Great tips!! I have a 19 string harp, I’ve learned to play on it but I’ve wanted a larger harp for a while! These tips are great and I feel like I have a whole new world to discover on my harp ! Thank you !!
What a TERRIFIC video! These are wonderful tips for harpers (with any size harp) who want to do their own arrangements. Even though I have floor harps, (including a 'double' with 58 strings!), my challenge not getting into an "arranging rut". I especially like the tension and resolve created by some of your ideas. Thanks so much!
I would be honored, but please add the "is" I overlooked. It should read: my challenge is not getting into an arranging rut. Thanks again for a great video!
I have a 24-string harp.That inversion technique is really great advice! I've tried changing the key, and that worked really well. And adding more notes to my triads gives it some depth, too. "Noodling" and adding notes both work in my guitar playing. I'll give them a shot on my harp. Thanks so much for this video!
Thank you Tiffany for another great video. Sometimes I even get nerveus because I would like to spend hours and hours learning from your tutorials, but then I have to work, or cook or do some cleaning 😡... I love your arrangements and your channel is my absolute favoriete! Ihave a Camac Aziliz (34 strings) and I’m going to buy a second small harp (27 strings) for travelling.
Mary Brady Same here! I love the bass string area but yea there are times when it would be great to have more range for more dramatic sounds and arrangements. There are downsides to everything but Atleast they’re easy to travel with, no only if they’d restock the harp bags! 🤣 I read that was supposed to be mid to late September. Whenever it is, I’ll be waiting until they’re restocked because IM GETTING ONE. I’ve had my harp for nearly two years and a case has been the absolute hardest thing to obtain out of everything I’ve gotten for it. When I travel I have to wrap it up in a blanket and tie up all the ends to keep it as safe as possible.
Mary, that's great I'm so glad it was helpful! I used to travel in the car with my big harp in a sleeping bag until I got my case. Lol it was not ideal, but worked in a pinch!
I just became interested in the harp less than a month ago and find your videos very informative. I’ve been playing the various harps at a local shop where the owner is gracious enough to allow me to do so while I wrap my head around why I am attempting to take up the harp at my age. That said, a nice arranging tip is that the melody doesn’t necessarily have to be on top. If it has a slightly higher volume than the surrounding chord tones, it will be perceived as a melody. Guitarists do this all the time out of necessity. There was also a 19th Century pianist I read about who adopted an arpeggio technique borrowed from a harpist who simulated three hands using a similar technique on a larger scale.
Yes, thank you for bringing that up! While I was editing I was also thinking of doing the melody lower, and harmonizing or doing chords on top. It makes a nice change at times!
I remember thinking as I was writing that insisting the melody be on top is "too pianistic" in thought, but now that you mention it, the melody in a lower register is a common piano technique. But as I got thinking about it even more, the idea of the chord tones surrounding the melody is very common in banjo playing, especially the style of Earl Scruggs. Yes, it was out of necessity due to the structure and limitations of the instrument, but it was influential enough that it was emulated by guitarists like Jerry Reed and Merle Travis and mandolinists like Jesse McReynolds. What occurred to me the other day was that what all these arpeggiated styles are trying to emulate is the harp. Pondering the etymology of "arpeggio" should amply demonstrate this. Thank you for the encouragement. :-)
I am also getting on in years and have just taken up the harp and I am thoroughly enjoying. It is such a beautiful, peaceful sound. I like watching how people do arranging, as I think that's part of the beauty of it. It will help keep your fingers nimble.
Thank you Tiffany, what wonderful tips you have so graciously shared with us. I have just started to do some arranging on my 29 string harp. Love all your ideas, I feel a little more confident in my abilities now. Beth
Brilliant video Tiffany! Thank you for these helpful tips. I'm loving learning to play harps large and small. My small harp has 22 x 2 strings and the large harp has 40.
This looks so helpful but as a total beginner, I need to study some music theory to utilize this. But the demonstrations were beautiful and I’m sure that when I know some music theory, this will become indispensable for me one day. Thank you.
Thanks for watching Therese! I've started to do some music theory videos, which you can follow along on this playlist if you like: ru-vid.com/group/PL8t1iMxDi8gGisWxaTN0Qo0-HEmgK677Z
This is great! Super helpful! I have a 26-string Dusty Strings Ravenna which is my main harp to play out, and definitely have some music for “big” harps that I’d like to adapt for it. Please *definitely* do a video on transposing!
Thanks Tiffany - this video was helpful and gave me a few ideas. I have a 31 string harp but am currently looking at making a smaller harp to take travelling (we will be attending a harp building workshop in April) - the choice is between a 22 string (that has G as the bottom note) or a 26 string (with C at the bottom). The 22 string would probably be best for travelling but I feel it may be too limiting as it also can't be fitted with levers.
Thanks for watching Ron! That is a tough choice! Do you play a lot of music in G? That would make me feel ok about having a G on the bottom! You can always keep your F's tuned sharp if that's the case. :)
Excellent suggestions, that work for all instruments but sound especially lovely on the harp. Thank you for sharing these useful tools ! I have a 29 string generic harp (made in Pakistan? I guess) that has good sound and I enjoy playing. It is a result of Covid denying us all group rehearsals and concerts for my main instruments (guitar, clarinet); it is a serene instrument that is very fulfilling and adapted for the long weeks of lockdown, but I will continue with it as I've become very fond of it despite no knowledge of the repertoire. I could use some more lower strings, the last strings above G6 are not easily to play.
