Should I tune my harp in C or E flat? (the COMPLETE guide)

[@biblicallyaccuratecockroach]

How on earth... the change in mood of playing with the "right" or "wrong" scale for the tuning key is mindblowing. How dour brains work in such a way that emotional mood can be an actual guide to knowing the key is just... wow. Music is weird. And wonderful. The best combination.

[@LearningtheHarp]

It's a fantastic phenomenon! Music has such a beautiful and powerful impact on the atmosphere 🤗 xx Nicole, LTH Team Member

[@gayeinstein11]

Thank you so much for this! I have been turning my harp in the key of key of e flat, but I really did not know why. I was just told to "do it." I woke up last night wondering why in the world it really makes a difference. Now I understand! Thank you, thank you!

[@anonymous-wk1nr]

You’ve inspired me to start playing again after 10 years. Thank you so much for your videos💕💕

[@GloriaGarcia-yv1tk]

All of my harps are tuned to F Major (all b’s are flat). I love this key & most of my strings are then more open. Louise Trotter, harpist & composer kept all of her harps tuned in this key as well.

[@noemilopez5604]

You are the best teacher!! Greetings from México!!🎼🎶🎵👏👏

[@musicnoobpentragon3474]

As someone who has no music experience and any clue about music theory at all it was very understandable (only stuggled a bit at the end XD). Thank you for taking your time and explaining all this to beginners! My celtic harp has levers on all strings and since I am a beginner I will just leave it at the C-tune for now. But it´s very good to know what I actually could do with it, should I advance to more difficult sheet music in the future.

[@LearningtheHarp]

It’s so great to hear that you understood my explanations without a musical background. Thanks so much for telling me! All the best with your learning, it’s exciting! 😃

[@chariz1593]

Thanks so much! Still a bit confused because someone said to tune it in a B flat and an E flat. Is that a different key? I don't know why that would be because you have added another too. At least I have a better idea then before. I was in a severe car accident when my neck was nearly broken 5 years ago. I also had thumb and wrist joint surgery on my right hand. It as taken me a long time to gain my strength and dexterity to play. I was only starting intermediate lessons with my heart tuned in C when it happened. I'm just now able to start playing on my 29 string Lorraine harp with metal tuning pegs into solid alderwood again. (There is no metal holding the pegs in place.) A beautiful rich sound! It's highest string is high G, and lowest string is low G. Not an F like most harps I've heard. I am so grateful! I also sing and want to write music. You are answer to prayer. Bless you!

[@marycoyle5533]

A great video - as a new harpist but someone who has a musical background, I was wondering how I was going to play in key signatures with flats - that makes a lot of sense now!

[@LearningtheHarp]

Glad Christy-Lyn could help! The Key guide is super helpful to keep on hand in the beginning too 😊. xx Nicole, LTH Team Member

[@akabga]

It warms my heart to learn the harp from you! Thank you for breaking this down so simply

[@LearningtheHarp]

It’s a pleasure, I hope it helped! 😃

[@christinechretien5590]

Thank you again for helping a beginner. I have learned so much from your videos.

[@traceytinyhouseelohi7803]

Did you ever make a video with leverless harps and different keys!? That’s the frustration I’m having….I want more options!

[@LearningtheHarp]

Good suggestion! Will do ❤️

[@PrincepsPolycap]

I bought your lessons been going through them I LOVE YOU ATTITUDE! you are amazing! Keep doing it!

[@LearningtheHarp]

Yay I’m glad you’re enjoying the lessons, thanks for the feedback! 😃 Well done for investing in your harp playing, I’m sure it’s going to pay off!

[@PrincepsPolycap]

Thank you for creating such amazing content! You are so encouraging and that’s amazing! I’ll keep supporting and learning from you :)

[@sjtdoughty]

Excellent presentation Christy! As an arranger writing music for lever harp I found your explanations extremely clear- thank you!

[@purplestringsmariamichelac3391]

Finally I see the light at the end of the tunnel. You can't immagine how grateful I am to you. I completed my degree in pedal harp 15 years ago, then I pretty much quit paying. A week ago, following an impulse, I purchesed a lever harp, I am so happy, but all this tunig thing had been a mistery to me untill I came across this video. I was so used to just tune in C major and use the pedals to do whatever key I wanted...Thank you so much! Now I know why all the tunes I try don't match what's written on the sheets!! Feeling so ignorant!

