An Education

Taking up a new instrument is quite the education!  It goes far beyond learning to play the instrument itself.

Method Books:

I posted earlier that I was using the method book series “Harp for Newbies.”  Unfortunately, this turned out not to be a good fit.  This little mistake cost me about $100, but I won’t make that same mistake again!  Because shipping costs were high, I bought 6 books in the series, but only ended yo using about 1.5 of them. 

What did I learn from this mistake?  Only buy the first book for starters!  Also, don’t buy books without reading reviews or preferably getting advice from a harpist who has the style and technique you like.  In my case, I bought the series because it was recommended by the harp therapy program that I intend to use.  I didn’t research the method book decision at all, which is unusual for me.  However, what I should have noted is that these books were not a requirement, but merely a suggestion.  Instead of simply reading something online, ask harpists directly via email or YouTube comment, etc. 

It’s also best if you can see a sample, although in this case, it probably wouldn’t have mattered.   Since we’re talking about an entire series of books, you would need to see much more than a couple of pages. 

Sheet Music:

This one is not posing many difficulties so far.  Nearly all websites show the first page, or at least half of a page, of the actual music.  Since I’m so new at harp, there really aren’t any pieces that would be a total waste, as I can save them for later if I misjudged the difficulty level.  The only concern might be about the sharps and flats required if you don’t have full levers.  I do not have a fully levered harp, but am at such an early level that it shouldn’t impact me just yet. (I do have F, C, and G sharp and B flat.)  If you don’t have at least F sharp, I can see that it might be a problem unless you don’t mind tuning your F strings sharp (and hoping that there are no incidentals).

Teachers:

Though I’m trying to keep my costs as low as possible, I have decided that a harp teacher would be a wise idea, at least for the first part of my journey.  In the end, it may very well save me money.  For example, if I had contacted my teacher first, she would have recommended the series of books that I’m currently using, saving me a $100 mistake.  That comes close to paying for two lessons!  

My current plan is bi-weekly lessons along with an educational video that goes with my method book.  I’m hoping to begin lessons in January with Christy-Lyn Marais.  Waiting for space to open up in her busy schedule!  I’ve had a consultation with her, and she already gave me some very important advice which I have implemented.