I've got a Rees Harpsicle (Fullsicle) and I love arranging songs to fit it. It has 26 strings: bass C to G; I don't play the highest few notes very often. This video was so reassuring to me! I have been doing lots of root+3rd and inversions and a few 7ths; can't wait to see what songs work with adding 4ths and 6ths.
Awesome video! I’m always re-arranging for my little harp, and these are GREAT tips. (For any harp!) I’ve got a 38-string harp, and I almost NEVER use all the strings. Top 6-ish don’t get much use, and the bottom 2 only get hit once in a while for a drone or something. I’d very easily get by with 34. My wee wire harp has 21 strings, and I regularly use 20 of them. ☺️
Tiffany Schaefer, Harp & Song -It is the heartland! And it really is massive. If it were just a little smaller, with a couple fewer strings, it would be 100% ideal for me. But, as it stands, I’ll happily take 99% ideal and keep it forever! 😉🤣
Great video I have 24 strings lyre from China and coming from a pianists to small diatonic instruments with only 3-4 octave was a culture shock for many people including me. Also I love the toy piano and Kalimba both of those also have very limited octave for me to play. Those small diatonic instruments really forced me my music theory knowledge to adapt to really play them to their full potential. That’s what I love about visiting musicians on social media to hear what they arrangement/ versions of the song that they come up with. Especially when accidental sharp and flat are not allowed on 17 tines Kalimba, luckily through the magic of video editing people managed to video them self tuned theirs instruments up then back again that’s is their only solutions. Imagine if you settings music exam syllabus like Trinity college type for Lyre, Kalimba and Toy piano? How would you even going to test their musicianship based on very limited notes that they can perform?
Yes! I once heard Harper Tasche say something like "a flute has 3 octaves. Yet we don't think that's limiting for a flute." But show someone a harp with 3 octaves and they call it too small! It gives one a different perspective for sure.
This is a wonderful video, thank you so much for these clear and detailed explanations! I've been trying out inversions and they work great, but you've given me a lot more to work with : adding passing notes, inserting patterns, and making a fuller right hand! I would definitely be interested in a video about transposing too.
To answer the video question : I play a 26-strings double-strung harp, from low C to high G. I find that I don't use the top 4-5 strings that much, but often have to adapt the left hand/bottom notes with inversions so that it sounds fuller. With the double-strung however, I never have the problem of the hands meeting, so it's very easy to play, and there are fun effect like echoing. What I'm working on, now, is trying to avoid arrangements that sound too "tinkly" because the hands play in the same octave. Thanks again for your video! Do share more tips if you have some ;-)
Thank you so much for your feedback! I've been seeing a lot more double strung playing lately; it's a really interesting concept! Someday I'd like to try one. ☺️
I have 15 string with no lever and 19 strings with levers, I use method to make chord inventions and sometimes reduced harmony chord for arrange for my mini harps.
I have a Fullsicle (so 26 strings 3.5 octaves) But I plan to launch a Kickstarter soon to fund my first EP and part of that will be in order to pay for a L&H Silhouette and a Camac Mini Blue 44 to use in the recording process and eventually for videos etc (all in due time 💚) As of right now, since I only have 26 strings while yes it is portable which was the whole purpose of the Harpsicle line lol, I can only really use the first/highest octave for special effects and full glissando. If I loop something then I’ll run a guitar pick quickly across the top strings and add that into the loop when writing etc to see what it does for me. But other than that it’s used sparingly because the other 2.5 octaves especially the bass strings are my favorite to use for pretty much everything.
I have 44 strings I don't use the very highest strains or the very lowest on my girl I have a concert Harp she's a medium Harp she's beautiful she just got tuned thank God today she needed it badly I am so short I can't tune my own instruments which makes it really hard I'm glad I have family and a good teacher and I learn from other harp players like you I can't see very well but I enjoy listening to your music
Could you include in the description box the harp that you are playing in that particular video? This will help those of us looking into a purchase and may be unfamiliar with those luthiers. Thank you!
Merry Christmas!! Thank you for this video! I got a small harp for the Christmas gift ☺️. I wonder if I can tune the strings from C4 C7 to C3 C6 without changing the strings? Or I even thinking about C4 C7 to G3 G6 withouts changing the strings (ignoring the colors of strings). Or better to buy some new strings?
You definitely won't want to tune strings into a different octave that are not made for that octave - they will most likely either break or just sound bad. (If you have a string that's the same thickness though, for example the strings are D and E right next to each other, and you need to swap out a D string for an E string because you don't have an extra E...that will generally work). Hope you're enjoying your harp!
I've been playing small harps for almost 13 years. I live in Hawaii, and I fly with my instruments all the time. The most strings I have on one harp - the Lewis Creek Jessie - 27 strings. I have a Stoney End double strung 22/44 strings. You gave some great tips. Since I play mostly Celtic/Scandinavian, you can always start the first run through with a drone. Inversions, yes! To arrange pieces with a descending bassline, I urge folks to learn a descending bassline with inversions. Once you get to the lowest string on your harp, you then play inversions for the strings past that, and oddly, it does sound as if the pitches are getting lower! Harmonics sound great on any harp - have a run through of a melody using harmonics. Tiffany, if you are in the market for a small harp, I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND Jeff Lewis's Nightingale or Jessie harps - I tested many small harps and this harp really resonated with me. Thanks for what you do!
i just bought a McHugh 22 strings harp yesterday, and i can handle easy song without left hand, it's difficult of balance two hands which playing the melody and the chords.
Some of those small harps are hard to balance! Do you have a low stool you can set it on? I've been wondering lately if top-heavy harps could be helped by putting something heavy in the bottom of them - like small sandbags.
