How to Practice the Harp

Practicing your harp not only helps improve your playing, but also reduces stress in your life. A movement right now called Harp Therapy is based on the positive physiological changes in the body that using the harp produces.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Celtic Harps
• Harps
• Music Stands
• Sheet Music

1. Set aside a corner of your house where you can permanently situate your harp. Choose a location well out of the foot traffic zone and away from windows, as harps can be knocked over quite easily.
2. Make a commitment to practice at a certain time every day and stick with it. Reschedule to another convenient time that same day if you have an important date and must cancel your normal practice. It is important to practice on a daily basis.
3. Practice two-, three- and four-finger exercises using both hands working up and down your harp. This technique pays great dividends when it comes time to play a piece of music.
4. Maintain the correct hand position and plucking technique during practice. Have your harp teacher check your hand position and your plucking to ensure it will produce maximum clarity and sound from the strings. What you do in practice will roll over into your performance habits.
5. Practice the music that your instructor gives you to practice. Most instructors have a set system and order of sheet-music learning.
6. Purchase a practice harp that you can carry in a suitcase while traveling.
7. Purchase or rent videotapes on harp techniques.

Tips & Warnings

• As your ability to play improves, begin purchasing music that you want to learn. This creates an incentive to learn, as well as the satisfaction of being able to play one of your favorite melodies on your harp.
• Make sure that you get non-pedal music if you are using a non-pedal (Celtic) harp. If you are using a full-pedal orchestra harp, both pedal and non-pedal music are options.