Practicing Harp Happiness

Is playing the harp harder than you thought it would be? Ever wish you knew the secrets to learning music that only the experts and the eight year old YouTube stars seem to know? Want to finally finish the pieces you start and play them with ease, confidence and joy? Harp Mastery founder and Harp Happiness expert Anne Sullivan believes every harp player can learn to play the music they want the way they want. Tune in as she clears the confusion around topics like fingering, technique, sight reading and practice skills and shares the insider tips that help her students make music beautifully. Whether you’re playing the harp for fun or you’re ready to take your playing to the next level, each Practicing Harp Happiness episode will reveal the strategies and insight you need to fire your imagination, enjoy your practice and love your harp playing.

Your Next Piece: Too Easy, Too Hard or Just Right? - PHH 274 08/10/2026

Your Next Piece: Too Easy, Too Hard or Just Right? - PHH 274 Congratulations - you finished your piece! Well done! It’s time to take a breather and relax before you get onto the next piece. But that’s the problem. What piece is your next piece? How can you choose one that you like, that is a challenge but not too hard, and one that you can finish in a reasonable amount of time so that you still like it when it’s done? If you’re currently working with a teacher or coach, you know you can rely on their expert advice as you choose your next piece. But if you’re trying to make this choice on your own, it can seem daunting. There are so many wonderful pieces, how could any harpist possibly choose? This is a topic that we all deal with repeatedly, so I thought it might be a good time for us to revisit a podcast I aired over a year ago, on May 5, 2025, Cinco de Mayo actually. I wouldn’t mention Cinco de Mayo, except that it played a role in that episode, as I suggested five categories of pieces you could consider, just as a way to narrow the field somewhat. These categories are still relevant, and I know they will be helpful for you now, if you’re nearing a decision point about new music. But I’ve also added a little bit to the end of the episode, two brand-new ideas (at least new to my podcast) than can help you clarify your choices even more by helping you plan not just your next piece but your entire practice strategy and creating more of a sense of direction with your choices. It’s al about making decisions and these new frameworks should help. First you’ll hear the replay of episode 207, and then stay tuned for the new decision frameworks I want to teach you. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: by Louis Anthony deLise, D.M.A. Join me at the Chrysalis Music Workshop in September. Get a different perspective with this blog post: Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-274 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/42370015

More About Playing Perfect Octaves - PHH 273 08/03/2026

Summer Reading for Harpists (and other musicians) - PHH 272 07/27/2026

Summer Reading for Harpists (and other musicians) - PHH 272 I love to read. Maybe you’re like me, with several books in progress at once. I seem to have a book in every room that I can pick up when the fancy strikes. Plus, I always have at least one book on my Kindle and an audiobook going for when I’m in the car. I like to think I spend more time reading each day than doing anything else, but that’s probably not accurate, just aspirational. Summer reading is always my favorite. It feels indulgent to sit outside on the deck or at the beach or under a shady tree and just read. Maybe it is actually indulgent, but it’s never wasted time. And today, I’m going to share some of my summer reading with you, books that have particular interest to harpists and other musicians, or at least books I have found interesting. When I read about music and musicians, I find I’m not just learning facts. I’m releasing myself from the “doing,” from being absorbed in practice and playing and all the practicalities that go with my day to day harp life. Instead, I’m able to gain a fresh perspective, to see the musician’s life or ideas about music from the outside. I discover possibilities which have gotten buried by my daily practice routine. I learn about the struggles that shaped the lives of other musicians, as well as the breakthroughs that finally led them to their music. I finish a book like that feeling inspired, thoughtful and grateful. So find a comfortable chair. We're going to talk about books about music and musicians I enjoyed reading. It’s a little bit of a hodgepodge - some biographies, some memoirs, even a novel and an audiobook. I expect that some of these will appeal to you more than others. I found them all worth reading, but I urge you to choose the one or two that seem most intriguing to you and dive in. I’ve put links in the show notes to the easiest place to find each of the books, too, so you don’t have to waste a moment on the internet when you could be reading out on the deck with a glass of iced tea beside you. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Harpo Speaks! by Harpo Marx on Henriette Renié: Living Harp by Françoise des Varennes on Pentacle: The Story of Carlos Salzedo and the Harp by Marietta Bitter on The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather on Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk on Beginner's Mind by Yo-Yo Ma on (US) Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-272 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/42220660

Harpist Alexandra Chang on Collaboration, Improvisation and Why She Loves the Harp - PHH 271 07/20/2026

Harpist Alexandra Chang on Collaboration, Improvisation and Why She Loves the Harp - PHH 271 Ok - I talk about harp happiness a lot. Really a lot. That’s because playing the harp has always brought me happiness. Sure, playing the harp is hard work sometimes, and I’ve had my share of frustration too, but for me the challenges are outweighed by the joy every time. It’s the joy that keeps me going and I hope that your own harp happiness sustains and inspires you too. I mention this because I have a special guest on today’s show and she positively radiates harp happiness. Her name is Alexandra Chang, and if you haven’t heard of her already, just listening to her talk about her love of music and the harp is going to make you fall in love with her. Alex is an electric acoustic harpist and composer and as you will hear, much of her performing is collaborative improvisation, particularly with the Rock City Falls Trio, a cross-genre ensemble. She recently completed a Jazz and Sonic Music residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity for performance and composition and premiered the work A Shared Woven Melody at the Jazz and Sonic Arts Concert as part of their 2024 Gather Listen Hear Summer Arts Festival. She was awarded the 2025 Art Connects Artist Grant. Art Connects is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts & New York State. She teaches at Rutgers University as an Associate Professor of Practice at the Arts, Culture and Media Department. She is also the co-director of Improv Spaces and runs the Improv Spaces Music Festival, based in upstate New York, with creative partner percussionist Adam Forman. But before I play our conversation for you, I want to preview three things she mentions that give a more complete picture of her musicianship than just the raw facts from her bio. First, she practices the pedal harp every day. Second, she always has music by Bach on her music stand. And third, she’s only been playing the harp for six years. Yep, I couldn’t believe it either. I will play a clip from one of the selections on her album at the end of our conversation. I want you to hear from her first. So without any more delay, here is my conversation with harpist Alexandra Chang. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Where to find Alex: Her website: Her bandcamp link: The Topos Festival where Alex will be playing with the Rock City Falls Trio: Improv Spaces Music Festival on Sept. 6: Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-271 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/42138400

