Hello there! As the new year begins, I have been thinking about ways that I can make my own practice time more productive and help my students be productive practicers, too!
These are some of the items I have found most useful for myself and for my students, so they are all tried and true!
Of course, right at the top of the list are harps and even harp lessons. I teach lessons from my home here in Houston and am also having great fun and success teaching lessons online using Skype! Please contact me if you’re interested in learning to play the harp!
I’ve met very few harps I haven’t liked in my 30+ years of being around harps, so I won’t try to list all of the ones I do like. I’ll just give you some links for some great builders of all different kinds of harps!
For an outstanding selection of lever harps of all shapes, sizes, and price, check out
For cross-strung harps, the following builders from all over the world are making great contributions to the ongoing renaissance of the cross-strung harp.
I just have to jump and shout a little bit about my favorite pedal harps, too! Venus Harps in Chicago builds a wide variety of sizes and styles of pedal harps, manufactured and assembled 100% in the USA by master craftsmen, starting from their newest student model, the Seraphim, which starts at $9550. Venus’ line includes eight harp models under $15,000, all with the standard 5-year Venus warranty. Venus pedal harps will provide you with a lifetime of playing satisfaction without paying more than you need to pay.
Necessary Tools
Every musician needs a great music stand, and this stand is my favorite. It is reasonably priced, easily portable, and very sturdy! I can put a loaded 3-inch ring binder on this stand, and it doesn’t wobble a bit! Click the picture for a direct link to where you can buy this great stand.
Music Stand
As harpists, we all know the value of an accurate, easy-to-use chromatic tuner, and the
Korg CA40
Korg CA40 is my favorite. It doesn’t have a lot of extra bells and whistles, but it is accurate, has very long battery life (about two years!), and is easy to use.
Another necessary tool is the much-maligned metronome. For just about any musician, getting used to working with a metronome early on in your studies is invaluable. You will soon discover that the metronome can be your very best ally—not the maddening foe it is often made out to be.
My favorite metronome, and the last one you will ever need to buy, is the Wittner QM2 Quartz Metronome.
Wittner Quartz Metronome
Of course, we also need great method books and LOTS of music to keep us busy. My favorite source for music is Melody’s Traditional Music and Harp Shoppe right here in Houston. They have a terrific selection of music, and the people are wonderful and very helpful!
For those many hours spent practicing and performing, we also need a comfortable, adjustable, portable bench. This one is my favorite.I have seen comparable benches selling elsewhere for more than $100, so save your money and get it from Musician’s Friend.
Everyone needs a little inspiration from time to time, and a few of my favorite harpists to listen to are very inspiring.
Harper Tasche
Harper Tasche, an artist at the very forefront of the cross-strung community for many years, arranges and composes beautiful music to listen to and publishes his music as well.
Christmas might be over, but Harper’s new Christmas CD, Wintermas Moon, recorded entirely on his Blessley Harps Rigel cross-strung harp, is still in my CD player, and I am enjoying it every day. Harper also has many other recordings available, along with all of his publications, available at his website, www.harpcrossing.com.