[@tokkia1384]

I like to tune in d major, mainly because I use my harp to accompany singing and that key is most comfortable.

[@ARTstarters]

You explain things so clearly and with such patience and grace, Christy-Lyn! Great for beginners like me, yet you never talk down to us. This is just the bit of music theory I needed at this time to make sense, without getting confused by all the rest! Thank you for all you do to help me on my harp journey. I am so happy to be a monthly member.

[@LearningtheHarp]

Aw, that’s such a lovely comment. Thank-you! 😄🤗💕 I tried to make sure this video would have enough info and explain clearly without getting too technical, so I’m glad it was just what you needed! My big goal is to give people everything they need while learning 💕😅 That’s awesome that you are a monthly member! What piece are you learning at the moment and how is it going? ❤️

[@NerdySingerKayt]

Thank you for making this video! I'm looking at starting the harp and this made levers really understandable whereas before I was super confused!

[@Earedel85]

This video has been sooo much useful! THANK YOU A LOT!

[@LearningtheHarp]

Oh that’s such good news!! Thanks for the comment 😃

[@chloecurry186]

Thanks so much for your videos Christy, it's so kind that you give us all these resources!

[@MrHangman56]

This definitely convinced me to rent a levered harp instead of a non levered harp to learn on. I would much prefer to be able to play a wider range of things

[@M0acyr]

Lovely !! Thanks for the dedication!!

[@sleepbootbianca]

Fimally I understand why I put some levers up before playing my harp: I have it tuned n E flat….;-) Thanks for this clear explaination!

[@martharobards9134]

Great explanations and demonstrations! Thank you so much for the lever charts, too!

[@BrownPuffballGirl]

Wow this is so helpful! When you were explaining how you can tune a string to be flat and then natural with the lever up, I started to wonder if having a few strings tuned like that and then having the levers up could let the harp be in C, and then you explained E flat and it blew my mind!! I also realised a few moments after the video, E flat will be very useful for me I think bc I have a lot of sheet music left over from my alto saxophone days which is an E flat instrument! I hope that will work out, I dont know enough about transposing to know if those things are actually related...

[@stellaxingguang]

Your Alto Sax was in Eb, which means the sheet music notes were written transposed to C while the instrument itself played in Eb. Visual note on stave: C, E Output from Sax in Concert Pitch: Eb, G You can just play all the sheet music you have in C on the harp and it’ll be an output in C, which is fine as long as you’re playing solo instead of with others or with a backing track.

[@annettekelly1592]

Christy-Lyn, you are absolutely amazing how you explain things so very perfectly. Do you have all of this information memorized? If you are simply talking extemporaneously, it is exceptional!!!

[@LearningtheHarp]

Hi Annette, thanks that’s so sweet! I’m pleased to hear it sounds clear and fluent. In some of my videos I improvise from brief bullet points to keep things natural and chatty, but in this video I wanted to make sure I explained things very carefully, so I planned it all out and then memorized short sections and did a few takes of each section to get it right. If you look out for it, you can see the video is made up of quite a lot of small sections stitched together 😊

[@annettekelly1592]

Learning the Harp with Christy-Lyn! Well it turned out fantastic! Most helpful! I have my harp tuned with one flat.... ummm? ... that makes it....um, key of F? 😳 right? Playing music over 50 years and this stuff still gets me. Never learned names of the keys but I can play them all. Hahaha

[@LearningtheHarp]

Yes that’s F 👌🏻 😉

[@mrswadlinger7752]

Thanks I really in joyed the video. I plan on E b for my small harp.

[@connieLo87365]

Back in January this didn't make any sence to me. Even tho I watched them months ago. I did not understand anything about music or what I needed to learn. Since I have been with you on Patreon and learning to play from video I am now able to read the music from the sheets. I now have a sence of what I need to look for. I am back now that it makes sense. I am returning to your online videos like this one to put it into practice. Thank you for sharing your works.