My 5-4-4-3 Plan for Learning Christmas Music Now - PHH 270 07/13/2026

My 5-4-4-3 Plan for Learning Christmas Music Now - PHH 270 There are lots of ways to get our music ready for the holidays. Yes, I know it’s only July and we have months to prepare, but that’s actually the point. You could wait until the week before your first Christmas gig in December to practice your music, and I have to say that there were times in the past that was my strategy. As you might imagine, it isn’t a course of action I’d recommend. Or you could try the standard Christmas in July method. You learn your holiday music in the summer and then try to hang onto it until the holidays eventually come around. Granted, it’s a much better plan than waiting until December, but as a preparation strategy it leaves a lot to be desired. If you’ve learned your music by the time summer ends, what do you do with it for the next three months? Naturally, there are a lot of different approaches you could take, and some of those are going to feel more natural to you than others, just based on your personal practice preferences. There are external influences that might play a role as well. For instance, perhaps this is the year that you have ben asked to play Britten’s Ceremony of Carols for the first time. The difficulty and scope of this piece will require a more focused approach than standard church or party holiday music. While I used to be fairly undisciplined in my approach to my own holiday repertoire preparation - and believe me, I paid the price for it more than once - I am unwilling to let my students suffer the same way. So I have a few “always” ground rules and a couple of “never” caveats that I try to share with them. These have their roots in my own learning the hard way. However, I also have a system that seems to work pretty well for most of my students. The odd thing is that I haven’t really told any of them about it. We’ve used the system but I’ve never given it a name before. So here it is, making its official debut: my 5-4-4-3 plan for holiday music preparation. My students will recognize it, or at least most of it, and I hope this will organize more clearly what we have talked about already. If you haven’t studied with me, I’m happy to share this with you for the first time ever. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: and get the best holiday headstart ever! Register for the Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-270 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/42043170

Beyond Independence: How Your Hands Really Work Together - PHH 269 07/06/2026

Beyond Independence: How Your Hands Really Work Together - PHH 269 This past weekend was a big one for us in the United States. Not only were we celebrating our July 4th Independence Day as we do every year, but it was an anniversary year for us, our 250th. The parties were more festive, the fireworks more explosive, and all of the celebrations focused on freedom and independence. I talk often about independence, but naturally I’m usually talking about Independence of our fingers or hands in our harp playing. A key focus of every harpist’s technical practice is developing more independent motion of the fingers and more independent playing of the hands. We want our fingers to be able to be equally strong, capable, flexible and expressive. We want our hands to be able to work together to create the music. But today, I’m going a slightly different direction. I want to talk not about the independence of our hands, but about the interdependence of our hands. It’s not a battle where each of our hands is fighting for independence from the other, even if it feels like that physically at times. I think it’s more to the point to consider the way our hands make music together. This goes beyond trying to figure out how one hand will do one kind of fingering while the other hand does something entirely different. This is about the role that each hand plays at any given moment in a piece of music, how each hand fits into the overall musical picture. So what I’d like to explore with you today is a more musical approach to our two-hand coordination, one that goes beyond the usual “hands separately, hands together” practice plan. I’d like to show you three distinct ways our right and left hands work together in a piece of music. You’ll see how this could completely change the way you practice, with the result that you’ll get to the expressive quality of the music more quickly and, I believe, with much less struggle. There is a lot of practical information that we’ll cover, but remember this is really just about putting the music first, about seeing a little - just a little - beyond the notes to the bigger musical concepts. Don’t think this doesn’t apply to you because you’re just a beginner or you only play a specific kind of music. Wherever you are in your harp journey, if you haven’t learned this way of looking at music before - and I’m betting you haven’t - you’re going to be so glad you listened to this episode today. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Join and get the best holiday head start ever! Register for the Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-269 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/41969040

Finding The Music in the Silence - PHH 268 06/29/2026

Finding The Music in the Silence - PHH 268 In 1782, Mozart was corresponding with a fellow composer about the art of composition. Mozart made the point that the true essence of music lies not only in the notes themselves but also in the spaces between them. That thought was echoed a century later by Claude Debussy who said, "Music is the silence between the notes." Silence is powerful. One part of the power of silence is its ability to define the notes around it. The spaces between the notes create rhythm. Lengthening spaces create a ritardando. Shortening spaces create an accelerando. Actual silence, created by a rest in the music, causes tension that is only relieved, or possibly heightened, by the next note. For us harpists, creating silence as we play is challenging. Our music naturally rings and resonates as each string is played. In those moments when we need to stop the sound, it becomes a physical and intentional act. We create silence on purpose. But what of those moments between the notes, when we want a note to sustain and to hold the tension into the next one? Do those moments need special attention? I believe they do. So today, I’d like to explore the two different kinds of silence we harpists have to consider: what each means and what we need to do to observe those silences with artistry and musicianship. And as we get started, here is another quote to let roll around in your mind. It’s from Kate Kennedy’s book, Cello: A Journey Through Silence to Sound. She writes this: “Silence is the opposite of music, but it is also its lifeblood — the breaths between the phrases, the drama, the anticipation, and the quality of the breathless hush between final note and applause." Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Join the Register for the Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-268 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/41632125

