Harp for the Holidays

I’m sure that someday I’ll be able to play quite a few holiday songs, but it’s slow going for this year.  Beginner arrangements that are pretty are a little hard to come by, but I have a few suggestions if you’re in the same position as me.  Give Christy-Lyn Marais’ “O Come, Emmanuel” a try if you are a late beginner, or “Silent Night” if you wish to sing while playing the harp.  I think that I would have been able to learn “Silent Night,” but my singing voice is too deep for the key in which it is written.  Most women would be able to sing along though (contralto here!). Christy-Lyn also has written “Star Guide,” which is a new holiday composition.  This last piece is the easiest of the three.  Find them all here:  https://www.christylynmusic.com/shop.

If you are looking for more beginner options, take a look at Anne Crosby Gaudet’s “3 Easy Christmas Solos for Harp” found here:  https://musicdiscoveries.shop/products/3-easy-christmas-carols-harp.  My video below shows the third song in the collection, “The First Noël.” The two others are “Silent Night” and “What Child Is This.”  I’m planning on learning the last song at some point as well, since it can be played year around as “Greensleeves.”

I’ll go into greater detail about sheet music when I am more experienced.  You can learn a lot by watching YouTube videos and figuring out which harpists write the types of arrangements that you prefer.  So far, my favorites are the two mentioned above as well as Sylvia Woods.  At this point, I’m in search of late beginner sheet music that would be appropriate for a 3-5 minute therapy type piece.  I’m planning ahead for my application for Harp for Healing, as I am certainly not late beginner yet!  I need to be at an early intermediate level before I can apply, but it’s fun to dream about it.

So here I am playing “The First Noël," one month after receiving my harp.  Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah too!