[@mesapdarecriminals0integri563]

If you tune in a harmonic minor you can improvise easily and everything will sound decent

[@LearningtheHarp]

Fun idea, that's true!

[@doraocallaghan7019]

Beautifully presented and well explainedThanks Christy

[@pasimplybeing]

This is wonderful! Thank you so very much for this.

[@kukacostejberizs]

This channel helps me practice when my teacher isn't here. (Also for teenagers,)

[@LearningtheHarp]

Well done for continuing to practice! 🙌🏻

[@jacomiententeije5417]

Great explanation.

[@anandviswanathan4625]

Very clearly explained.

[@edhotchkin5938]

I'm flattered! :)

[@triangulummapping4516]

Very useful information, thank you !!

[@prinhana]

Ive never learned a level harp and I have so many question. (I play a pedal harp.) So, whenever you have a different piece with a different key signature, you have to re-turn the harp? Ex) play a piece with A flat major and a piece with D major. Thank you. Going to see all of your vides now.

[@LearningtheHarp]

If the harp had no levers, then you would need to retune. But if you have levers, you can just change the levers to set your harp into the key for the next piece 😃👍🏻

[@ardellefisher9128]

She's great. Tune in

[@catherinedrennan8934]

I never found the link to tune in to see you but I do have a nice tuning fork so I’m just gonna go with that

[@organist1982]

In your comment, I think your phone must've changed "C" to "to see you", haha! Did you ever figure out how to tune your harp?

[@kpunkt.klaviermusik]

So we could play pieces in F# or C# when we tune the harp in C major and then shift all levers up, right? :-)

[@LearningtheHarp]

That is true indeed!

[@kcf4557]

Great explanation, thank you!

[@ThisGalsLife]

Very helpful! Thank you.

[@almaengler9784]

Christy Lynn does the sound board bow more when you change from flat and c

[@irenechiang1153]

Thank you!

[@Merriganmusic]

Thank you, this is so helpful! Although, it strikes me that my harp isn't tuned in either of these keys! I only have levers on two strings, B and F. My b-string is tuned flat, while my F-string is tuned F. What key is my harp tuned in? (Also, I miss you!

[@LearningtheHarp]

Awww miss you too Ronja!! ❤️❤️❤️ Your harp is tuned in the key of F, which is exactly perfect for the levers you have 👌🏻

[@Merriganmusic]

Thank you so much! I hope you're all doing well over there!

[@confusedflourbeetle4734]

F major

[@organist1982]

Hi, Merrigan, may I ask who made your harp with levers on B and F strings? I really like that idea since it makes it possible to have just one sharp and one flat, but I haven't found anyone who makes such a harp.

[@Merriganmusic]

@@organist1982 My harp was built by a swedish harpmaker, using the Musicmakers Voyageur harp kit. I requested levers on these strings, because I couldn't afford a full set of levers at the time.

[@susanna6826]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@televizelightchannelsvetlo9701]

Wau. Thank you very much. It might sounds easy for long term musicians, but for us, who do not know how and where to start, it is just mind blowing how this miracle could be so understanable even for such a beginners in music theory. PS: I have the same harp you have - the L and H Ogden.😀And NOW I KNOW how to tune this wonderful instrument!!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU 1 milion times.........😀

[@petterandersson7429]

Thank you.

[@debbiereese5434]

What if you have an accidental in your music? Like you're playing in the key of C, but in one portion, there is a B flat or an F sharp? I've played the piano and flute for years so I know music.....but just learning the harp!

[@jenniferwong9340]

Very useful n helpful

[@annettekelly1592]

If I tune in E flat, can I play music with 4 sharps? 5 sharps?

[@jondoes8222]

Can they make a lever harp with 2 positions to flip the levers either to flat major or sharp?

[@organist1982]

I've wondered this myself, although such a harp with 2 levers per string would mean that you would rarely play the C, D, F, or G strings in an open (unlevered) position and would therefore miss out on that more resonant sound, as the levers notoriously reduce the string resonance when they're flipped up.