Layer by Layer: Build Your Own Arrangement - PHH 267 06/22/2026

Layer by Layer: Build Your Own Arrangement - PHH 267 As I look back on my childhood and my very first music studies, I realize that I was incredibly fortunate, blessed, actually. Not because I was gifted or because my parents were not only willing but were able to support my harp lessons. Not because I was in one of the music capitals of the world and had access to world class teachers. Not because I had so many opportunities and people that encouraged me along my journey. Well, yes, I was blessed because of all those things, certainly. But I want to talk today about a different gift that was given to me, one I didn’t realize the value of until much later. The gift was this: I was always encouraged to play music outside the box. Let me explain. I started piano lessons when I was four years old, and my piano teacher was not only a fabulous musician, but a creative and generous teacher. My lessons included all the usual piano exercises - which I hated - and sonatinas - which I loved - and she also made sure that she gave me performance-worthy arrangements of popular music. I played arrangements of “Blue Moon” and “People” from Funny Girl and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” that were written by pianists like Roger Williams. These were fancy arrangements that took quite a bit of technique and a lot of practice to play well, and I enjoyed them. But my teacher never stuck exactly to the printed page. She always had some alterations to add a little more pizzazz to the arrangement. We were always taking bass notes down an octave or playing another part up in the high register like a music box, or changing dynamics and tempo. What she taught me was that music was self-expression. It was about so much more than just playing the written notes. It was about making the notes say what you thought they should say. Please understand; we didn’t take liberties with the classics. She made sure I played absolutely every note that Bach wrote on the page. But I learned very early on how to be creative in my music-making, and that has been a tremendous gift. I’ve never shied away from arranging, and in fact, it’s one of my favorite things to do. I’d love every harpist to learn the freedom of making their music their own, and that’s what this show is about. I actually went back about two years into the podcast archives to pull out this episode which speaks directly to this. If you’ve ever wondered about what it takes to make an arrangement, or how to go about it, this is the episode for you. And afterwards, I want to tell you about an opportunity - a new challenge, in fact - to work with me on your own arrangement. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Get creative with the Go even further at the Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-267 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/41629670

Meet the Composer: Louis Anthony deLise - PHH 266 06/15/2026

Meet the Composer: Louis Anthony deLise - PHH 266 I don’t know if you’ve ever had this experience, but there’s something that happens when you realize that you have to shift your understanding of someone. It’s a little unsettling, as if that person belonged in one little box in your mind and now you find out it’s been the wrong box all along, and in fact, they don’t really belong in a box at all. Your appreciation of that person takes on new meaning and your friendship finds a new level. I found that kind of new level with my good friend and esteemed colleague Dr; Louis Anthony deLise, who is my guest on today’s show. Louis and I became acquainted because we were both part of the freelance musical circles in Philadelphia, where I knew him as a percussionist. I didn’t discover that his real metier was composing until much more recently and not only has that deepened our friendship, but it has brought a lot of new and wonderful music into my life, for which I am very grateful. Louis is one of my collaborators on the Chrysalis Music Workshop event for flutists, harpists, and composers that is happening this September in New Jersey. So I thought this was the perfect moment to introduce him and his music to you. As you listen to our conversation, I want to you listen for the words that he uses as he describes composing and composers and musicians, words like adventure, experiment, game, and heart. You have heard me use those kinds of words often, so I know you’ll understand why I value my work and collaboration with him so highly. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Register now for the Listen to Purchase sheet music Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-266 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/41629645

3 Techniques That Matter - PHH 265 06/08/2026

3 Techniques That Matter - PHH 265 Let me start by saying that technique was a struggle for me. You may have heard me talk before about how my double-jointed fingers wouldn’t do what my teacher wanted, let alone what I wanted. I had been playing the harp for nearly ten years before I was able to develop proper mechanics, to make my fingers play with the form and strength necessary for the level of playing I aspired to. Granted, I was still a teenager at the time, so my fingers have endured decades of technical work beyond that, but I want to tell you that harp technique is still something I work on daily, not because I want to, but because I have to. It’s true that our technique gets stronger and more reliable over time. That’s the good news. The more we focus on developing the proper mechanics, along with flexibility and speed, the more dependable our technique becomes. However, the results of our technical work can leave us in a moment. There is a well-known quote attributed to the celebrated violinist Jascha Heifetz about this very thing. He said, “If I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it.” Granted that most of us aren’t playing regularly in the same concert halls that Heifetz was, but we notice the same disheartening phenomenon: our technique requires constant attention. I’m going to make a big assumption here, that you don’t have hours every day to spend on your harp technique. Frankly, I don’t either. I have to put time into my technique daily, but it’s never as much time as I’d like, or as much time as my technique needs. But having spent years working through my own technique challenges and guiding students through the ones they face, I have three specific aspects of technique that many of us don’t spend enough time on. These are three very specific and actually very basic technical skills. If you pay attention to these three things, you will be on your way to solving many common technique glitches that prevent your music from flowing the way you want. These aren’t cure-all remedies. They are three basic skills that truly matter to your playing. Most exercise books include them, but they don’t tell you why they matter. That’s what I want to tell you today. Here’s the thing: if I simply told you what the skills were, you’d probably dismiss them, thinking you already know how to do them, or at least two of the three. The difference comes once you know why they are so important, what they really mean for your playing. Even better, when they show up in a piece you are learning, you’ll spot them and know exactly how to make that tricky passage smooth. Are you intrigued a little, maybe a lot? I hope so. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Missing the Live Monday Warm-Ups? Click here to to keep the momentum going! Blog post on octaves mentioned in the show: Podcast episode #64 on scales: Finger Independence for My Harp Mastery members:of Build, Extend, Advance Course. Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-265 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/41564225

Secrets to a Long-Lasting Musical Partnership with Joan Marsh - PHH 264 06/01/2026

