What accessories are necessary(or fun!) for a first harp?

[Cassie M]

If you haven’t got the idea already, I’m very excited for my first harp! 😀 I’ve been searching your forms, but I haven’t really found this type of question anywhere. I’m sure theres been something close, but it takes a while to go through everything!

So which accessories do you recommend for a first time harpist? I’m getting the Ravenna 26. Go ahead and write whatever you think is important or even just plain cool!

So far this is the list I’ve come up with:

a harp case

legs for the Ravenna 26(Jennifer on this forum mentioned that)

a tuner

a beginning harp book

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Just more to add to my Christmas list! =]

[andy-b]

Hi, Cassie, and congratulations! I’m sure you’re going to love playing the harp!

Some things that come to mind that you’ll need:

A spare tuning key (just in case you lose the one that comes with the harp…it happens!), a spare set of strings (they do break, I just replaced one myself yesterday), and a music stand.

[Tacye]

Nail clippers.

[Briggsie B. Peawiggle]

I need one of those little tuner holders that straps onto the harp, a tuner with a microphone (Stephanie Curcio’s is a good one), good chair, music stand, gig bag, a notebook to keep track of my studies — what to work on that week, and a good lamp next to the music.

Briggsie

[Briggsie B. Peawiggle]

Correction on first phrase:

[tony-morosco]

Pretty much everything everyone has said so far plus:

A Metronome

Those little blue and red rubber rings that go on the levers to make them easier to identify the Cs and Fs (they can also be put on the ‘Tuning’ side of the tuning pins to make it easier to tell if you are putting your tuning key on the right pin).

A small note book to keep track of your your practice sessions as well as what music you are working on and what music you feel you know. You would be surprised at how often you forget to practice something you know if you don’t have a list to remind you of it.

Lots of harp CDs. Hearing other people who play well actually helps a lot.

[Cassie M]

Thanks for the help everyone!

And Tony, do you know what those little things are called that go on the C and F levers? I want to ask for those but I’m not sure how! haha

I’m saw this beautiful pink music stand that I’m excited about getting now! hahaha I figured I didn’t need one, but after hearing I do, I think the pink one is necessary! 😉

[Alan Zenreich]

At Sylvia Woods harp center, they’re called

[Briggsie B. Peawiggle]

I bought the plain black ones and put one on each C and F tuning peg on the back of my harp. I never have to search for the right pin to tune, and you can’t even see them.

These are a great little invention.

Briggsie

[tony-morosco]

I use the color ones the same way. On my lever harp I put them on the lever, but on my pedal harp I put them on the backside of the tuning pegs so I can make sure I am on the right peg.

I also have white and yellow ones I use on my lever harp to mark the levers that need flipping in a piece when I am first learning it. Typically after a while I don’t need them anymore, but it actually makes learning new music with a lot of lever changes much faster.

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