[@user-ik4hv7jc4y]

감사합니다 영상 잘 봤습니다 ^^😊🎶👍

[@mightymight365]

I understood that if you have harps with levers, you tune to C major. If you have a strong musical background, tune to E flat. If you have a harp with no levers, tune to C. But... what key do you tune to if you have no levers and no harp? 🤔

[@LearningtheHarp]

😆👌🏻

[@mightymight365]

All joking aside, thank you for your video. I started to compose orchestral music for a Christmas program with midi on my workstation keyboard. I wanted to understand the harp better so that it can be incorporated in my music and actually sound like a harp. Starting with how it was tuned, you answered that wonderfully. Again, thanks a million.

[@kukacostejberizs]

I tune my harp in C minor. 😉

[@organist1982]

Since the vast majority of harps have a "C" for the bottom string (which is the case for 3 of my 4 lever harps), I, too, tend to think of 3-flats tuning as C minor rather than Eb major.

[@MusicIsMyRice]

​@@organist1982me too😉

[@yegor.akimov]

Hello, Christy! Thanks, for your video🙌 I have levers on C, D, F, G. Which key is the best for me?

[@set3777]

With levers on C, D, F, G. it is best to tune to your harp to [C major] scale when all levers are down Then you can play in [G major] scale by putting only all F levers UP (1#) [D major] scale by putting only all F & C levers UP (2#) [A major] scale by putting only all F & C & G levers UP (3#) [E major] scale by putting only all F & C & G & D levers UP (4#) (You can't music in having scales with flats or with more than 4 sharps unless you retune all the strings)

[@organist1982]

Could you please tell me who made your harp with levers on C, D, F, and G? That's a very interesting arrangement, as it makes possible all the sharp keys normally available on lever harps but none of the flats.

[@staceycarras3815]

Great video !, question please how many different coloured strings does the harp have and what's notes correspond to the colours ?, and what if you want to play a Bach piece that has eg F, F#, G, G#, A all in quick succession ?

[@LearningtheHarp]

The Fs are black or blue, and the Cs are red. To play those notes you’d need to be changing your levers with the left hand while you play them with your right, or use a pedal harp and change the pedals while you play. Alternatively, on a lever harp you could set one octave to have F and G naturals, and an octave higher for have F and G sharps, and play the notes in succession but in different octaves - low, high, low, high.

[@staceycarras3815]

Wow I never new all that stuff, sounds like you really have to earn your chromatics on the harp. @@LearningtheHarp

[@MySecretJourney]

Hi Christy, I have a big question. I started practicing major scales and minors on my full levered harp. Everything was fine till I got to the key of F which contains B Flat on the major scale. Every time I adjusted the levers for the #s the C, D, E scale everything sounded as it should, but when I adjusted the A# to substitute for a B flat, it sounded off as though a note was missing. This is when the concept of C# and Bb are not the same key actually made sense to me. Can you please demonstrate how to flatten keys to fit a scale? Thank you❤️🙏 you’re channel is a treasure.

[@LearningtheHarp]

Hi! You can’t flatten strings on the harp, you have to tune to a key that has flats. I explain it towards the second half of this video 😊 So for example you would tune your Bs to be B flats for the key of F, and then put the B lever up when you play a C scale.

[@orionspero560]

A friend with an opera background said that tuning the harp in c minor would probably be the best choice. Because I like see major songs played in c minor and it would allow for a flat miner at seven flats. I don't know what that means. But is there an obvious mistake for a new musician like that?

[@orionspero560]

Looks like now that I'm at the end of the video that if I wanted to play it that way it would be tuning it in a flat minor?

[@orionspero560]

That sound of the sea scale on the one in a flat. I found comforting and the one tuned in see. I found anxiety producing so apparently that is what she's talking about.

[@irishaigh5360]

Hi Christy-Lyn - first off, a huge “thank you” for such helpful and inspiring instruction. Your enthusiasm shines through so vibrantly and it is pure joy to watch and hear you play. I am a complete beginner (a little musical background but from many years ago!). The harp has captured my imagination and my heart and I am so pleased to have found your instructional videos and website. I have a 29 string Celtic harp with some levers. There are no levers on the first 6 strings (C, B, A, G, F, E). I shall tune in C major as a beginner, but can you tell me whether another key would be better once I have progressed? Many thanks!