Secrets to a Long-Lasting Musical Partnership with Joan Marsh - PHH 264 Here are some numbers to give you a little perspective before I introduce my guest today. The average length of a marriage in the United States is 20 years. Business partnerships don’t do nearly so well, with nearly 70% failing within the first five years. We are not a society geared toward longevity. But musical partnerships are different from business partnerships and certainly different from marriages, although they certainly have elements of both. My own musical collaborations tend to be quite longlasting, and the one I’m going to share today has not only survived, but grown and prospered and is now in its 40th year. That’s right - that partnership is celebrating its ruby anniversary this year. And I’m proud to say that this partnership has been one of the most meaningful in my life. So it’s about time I introduced you to my musical partner of 40 years, my flutist friend Joan Marsh. Together Joan and I have performed and recorded together since 1986. Our partnership as the duo SPARX has been a constant through the births of our children and now our grandchildren. It’s been there through our own marriages, house movings, individual playing commitments, individual business ventures and countless hair styles. While in this conversation, we share all the usual details about how we came together, our duo history over these 40 years and why our partnership is still so important to us, I want to make sure you understand this one point: a shared musical journey is more rewarding than you can imagine, if you haven’t tried it, and vastly more rewarding than we will be able to tell you. But we’re going to try. One of the reasons I want to bring this to you today is that together with our composer friend, Louis Anthony deLise, we have created a new event that speaks directly to the joy of making music together, and in the course of our conversation, we will tell you all about it. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Learn more about Live Monday Warm-Ups and Practice Labs are now exclusive to My Harp Mastery members. so you don’t miss out! Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-264 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/41485560

Music Notation Apps Reviewed and Why You Need One - PHH 263 05/26/2026

Music Notation Apps Reviewed and Why You Need One - PHH 263 There are plenty of things that make me feel old, for instance, when I remember that I used to have to go to the library to do research or that I didn’t know who was calling me before I answered the phone. Here’s another one that makes me feel positively ancient, and I promise you I’m not that old: I remember my mother handwriting music that my teacher wanted me to learn but was out of print. We didn’t have easy access to a copier, although sometimes my dad could make a copy at his work. So, if I needed a piece of music that wasn’t very long, my mother wrote it out for me. That feels practically Stone Age now. When I started arranging music and publishing it back in the 1990”s, there were two programs that most composers had to choose between - Finale and Sibelius. I chose Sibelius on the recommendation of one of my teaching colleagues at Curtis, and I still use it today. It had a pretty steep learning curve when I first started, and it is still a powerful program that takes a little while to figure out, probably too long for a casual user. In the years - okay, decades - since then, many more music notation programs and apps have come along, some of them as powerful, or nearly so, as the flagship programs, and for the most part, much simpler to use. This has meant that anybody with a modicum of patience for things technical can produce a professional-looking copy of a piece of music. That means progress for composers and arrangers. It also means progress for any of us, even those of us who just want to learn to play the harp better. That’s because these apps aren’t just for writing down music you’ve composed. They can also be useful practice tools. So on today’s show, I’m going to give you my take on three of the most popular and most user-friendly music notation apps, explaining the best features and the potential deal-breakers of each. I’ll also share some strategies to use these tools to help you in your harp playing, whether you are interested in composing, arranging, or just a little curious. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: For My Harp Mastery members: Love the Monday Warm-ups? to join My Harp Mastery so you don’t miss out. Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-263 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/41425515

How to Learn a Piece You Can’t Listen To First - PHH 262 05/18/2026

How to Learn a Piece You Can’t Listen To First - PHH 262 When I was a young harpist, there was no internet. I know that would shock a young harpist today who has grown up with the wealth of resources that are available with a single click. I was curious about when exactly the first internet-savvy generation grew up, so with a quick search - everything is clickable - I found the Gen Z’ers are the first internet generation, born between 1995 and 2010. That means those Gen Z adults are now between the ages of 16 and 30 or thereabouts. While the internet may feel like a birthright of Gen Z, the rest of us have come to rely on the internet too, and it’s a tremendous resource for us harpists. If my teacher wanted me to learn a new piece, I had to go to the record store (I’m hoping there are some of you who remember those!) to look for a recording. Most often, I was out of luck, but I got into the habit of buying any harp record I found in the store, just in case I might want it someday. Today, everything is turned around. There are more harp recordings available to a harpist than anyone could possibly listen to. This makes it simple to hear someone else play the piece you want to learn. You might even be able to hear many players with vastly different interpretations, which is an education in itself. But even now, there are those times when there is no recording of the piece you want to learn. When that happens, how do you begin? Where do you start? Are there things you can do before you play the first note to help you learn it more quickly and with more confidence in your approach? I want to give you a framework for that today, one that will not only help guide you through approaching a piece when you have no idea how it sounds, but one that will develop a set of skills which will shorten the time it takes you to learn any piece. We’re going to explore what you can know about a piece just by looking at it, and what you can guess. You may be surprised at how much useful information you have been ignoring until now. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: My Harp Mastery course: Podcast episode #147: Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-262 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/41327685

