Learn to play the harp

Whether you’ve wanted to learn to play the harp since you were a child, or you’re looking to pick up a beautiful and unique hobby, learning to play the harp is a rewarding activity that can bring a lot of joy to your life.

In this post I’ll be outlining a few things to think about before beginning to learn to play the harp.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Do I want online harp lessons or in-person harp lessons?
Which harp to buy, lever harp or pedal harp?
Do I need to know music theory?
Committing to the journey of learning an instrument.
Defining your goals

Do I want to learn to play the harp online or in-person?

At the time of writing we’re still in the midst of Covid-19 lockdown and we must take this very seriously.

Online lessons are our only option at the moment, but thanks to modern technology it is a viable option. You can learn to play the harp both online and in-person, have a think about which is right for you.

In-person lessons are a great choice if you can find a local teacher. I live in York and teach from my home (Covid guidelines permitting). So if you’d like some harp lessons in York – pop me an email.

Online lessons are an option if you’d like to learn with a specific teacher, but live too far away. The harp is an unusual instrument and teachers can be hard to find. Zoom and facetime are helping with this issue.

Another thing to think about is portability of your instrument. We’ll talk more about this later, but if you’re playing a 20-string lever harp, it’s much easier to come to my house for lessons than if you’re carting around a 47-string concert grand. The harp can be tricky to move, trust me, I’ve been there. If you don’t have a car, or your car isn’t big enough for your harp, online lessons are probably the right option for you.

Which harp to buy? Lever harp or Pedal harp?

Ahh, this is a big question, choosing your instrument can feel like you’re wandering into Olivander’s ready to choose your first wand (where are my fellow Harry Potter fans?) Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you that the harp chooses the harpist, but there are some things to consider.

Price – what’s your budget? Pedal harps are significantly more expensive than lever harps, not only to buy but to maintain and transport. Lever harps are not cheap but often more realistic that forking out for a concert grand – unless you have a spare £18k.

Space – if you live in a studio apartment, get a smaller harp.

Commitment – if you’re unsure how much you will like learning the harp, my advice to you is this: hire a lever harp to begin with – I can recommend a company that does this. This way, you get a good quality harp to try, and if you decide to purchase it later, that’s an option for you.

Speaking of quality – DO NOT BUY A HARP FROM EBAY without at least emailing a harpist to check it for any red flags. I will happily look over a listing you think looks good and give you my thoughts as to whether it’s a good price for what it is. Harps are expensive, but once you’ve decided on your budget, focus on quality over everything else. It’s better to buy a simple, well-made 32 string lever harp than a rickety old 36 string harp that has all the wrong strings, no levers and is falling to bits.

My general advice for beginners is to look for a 34 string lever harp. This gives you a good compromise between range, price and portability. You always have the option of ‘upgrading’ to a pedal harp later if you really want to.

What about music theory?

Have you ever learned to read music? Perhaps you learned an instrument at school and already have your Grade 5 Music Theory, or perhaps you’re looking for lessons for your child who doesn’t read music yet.

If you can’t read music yet, never fear! It’s easy to get the basics and from there it’s just practice. I happen to love teaching music theory as it’s such rewarding knowledge to have.

Be open with your prospective teacher and they will help you with whatever stage you’re at with music theory.

If you’re comfortable reading music we’ll dive straight in and fill in any theory gaps along the way. If you’re new to music, we’ll spend a small part of each lesson focussed on music theory and setting up your foundation of knowledge. This means you are ready to apply this knowledge to your music reading and playing.

Commit to the journey

Learning an instrument is a journey. In a world of instant gratification and next-day delivery of anything we want, it can feel like a bit of a shock to progress at something slowly and mindfully. It may be simply a hobby, but it will still require effort, anyone who says otherwise is being dishonest.

Trust your teacher, take their advice. Surrender yourself to being a beginner for a while.

Think about how much time you have for practise between lessons. Remember that little and often will always beat last-minute cramming on the morning of your lesson. Twenty minutes, six days a week will achieve so much more than a two-hour session once a week.

It may not feel like it now, but there will be times when you don’t want to practice. Practice is a matter of discipline rather than motivation. Start small, just ten minutes here and there, and build up as much as you want to (without injuring yourself, obviously).

Define your goals

…and share them with your teacher. Whether you want to just learn to play the harp for your own enjoyment or be the next harpist for Florence and the Machine, think about it, define it, and talk about it with your teacher.

Here are a few examples of goals: taking an exam, memorising a piece, or playing in front of people at a concert – Covid permitting. Perhaps your child wants to audition for an orchestra or music school. One of my proudest achievements as a teacher is guiding one of my students towards her audition for Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester. She was offered a place and loves it there.

If exams aren’t your thing, start listening to all sorts of music and see which styles appeal to you. Talk about your findings with your teacher and see if you can learn a piece in that style.

We all have different goals when it comes to the harp. Our goals can and should change over time for us to keep developing as musicians.