composing/arranging for harp

[katie hall]

Hello all

I am not a harp player, but a violinist, however I love the harp’s beautiful sounds and would very much like to arrange a piece for string quartet and harp.

I have read that when composing for harp it is important to be careful with how chords are voiced however I can’t get my head around working out what to do or what not to do.

Does anyone have any tips on how to voice chords for harp?

[patricia-jaeger]

Katie, two books might help: Harp Scoring by the late Stanley Chaloupka (available from Salvi Harps) and The ABC of Harp Playing by Lawrence/Salzedo, the second half of the book especially. Best if you talk frequently with someone who teaches the harp; take some lessons for at least 6 months to get the feel of those strings, especially your left hand which is turned around completely from the way you have held the neck of the violin.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

There are definitely chords that are possible and chords that are not. The orchestra parts by Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky and Debussy are generally fine examples. If you keep in touch with me, I can let you know when my course on composing for harp is finished.

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