3 Things You Can Do to Make Your Music Smoother Instantly - PHH 261 05/11/2026

3 Things You Can Do to Make Your Music Smoother Instantly - PHH 261 I’m always wary of instant cures, of instant solutions. You know what I mean, those ads that promise you can lose 10 pounds overnight or become a fluent French speaker in 2 weeks. The funny thing is that nobody believes the promises in the ads, but still we buy the products - just in case. There is something powerful about an instant win. It’s the tantalizing idea that we could get exactly what we want for almost no effort or investment of time. It never seems to matter that the instant results seem improbable, The idea of something for nothing, or almost nothing, is too powerful to resist. So today, when I tell you that I’n going to share three things that will make your music smoother almost instantly, I wouldn't blame you if you’re more than a little skeptical. But I’ll bet you keep listening. And I hope you do, because although these three things aren’t easy to put into play, they will make an incredible difference in how your music flows. It’s not snake oil; it’s just solid harp playing. Making our music smooth is just about the most important thing we need to do, and yet our desire to make our music right, sabotages the smoothness with every note. Do we play a wrong note and keep going, even when we practice? Should we correct our mistakes so we don’t get into bad habits? Do we do both? Neither? Are you confused yet? There really are several things you can do which will change the way you practice and play. They will make your music smoother, not because they’re magic, but because they teach you to think about how you play and what you play differently. Even more importantly, they are critical for each one of us, whether we are used to playing music smoothly or not. So if you’re an old pro like me, this is a valuable reminder or maybe even a reset. And if you’re just trying to figure out how to make your music flow, this podcast will save you a lot of time and trouble. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Stay in touch with everything that’s happening: ! For another take, check out this blog post: Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-261 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/41240130

What Your Desert Island Pieces Say About You - PHH 260 05/04/2026

What Your Desert Island Pieces Say About You - PHH 260 Here’s the picture: it’s the most unusual shipwreck in history. Somehow or other you have ended up alone on a desert island with just your harp. It’s interesting to consider how this might have happened. Did you swim to shore after the shipwreck with your harp strapped to your back? Or maybe you used it like a raft and your harp is what saved you. But somehow, against all the odds and flying in the face of reality, you ended up on this island with your harp. Even more amazing is that your harp is in tune, no strings have broken, and the weather is exactly what your harp needs to stay happy. But just wait - there’s more. As you explore the island, you discover a charming hut which will be a perfect shelter for you and your harp, and when you enter the hut, you discover a harp bench, a tuning key, and a music stand. As you move closer, you realize that there is some sheet music on the stand, three pieces of music in fact, and they just happen to be your three favorite pieces in the world. Wow. Unbelievable. Alright, yes, this is unbelievable. This harp version of Gilligan’s Island isn’t going to happen. But thinking about your three “desert island” pieces is fun. Which pieces would you pick, if you could only choose three pieces to have with you? And what do those pieces say about your harp journey so far, and your harp dreams for your future? Your desert island pieces can actually help you focus or refocus on what is important to you in your music. They can be a source of motivation or inspiration or growth or all of the above. They are both a reflection of what music means to you and where your harp happiness lies. Thinking about what your desert island pieces would be can tell you a lot about what you love, what you do well and what you should be doing next. If you’re like me, the choice isn’t an easy one. I have closets and shelves and cabinets filled with music. Just picking three pieces feels impossible, but I have done it, and I will share my choices with you, as well as tell you why those choices are important to me, not only because they are pieces I love, but because they remind me of what I need to be doing right now in my playing. It’s a fun scenario to think about and I think you’ll enjoy it and find a little enlightenment too. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Email me your desert island pieces at blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-260 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/41134525

When Right Is Wrong: The Ultimate Musical Dilemma - PHH 259 04/27/2026

When Right Is Wrong: The Ultimate Musical Dilemma - PHH 259 Playing music is hard. Trying to evaluate how well you are playing it is even harder, much harder. If this were a sport, a game like baseball, our efforts in relation to those of the opposing team would be reflected in the score. In an individual sport like golf, your score is a marker of your performance against the challenge of the course, the weather and any number of other factors. In an artistic endeavor, such as art or music or dance, there isn’t an objective numerical scale to score the outcome. I think that’s why I am always ambivalent about Olympic figure skating judging. I understand that they have tried hard to find objective measurements for all the aspects of a skating performance, but there is still room for debate. There isn’t always a clear right or wrong. When we practice, we aim for “right;” we want to get the notes right, our technique right, the fingering right, the pedals right, the dynamics right. And as my friend MJ says, we get all wrapped up in right. When we get wrapped up in right, we lose our perspective on the music. It’s not seeing the forest for the trees. I’m sure you get that. Yet somehow we still focus on being correct. In fact, I believe we actually overvalue being correct. That’s why, on today’s show, I’d like to explore the actual damage that overfocusing on right can do, how it can sabotage the music you’re trying to create. Never fear - I promise I won’t tell you to play wrong notes, and I won’t leave you without some ideas for refocusing. We’ll get you back on the right side of right. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: For another look at this topic, check out this article: Experience the freedom of faster learning, more expressive playing, and the confidence to play like the harpist you know you can be with a Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-259 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/41011165

7 Ways to Place Chords: Beyond the Rules - PHH 258 04/20/2026

7 Ways to Place Chords: Beyond the Rules - PHH 258 When was the last time you took a moment to just play some chords on your harp and let yourself simply enjoy them? When you hear that rich, resonant sound, you know that this was what your harp was meant to sound like. Perhaps hearing someone else play chords like that was why you decided to play the harp. It’s goosebump territory, for sure. You can feel it in your bones, in your core. I don’t know that there is a more beautiful sonority than a big beautiful harp chord, perhaps lushly rolled. But, I also know that there isn’t a day goes by that I don’t have to stop in my practice to check my chord placing to make sure I can play those chords the way I want. Just because they’re beautiful, doesn’t mean they’re easy, but you already know that. One of the first things we harpists learn about chords is that the key to a well-played chord is in the placing. Getting the right fingers on the right strings at the right time is the biggest hurdle we face. I’m reminded of a famous quote of J. S. Bach: “There's nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself.” This seems to me to reveal an over-developed sense of humility on Bach's part. Playing an instrument is definitely not that simple, but when it comes to playing - and placing - chords, getting our fingers on the right strings at the right time is certainly a good place to start. Today’s show is indeed about placing chords, but I want to offer you a different perspective, one that is less about the technique of placing chords and more about the musical situations that may call for strategic changes in the way we think about how and when to get our fingers on those right strings. In other words, I’m going to talk about when the usual “right time” isn’t the right time, when you should consider breaking those rules I know you worked so hard to learn in order to make your chords sound the way you want. So get ready to break or at least bend some rules today. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Podcast Episode #205: For extra clarity on placing techniques: blog post in the archives. Experience the freedom of faster learning, more expressive playing, and the confidence to play like the harpist you know you can be with a Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-258 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/40922640

