What method /etude books would you recommend for beginner-intermediate student?

[Nicbo]

I’m coming back to harp after years of not playing/owning one and I need some advice on what books to get…

The teacher I learned from didn’t suggest any method books. She taught me how to pluck, and we jumped right into playing music. She would then show me how to play as I learned each piece of music.

I would spend at least an hour on techniques when I was a piano student, so I thought this was odd, but since I wasn’t going to become a professional harpist, I was okay with her style of teaching.

I’m going back to playing it again but this time I want to focus mainly on techniques. I have searched for the similar topic posted in the past, but I have a trouble finding the original posts rather than the threads that followed them:{ You might think “oh someone else is asking for method book recommendation again!” but I’d be very appreciative if you could show me what books are good for beginner-intermediate student:)

I’m not looking for the very beginner books that are suited for little learners. (With fun illustration or large staff, or how to count, etc.)

Thank you!

[wil-weten]

I like Pamela Bruner’s books Play the Harp Beautifully I-III (You may like to start with Vol. II)
I can also can heartily recommend you some youtube (free!) playlists of Josh Layne. Especially:
* Basics! Learn to Play the Harp
* Fundamentals/technique
Also, you may like to follow his Harp Tuesdays and Slow Motion Mondays. And you will find much more treasures there waiting for you.

I’m sorry that I can’t post links here, or the silly software of this forum will delete this post.

[carl-swanson]

Your post reminded me, as a teacher, what I have gone through almost every time a harp student has transferred over to me from someone else. I was recently asked to write a recommendation for a current student who is applying to colleges right now. Below is an excerpt from the letter I wrote. I’ve removed the student’s name and instead inserted something in parentheses to replace her name to protect her privacy. But the contents of this letter are typical of what I have found over the years with students who came to me from someone else.
*****************
To Whom it may concern,

(This student) began lessons with me when she was 15 years old, after having studied with numerous teachers around the United States. Because of her father’s military career, the family had to move fairly frequently. To be completely honest, I was appalled at the poor instruction she had received. The problem was that (she) was enormously talented, and she had, and still has of course, a phenomenal ability to sight-read and learn music quickly. So each of these teachers simply gave her harder and harder music, without every creating a solid technical foundation, or correcting technical issues that had been there from the beginning. This may all sound very harsh, and I do not waste my time bashing other teachers. To this day, I don’t know the name of any of her former teachers, with the exception of the one just before me.

(This student) heard me give a lecture on building technique using etudes, and her mother contacted me immediately and said that (her daughter) wanted to study with me. (The student) herself knew that something was wrong, but didn’t know, until she heard my talk, what needed to be done.

When (she) started studying with me, I asked her to plan on playing something for me at her first lesson that she was very comfortable with. I just wanted to sit and watch and take inventory of what she was doing. Her hands were rolling all over the place, eight fingers each articulating in a different way, and each finger articulating in different ways, depending on the passage she was playing. No dynamic or rhythmic control. It was not someone else’s method. It was no method. She had already played the Grandjany Fantasy on a theme of Haydn, a movement from the Boieldieu concerto, and the whole Hindemith Sonata, in competition no less, and yet she had never played a scale, never played an etude, never played a baroque transcription, and had never used a metronome!
***********************
You need to find a teacher who knows how to teach technique, and you need to play scales and etudes to form a solid technical foundation. Repertoire is not the place to learn technique. Repertoire is what you play AFTER you have learned the technique required for that piece. I would recommend my etude book, Bochsa Revisited, published by Carl Fischer Music, as a good place to start. If you find someone you might be interested in studying with, ask them right up front if they would work with you on scales and etudes. If they are not in the habit of teaching those things, then they are not going to be of any help. Good luck!!!

[Biagio]

Bruner is good basic technique but has few etudes. Here are three others (books) that go into more depth with exercises:

Yolanda Kondonassis: On Playing the Harp
Maria Grossi: Metodo Arpa (in Italian but should be self-explanatory)

Both the above have excellent illustrations of hand position as well as etudes/exercises, and assume Salzado technique and the pedal harp.

Deborah Friou: Harp Exercises for Agility and Speed (just exercises)

The late Chris Caswell put up three lessons on Youtube and his explanations, while basic, get right to the heart if it for the lever harp.

[Nicbo]

Hi Wil-weten! Thank you for your suggestion! I’ll check out those books by Bruner for sure.

I just started following Josh Layne’s channel, it’s so helpful! He reminds me of Mr.Rodgers and I like how slow he takes it so the instructions are crystal clear. I’m very thankful for those instructors who spend their time and passion to educate others like myself, I can’t thank them enough.

I haven’t looked into slow motion Monday series yet but I know I’ll be pretty soon:D

Thank you again!

[Nicbo]

Biagio, thank you for your input! I’ll get all those books. My idea is that I can start with a book that I feel comfortable with and tackle all the suggested method books in easy-to-hard order.
I’ll check out the YouTube channel you suggested!
I’m excited…! Thank you for all you guys’ suggestions!!

[Nicbo]

Biagio,
Could you tell me the title of Salzado method book?
Thank you!

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

The best and most concise, constructive method book I have seen is the Method for the Harp by Lucile Lawrence and Carlos Salzedo. It is preceded by Pathfinder Studies for the Harp and the ABC of Harp Playing. The Method has instructive photos for position, and gives basic exercises to build strength and coordination, and then a series of pieces to develop musicianship, culminating in the famous Chanson dans la Nuit. Before this method was published, the Universal Method of Bochsa was most commonly used, and is still useful in many ways, having 30 fairly basic one-page etudes. But if you don’t have time for etudes, there is much repertoire that works perfectly well as an etude. Several pieces in Lawrence’s Solos for the Harp Player serve that purpose quite well. The two pieces by Rameau, the Arabesque by Debussy, the Giga by Corelli, the Pavane, and the first Prelude by Srebotnjak at the end. Nadermans Seven Progressive Sonatas are both etudes and solos.

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