Learn to read music and basic music theory on the HARP: 5 easy steps for beginners!

[@CoffeeBreakHarp]

Want to read music better and learn new pieces faster? Join me for FREE workshop "How to Take Your Harp Playing to the Next Level with 5 (Little Known) Secrets to Reading Music"! subscribepage.com/harp-reading-music

[@studyspodreaming7628]

This is so helpful! thanks for posting!

[@Lizriley-fi5zb]

Never played any instrument and now learning harp as a complete beginner aged 77

[@CzechJamie]

I have ordered a harp and it won’t arrive for 8 weeks. I would like to make use of this waiting time to learn music theory for harp.

[@elegantcreations1669]

Excellent video

[@nihaimamoniquestamper7670]

Thank you for this teaching. I learn to read the sheet music for it is very important in the future. For me play the harp brings healing. I love play gospel music. Greeting from Netherland 💯👌👋

[@CoffeeBreakHarp]

Thank you for your kind comment 🥰 Gospel music is such a joy!

[@sandragayle7866]

Reading music has always been a ball of frustration for me, I came to the harp after playing flute for 20 years. I have been playing harp for a little over that now. But when I want to play a piece of music I have trouble with the grad staff. It takes me forever to understand 😳 what to do. The one thing on my side is I have a good ear so if I hear a piece I like it gets in my ear and I play it perfectly on my harp. But if I try to read the music for that piece it really takes forever. I could not understand this at first but I find it's because of the way the piece is written. Especially harp music, They put way to many notes for the left hand are they over kill the piece with to many chords. I love Sir Andrew Lloyd webber the song I wish you where somehow here again and Are all I ask of you. If it's arranged by a harpist they over do it and it becomes difficult to learn the piece. What I started doing is find a easy piano book with these pieces and it works beautifully for me on my harp. I have learn almost the whole photam of the opera pieces this way. They are written to complicated for the harp but piano composers got it right. I don't play piano but pianists have really help me play the music I love on my harp. Louisiana USA.

[@CoffeeBreakHarp]

Thank you for your comment Sandra! That's very interesting what you say about the way some harp music is written - definitely something to think about for composers and arrangers, so thank you for pointing that out. Regarding reading music - I imagine that when you played the flute you were reading music on a single stave, so perhaps a nice transition to similar texture on the harp would be a piece like Bach's Prelude in C? (And if you don't feel up for working your way around the levers, you could practise just the 1st page for reading music, and that would be already beneficial!). You will find my lever harp arrangement here: www.zuzanna-harpist.com/product/prelude-in-c-pdf-download/

[@lenarummelharfenmusik]

This is really interesting. I might try this with new students, starting with both staves. Do you know a book that works like that?

[@CoffeeBreakHarp]

There are not many resources following this approach (which is part of the reason why I created my online course). One book that I know of which introduces this idea is “Play the harp with Charlie the Kitchen” by Isabelle Frouvelle. Would be interesting to hear about your experience!

[@janstittleburg]

Would this system work for learning to read music for piano? My husband struggles to learn to read music. Thanks!

[@CoffeeBreakHarp]

Absolutely! Here in the UK one of the most popular children’s piano book is the one by John Thompson “Easiest Piano Course” that follows this approach, have tried it with a few of my students when I used to teach piano and it was very helpful.

[@janstittleburg]

@@CoffeeBreakHarp Thanks, I will check it out.