Creating Your Secondary Practice Style: A New Look at Your Practice Breed - PHH 257 04/13/2026

Creating Your Secondary Practice Style: A New Look at Your Practice Breed - PHH 257 A number of years ago, I wrote a blog post comparing practice styles to two breeds of dogs: a German Shepherd and a Greyhound. This was my metaphor for discussing a topic I found really hard to address with my students, the fact that their natural practice style was a determining factor in the speed of their progress. Let me explain. I had some students who were committed to doing everything correctly and as a consequence learned carefully and thoroughly, but rather slowly. I had other students who wanted to play the music right away. Their enthusiasm and energy got them to the finish line quickly, but we often had to go back to pick up some important points they had missed along the way. Both learning styles were good, to a certain point. But at that certain point, each style needed to incorporate the strengths of the other one in order to get the music to the finish line. So to help my students understand this better, I chose two wonderful dog breeds as representations of the two learning styles, a German shepherd and a greyhound, both wonderful dogs with very different characteristics. While the German shepherds maintain order and discipline, the greyhounds race to the finish. My goal was to give my students a non-judgmental way to think about the way they liked to learn and inspire them to step outside their comfort zone a little so that they could make more predictable progress and enjoy the process a little more. It seemed to work, to capture the imagination of harpists who had felt they were missing something but weren’t sure exactly what it was. A few years later, when I started this podcast, I added a third breed of dog, the beagle, the joyful investigator, into the mix. In fact, that podcast episode was the very first episode of the show, and you’ll find the link to that in today’s show notes. What I want to do today is to talk about what to do when your practice style needs to shift, or when you find yourself drawn to a new way of practicing that’s different from your usual style. Of course, I’ll review the traits of all three breeds of practice styles and I’d like to add a fourth, too, the golden retriever. By the end of our show today, you should have a pretty clear idea of your primary practice style and why it works for you, when it doesn’t work for you, and how to step into the shoes, or should I say, paws, of another breed when you need to. It’s a different lighthearted look at your practice today. Oh, yes…I’ll share my own practice breed with you too, although maybe you can guess. We’ll see if you’re right! Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Episode 1 of the podcast: My Harp Mastery member resource: Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-257 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/40817395

Moving Up: The Intermediate Level Skills You Need - PHH 256 04/06/2026

Moving Up: The Intermediate Level Skills You Need - PHH 256 I think one of the biggest challenges in music study is that it is very difficult to really measure our progress. It’s so easy to lose track of what we’ve accomplished when we’re faced with new challenges that often seem to be more of the same ones we’ve been struggling with all along. The notes are still hard. Our fingers still aren’t moving fast enough. We still can’t make our music flow. The reality of music study is that we will continue to face the same challenges at every stage of our harp journey. At the same time that we find new levels of facility or expression, we find new levels that we want to attain. It can feel as if we aren’t getting anywhere, even when we truly are making significant progress. I like to think of it as a spiral staircase, where we are dealing with the same skills but at increasingly higher levels. Naturally, there are ways we can remind ourselves of the strides we have made. Reviewing pieces we played long ago or reading old practice journals can be powerful evidence that what was hard for us then isn’t hard for us now. Participating in exam systems can give us the stamp of approval from an objective source that in effect certifies our progress. But it can be frustrating to feel like you’re not progressing, even if you actually are. And it can be more frustrating to wonder if you will be always stuck playing beginner level music, even advanced beginner level music. Or course, we know that these levels aren’t standardized in any way, and we must recognize that our own skills have strengths and weaknesses that make some pieces easier than others for us. Even so, it would be nice to know what skills really mark the step up from beginner to intermediate. That’s what I want to help you clarify today. I’ve talked before about skills that I consider “level up” skills, but today I want to look at a wider range of skills and show you how they translate to that important, if ill-defined, jump from advanced beginner to intermediate music. And if you’re a solid intermediate level player and you’d like to push yourself to a more advanced playing level, this will show you how to move up that skill ladder too. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: For My Harp Mastery members: . Related resource: blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-256 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/40738245

Simplify and Renew: How to Spring Clean Your Harp Playing - PHH 255 03/30/2026

Simplify and Renew: How to Spring Clean Your Harp Playing - PHH 255 Spring is finally settling in where I live. You might be weeks ahead of me or behind me or in a totally different hemisphere, but in the spirit of sharing what’s on my mind and what’s happening in my world, I want to talk about spring cleaning today. Naturally, though, I’m not talking about cleaning windows and carpets and closets. I want to talk about spring cleaning your harp life. When I first decided to focus on spring cleaning for this podcast, I didn’t want to take the easy way out. It would be easy to talk about harp care - changing strings, cleaning your harp, the right products to use, etc. But I wanted to go deeper and look at what matters to your harp playing even more than new strings or polish. I want to talk about your playing, your practice, your music. We all get into a practice routine, and in general, having a routine is a good thing. It helps us stay on track more easily by creating a habit that can be nearly effortless to follow. But those same habits that support our playing can become ineffective when they go from being effortless to being mindless, and sometimes we aren’t even aware of It happening. Here’s a simple example. Maybe you like to warmup with a particular scale or arpeggio pattern or perhaps a favorite short piece. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, unless you find yourself playing it so automatically that you aren’t paying attention to those things we want to watch in a warm-up: our posture, our relaxation, our finger action, and so on. Sure, we’re still warming up our fingers, but our focus is really elsewhere. This is where we can decide to do a little spring cleaning. We can try a different warm-up, or rotate between several warm-ups. We could play our warm-up in different keys. There are a million things we could do, but the refresh is the point. So in our spring cleaning planning today, I want to focus on two big objectives. One is refreshing or renewing some of what we are doing, whether it’s part of our practice routine or maybe the music we’re playing. We want to spruce things up a bit. The other objective is to simplify, to investigate what’s working for us and what isn’t, to eliminate extra work so that we can do more of the playing we love. Think of it as decluttering your harp playing. We will start by simplifying and then we’ll get on to the renew and refresh part. And it’s going to be fun. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Check out this blog post from the archives: A five day guide to understanding music at a deeper level: Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-255 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/40649300