[@LearningtheHarp]

C major is a great choice for now! As you progress you may choose Eb or Bb or F major, but there’s no hurry. When you want to play a song in another key, you can just tune the relevant strings up or down a half step, and of course use the levers when you can. You’ll start to see which key is most common and most practical for you. And for those bottom 6 strings you’ll just keep tuning up and down a half step where necessary. Totally fine! 👌🏻

[@eannemarieweber5285]

My harp is a 22 string and the strings are g-g levers are b,c,&,f. Am I still able to tune the harp c-c?

[@organist1982]

I'm not sure what your question is exactly, but that lever arrangement suggests tuning all the B strings to B-flat and all other strings to natural (with all levers down). If you use an electronic tuner, just set the tuner to the lowest "G" that your harp has and go up from there with the tuner, tuning each string until you've tuned the top "G".

[@Semiramidha]

Dear Christy, thank you for great explanation 😊 I am new to harp. Regarding taking care of the harp, should I put all the levers down after I am done playing for the day? In other words is it “harmful” for the harp to leave levers up when it is on stand-by/not used?

[@LearningtheHarp]

I personally don’t worry too much about that, but if you want an expert opinion you should probably ask a harp maker or someone who services harps.

[@edhotchkin5938]

My levers are on F(Blue), G(Neighboring White String), and C(Red). What does that mean?

[@LearningtheHarp]

You should tune in the key of C, and you’ll be able to use those levers to make F sharps, G sharps and C sharps 👍🏻👍🏻

[@phillenorehoward2849]

I'm a beginner. I've been playing harp about a year and have mostly been learning by practicing pieces which you have posted plus a few from other online teachers. I've never run across a piece in which I would need to play with flats. Is such music simply more advanced, or do you intentionally stay away from such music for beginners?

[@LearningtheHarp]

Yes I avoid including flats because I know many beginners have harps without a full set of levers, and I want to accommodate everyone. That’s probably the case with other online teachers too. Although I’d say generally the classical harp world tends to assume that a lever harp is tuned in Eb, so if you play classical harp music you’ll be more likely to come across pieces in flats 😊

[@danielyong6611]

Hi Christy! Can I play songs in G, D and A if I tuned my fullsicle harp in Eb?

[@LearningtheHarp]

Yes you can! 😃

[@IntricateMoon]

ooooh thank youuu!!!!

[@doracarrington9219]

Hi. Thank you so much for explaining key signatures. I think that I will have to play this video 100 times before it all sinks in! My question is - my harp tutor tuned my harp in to A B D & E (BEAD), and I was told that it is in the key of A - but which A is it Natural, Flat or Sharp ? Many other haprists tune theirs into Eb so why does this make such a difference. I have managed to know how to set my levers before playing but could never understand why? Could you help please? Many thanks in advance.

[@LearningtheHarp]

Hey Dora - those are some great questions! Let's see if I can help 😊. There are 3 different concepts coming together. 1. The key you tune your harp into 2. The notes that make up a key 3. Setting your levers to put your harp into different keys 1. If you have a lever harp, you will find that most often people tune their harp with all it's levers down into C or Eb. C is the easiest, because all of the notes are natural. This is done using a tuning app and tuning key. 2. Every key consists of a mixture of notes, whether flat, natural or sharp. The key of C major consists of only natural notes - C,D,E,F,G,A,B. 3. Now that the harp is tuned, you'd want to set the harp into the key of the song that you're playing. So if you'd tuned your harp into C and want to play in the key of C, no levers need to be touched - all of the notes are naturals. - - If you'd like your harp to be in a different key, you'd use the keys guide to see which levers need to be put up. - When you engage the lever (by putting it up) it makes the string a semi-tone higher. - The levers change the note that is played when you pluck a string between a sharp or a natural. For example, if you engage the lever on the C string, it becomes a C# (sharp) So if your harp were tuned into the key of A major, the strings would be A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#. If you were to engage any of the levers, it would make the string a semi tone higher. The Key of A major is a natural key, but it has some sharp notes in it. On the other hand if your harp were tuned into the key of C, the strings would be: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. Then if you wanted to play a song in the key of A, you'd engage the necessary levers (into the up position) to make the natural notes of C, F, and G into sharps - C#, F#, and G# Now your harp is set into the key of A major: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G# I hope this helps and clarifies things! If have anymore questions you can always pop us an email on [e-mail] or post on the website activity feed 😁 xx Nicole, LTH Team Member

