looking at 4-finger trills
Ep. 46 Using a metronome
I talk about using the metronome and some of the things that it can and can’t do
Ep. 44 Tone
I talk about getting a good tone
Ep. 42 Ornaments and grace notes
I talk about ornamentation – turns, graces notes, trills, mordents, etc.
This wikipedia page is a good place to start exploring ornamentation
Ep. 40-41 An in-depth look at “Passage”
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
Ep. 39 Exercises – Arpeggios, scales, and more
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
Ep. 38 Fingering basics
In this episode I try and cover some fingering basics and rules
Ep. 37 Dealing with tricky rhythms
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.
Ep. 36: Memorizing music
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”.
Ep. 34: Chord basics
I talk about chords – some very basic theory (what is a chord, anyway?), inversion, some possible exercises.
Ep. 31-33, 35, 43: Arranging Greensleeves project!
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!
Ep. 30: Transcribing music
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:
Ep. 29: Learning “Old English Country Dance”
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I demonstrate learning the Old English Country Dance from Mildred Dilling’s “Old Tunes for New Harpists“.
Ep. 28: Nerves and performance anxiety – being at your best while performing
Still one of my favourite episodes 🙂
Ep. 27: Slides
A look at both thumb and fourth finger slides:
Ep. 26, Playing Fast!
Ep. 24, muffling and dampening techniques
A two part look at muffling and dampening techniques:
Plus check out episode 135:
And these Slow Motion Monday videos:
Ep. 23, 4-fingered chords and finger independence
In this episode of Harp Tuesday, I talk about playing 4-fingered chords, and working on finger independence:
Ep. 22 Learning O’Carolan’s Air
In this episode of Harp Tuesday I talk about learning “O’Carolan’s Air” from Betty Paret’s First Harp Book.
Ep. 21 Fingering – scales and crossing over/under
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.
Ep. 19-20 – Salzedo’s Song in the Night
A two part look at Carlos Salzedo’s Chanson dans la Nuit (Song in the Night):
Ep. 18 Glisses
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:
Ep. 13-17 Fauré’s Impromptu
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.
Ep. 12 Trills
Trills:
Plus:
And
Ep. 11 Wrist and arm movement
Arm and wrist movement:
Ep. 10 How to change a string
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:
Ep. 9 Harmonics
In this episode I talk about harmonics:
Over the years I’ve done a bunch of further videos on harmonics:
Ep. 8 Broken/rolled chords
In this episode I talk about how to play one of the quintessential sounds on the harp – the rolled or broken chord:
Ep. 7 Your second harp lesson!
Your second harp lesson. In this episode I talk about playing multiple notes at the same time (chords) and some fingering basics (connecting, etc.)
Ep. 6 Pedal changes + changing two pedals with one foot
In this episode I look at pedals changes, and how you can change two pedals with one foot. (Plus a follow up video)
Ep. 5 How to tune your harp + How to read music
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.
Ep. 4 Your first harp lesson!
Your first harp lesson! I talk about some basics to get you started playing the harp:
Ep. 3 John Rutter’s Dancing Day – part 2
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.
Ep. 2 John Rutter’s Dancing Day
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.
Ep. 1 Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols
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.