Music Theory Starts Here - PHH 254 03/23/2026

Music Theory Starts Here - PHH 254 If you came to me for a lesson and said you wanted to work on music theory, my first reaction would be to do my happy dance. I admit it - I am a theory geek. I love talking about the building blocks of music and exploring the way composers use them to create the kaleidoscopic variety of music we love to play. But after my happy dance, I would ask you this question: why do you want to learn music theory? It’s not a test question; there is no wrong answer. But I have often found that harpists make assumptions about what theory knowledge will do for them, and those assumptions, if they aren’t completely wrong, aren’t always on the mark. Knowing more abut the inner workings of music, the nuts and bolts of it, is undoubtedly important for any musician. It is also certainly true that some elements of music theory are immediately applicable to our playing. Most harpists, for example, realize that if they understood more about how chords work, they would be able to learn their music more quickly, sight read more easily and memorize faster. That sounds like a superfood for your playing, and lots of harpists are ready, willing and eager to add that to their practice diet. But before chords will make sense to you, before they will be really useful, before you can become fluent with them, you need to know your major and minor keys. You need to know them cold, not have to figure them out, just know them as well as you know your alphabet. This is a step that too many harpists fail to take. They try to jump right into learning about chords without the foundation that makes their construction and sequences inevitable and logical. So that’s where we are starting today. I want to be sure that whatever your goals are with music theory, you have the knowledge that everything else in our system of music springs from: scales and keys. One caveat - don’t think this is going to be basic baby stuff. I promise unless you’re a complete theory geek like me, you’ll learn something today that you didn’t know before. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Blog post Podcast Episode 6: Join us in Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-254 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/40570865

Your Ultimate Guide to Practice Journaling - PHH 253 03/16/2026

Your Ultimate Guide to Practice Journaling - PHH 253 I was recently at the home of a harpist friend, and she showed me her stack of diaries, her appointment books from past years. There were decades of them. She was deciding it was time to get rid of them, but she wasn’t quite ready to do it. I had to admit that I pitched mine long ago, and that occasionally I have wished that I still had them. They would be fun to look through. Those entries, even the most prosaic ones, recall so many memories. They bring to mind places, people and events that you have nearly forgotten. Suddenly, you are transported to a different time and place, even a different version of you, and this can give you a different perspective on where you are, and even who you are, now. But we aren’t talking about calendars or diaries today; we’re talking about practice journals, and the variety of ways that you can use them. Right off the bat, I will say that some of those ways are more impactful than others, in terms of promoting your progress and growth. For instance, if you’ve been using your practice journal as a simple way to keep track of what you’ve done, I think you’re underutilizing your journal. It can be an engine for forward momentum, not just a log of today’s practice. And we’re going to explore some of those ways today. One disclaimer here: I am not one of those people who are natural journalers. Although many of my friends in our teen years kept diaries of all kinds, I was never able to. It always seemed like a good idea, but I didn’t really enjoy it. I appreciate that some people are very good at this and enjoy it, and I wanted to be clear, in case you’re more like me, that I am not one of those people. However, I do use a practice journal and so I know firsthand how valuable it can be. So if you’re a journal-lover, you’re going to find some new ideas for journaling today, at least I hope you will, and if you’re a little reluctant to dive into this journaling thing, be patient because I understand where you’re coming from, and I have some key tips for you too. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Try the , available in print or PDF versions blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-253 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/40474410

Learning to Play By Ear: a First Steps Seminar - PHH 252 03/09/2026

Learning to Play By Ear: a First Steps Seminar - PHH 252 Playing by ear is one of those things that musicians either know they can do or think they’ll never be able to do. Those who are practiced at it seem to have endless tunes at their fingertips. Name a tune, and if they know it, they can play it. To those who can’t do it - at least not yet - it seems nothing short of magical. But ask someone to explain how they work this magic, and you will likely get an answer that isn’t much of an explanation. They might talk about understanding and learning to hear chords. Or they might say they learned by trial and error, trying to play along with songs they liked. Or they might simply shrug and tell you they have no idea. But it’s only rarely that you encounter someone who will actually attempt to explain their process. Notice that I said, “When you meet someone who is practiced at it.” Playing by ear is something you can learn. Like so many other apparent feats of magic, there’s no real trick to it once you learn how it’s done. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s certainly doable. Even better, if you decide to experiment with the practice ideas we’re going to talk about today, you’ll find that you will begin to notice things in your music that you never paid attention to before, things that help you learn and understand your music at a deeper level. That’s why playing by ear is really not a magic trick, but a serious musicianship skill, and that’s why I wanted to talk with you about it today. What you’re going to hear is a part of a live seminar I gave a while back for our My Harp Mastery members. This call was followed by a workshop where I guided them through the practice techniques from the seminar so they knew how to continue developing their skill in playing by ear. This is the kind of thing we do inside the My Harp Mastery community. We have a live call each week where my coaches and I guide you through every aspect of playing the harp, whether it’s learning new music together, or learning how to learn a piece of music, or working on technique or working through our Scale of Success curriculum. If you like learning about topics like this and getting expert instruction on how to be a better harpist and musician, I strongly suggest you check out everything that we include in our My Harp Mastery membership and join us. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: . Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will he access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-252 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/40364860