[@saruman4935]

What if I want to tune to minor scale should I use eb tuning or work in both tunings? Thanks a lot I’ve been flower long time and I bought my first harp it’s lyon &healy lyric 26 lever harp

[@LearningtheHarp]

Minor scales have the same key signature as their relative major. So if you tune to C major, you can play an A minor scale without changing any levers. Or if you tune to Eb major, you can play a C minor scale without changing any levers 😊👍🏻

[@joyadams5]

Could you just stick to your C tuning and make the A sharp which would be a B flat?

[@LearningtheHarp]

No, it doesn’t work that way on harp, because then when you’re playing in a key with a B flat you won’t have an A natural string. There are times when you can use enharmonic tuning to play a flat note with the sharped string below, but it’s a rare occasion and not a good idea for all the time.

[@gisellasilva6205]

Hello, I bought a 12 string mini harp, could you make a video teaching how to tune the mini harp?

[@LearningtheHarp]

You would tune it in the same way 😊 Is there something you’re specifically wanting to know for the 12 string harp?

[@gisellasilva6205]

@@LearningtheHarp I don't have any especific question but thank you, it's my first harp and it's very difficult to find videos explaining it, could you make a video explaining a little about this tipe of harp??

[@LearningtheHarp]

I would happily do that but I don’t have a 12 string harp 😬

[@gisellasilva6205]

@@LearningtheHarp No problem, thanks for your attention anyway😊

[@set3777]

@@gisellasilva6205 Usually a 12 string Harp is tuned from F4 to C6 (or F3 to C5) but still in the key of C. But first confirm that all RED strings are then going to be C notes and all BLUE/BLACK strings are going to be F. notes. If you tune the lowest string to C instead of F, you will be unable to play many songs.

[@qltygrl3187]

An a harpsicle be tuned to Eb and kept that way? Or should I only change it when I need to? Most of my music is in C but I have some in Eb. I have Fullsicle.

[@LearningtheHarp]

Yes you can tune to Eb and then put up your E B and A levers to play in the key of C when you need to. Great idea! That’s what I usually do 👍🏻

[@qltygrl3187]

@@LearningtheHarp do you leave the levers up all the time? Or do you put them down after playing?

[@r.v.k.6932]

My harp has NO levers, pleeeease make the video about how to get all the key signatures when this is the case, I feel soooo limited in the music I can play, it's so frustrating, pleeeeease!!!

[@LearningtheHarp]

Hi there! I must make a video like that at some point 👍🏻👍🏻 But for now, here’s a short answer. Whenever you want to play in a key that has sharps or flats, you must tune your relevant strings up or down a half step until they are the correct note. For example if you want to play in the key of G (which has F sharps), then you must tune all your F strings to be F sharps. Or if you want to play in the key of F (which has B flats) you must tune all your B strings to B flats (your tuner might say A sharp, it’s the same thing). You can see a demonstration of how to tune your strings to a different note in my video “how to tune your harp into E flat”. Hope that helps for now! 😄

[@shanemaness1117]

I tune my harp to F

[@THESYNTHBARD]

Eb all the way!

[@LaCarusiella]

I have a question for you? Is it harmful for strings to be left with levers up all the time? I tune it to E flat but then put the levers up to C ...I'm a lazy harpist I know but I play in different keys. Thanks in advance

[@organist1982]

I've read that the levers should all be put back down between playing sessions, though I don't remember the exact reason, but it's probably similar to the idea that the strings should only ever be tuned with the levers down, as having the lever up causes the string to stretch unevenly due to the friction between the lever and the top of the string.

[@bobogus7559]

How common are other tunings like A♭ (B, E, A, and D strings flat)? We recently restored an old harp and decided to tune it to A♭ to reduce stress on the body (plus, it allows me to play in one of my favorite keys), and I was wondering how common this tuning actually is.

[@LearningtheHarp]

That's an interesting concept! Often harp players tune their harp into C or Eb, but I have heard of some who tune theirs a bit differently with this concept in mind. 😊 xx Nicole, LTH Team Member