Creating Your Harp Life with Dr. Kristina Finch - PHH 251 03/02/2026

Creating Your Harp Life with Dr. Kristina Finch - PHH 251 I know it’s cliché, but when I was a young harpist, I wanted to be just like my teacher, the same way children want to be just like their parents. Specifically, that meant to me that I was going to play in a big orchestra someday. It was years later when I discovered that not only were there other paths harpists could pursue, but that some of those paths actually suited me better. I’ve certainly done my share of orchestral playing, and I enjoy it, but I have always found more scope and more musical opportunity in chamber music and solo performances. When I was still in high school, I began to freelance, to play a variety of music in various settings to earn my living. Don’t get the wrong impression; I didn’t have to earn my living in high school. My freelance playing at that age set me up very well to earn a good living freelancing in college and beyond. I reveled in the variety, in the unusual experiences I had, in the interesting places my playing took me. I still do some of that kind of playing, albeit less than I used to, and I still enjoy it. On today’s call, I am speaking with harpist Dr. Kristina Finch. Some of you may know her as one of our Harp Mastery® Certified Coaches. She has an extremely busy freelance career which has taken her all over the world. And now, she has a new harp path, in addition to playing and teaching; she and her husband are the new owners of the Harp Centers in Atlanta, Virginia and New Jersey. I asked Kristina to join me on the podcast, because I wanted you to hear her story about change, about refocusing her harp career and the insights that she has gained in the process. Our conversation was fun – it’s always fun talking with Kristina – but I think it will give you some insight as well, and perhaps some takeaways about realizing your passion and balancing your own harp life. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Register now for the Visit the Visit the Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-251 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/40262295

Masterclass: Making an Etude Out Of Your Piece - PHH 250 02/23/2026

Masterclass: Making an Etude Out Of Your Piece - PHH 250 Today’s show is a masterclass, a show where I get to dig in to how to do something. We aren’t just talking big picture concepts; we’re going to get down to the nitty gritty. I have to say this is my favorite kind of show to do, because it feels like teaching, almost like we’re right here together in the same room, and I’m sharing what I’ve learned to help you learn too. I love that. And I really enjoy this topic too. Our topic is how to make an etude from a piece you’re trying to learn. Let’s say you’re working on a piece and most of the piece is ready to go, but there’s one part that just won’t come together. You could take that section and make an etude out of it. Or perhaps the piece you’re learning is really a little above your head, and you’re not really stuck, but the going is very slow. There are etude possibilities there too. I’m sure many of you already do something like this, whether it’s playing that section in different rhythms or just keeping the tempo slow while your fingers get used to the patterns. But today, I’m going to show you a different way of doing it, a way that I have found to be more effective and one that will help you get to the music faster. We’re going to look behind the notes to what’s really going on, so that we can find the key to unlocking that passage or technique for you. So grab a pen and paper so you can take some notes and we’ll get started with our masterclass. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: on IMSLP. Study with Harp Mastery® Certified Coach. . Related resource: blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-250 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/40186475

How to Make Panic-free Page Turns - PHH 249 02/16/2026

How to Make Panic-free Page Turns - PHH 249 Are you ready to talk about page turns? I realize that page turns may not seem like a captivating topic, However, if you’ve ever had a page turn go wrong in a moment when you don’t want to have anything go wrong, you know how important page turns are. Even in the age of bluetooth pedals, poorly prepared page turns can mar an otherwise lovely performance. I’m warning you right now that page turning is a subject that I am liable to rant about, just ask my students. At our harp camp, Harp Quest Summer Live, the evening before our closing concert is spent making sure that all the students who have forgotten to prepare their pages take care of them. The mantra they hear from me is this: “No loose pages!” And then I usually tell them this story: I was fourteen years old and accompanying our high school choir in a performance of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. This is a difficult work for chorus, and we were doing the version that is accompanied only by harp, organ and percussion. In the orchestral version there are two harp parts, and they are combined into just one part for this version, so you can imagine that the part is challenging. This performance was a big deal for me, because I was still in junior high, and for this concert, actually two performances, I was accompanying the big kids. It felt really important. The first of the two performances went well. The second one was at a church. They provided a music stand for me, and it was one of those folding metal stands that are commonly referred to as wire stands. Here’s where the page turns come into play. We were at the beginning of the third movement, and I went to turn my page and the music stand collapsed. That alone would have been a moment to remember, no matter how much I would want to forget it, but it was worse than that. The choir director had given me a photocopy of the original part to practice from, and that’s what I was using for the concert. Here’s the rub: I had never taped the pages together. So when my music stand collapsed, the pages went everywhere. A good samaritan in the audience jumped up and gathered my pages and then I had to find the right ones and jump back in to play. While I wasn’t scarred for life, I did learn a powerful lesson about how to prepare and prevent page disasters in a performance. Over the years, I learned a lot about the art of turning pages, not just taping them together, and I want to be sure you know them too. So trust me, you actually need to know how to manage, prepare and practice your page turns, whether you’re using paper or a pedal. And yes, you ned to practice them too. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Plan ahead for your young harpist! Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-249 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/40117840

Answers to Your Questions: Relaxed Playing and Tuning By Ear - PHH 248 02/09/2026

Answers to Your Questions: Relaxed Playing and Tuning By Ear - PHH 248 It’s time for another “Answers to Your Questions” episode. I love these episodes because I get to speak to topics that are on your mind, rather than just talking about topics I think you want to know more about. And we have two really great questions to talk about today. Before I tell you what those questions are, I want to say that my personal criteria for choosing these questions is when I have been asked the same question by three or more people in a relatively short time frame. Usually the questions come in response to something I’ve talked about in the podcast, like our first question today, or something we discussed on one of the Live Monday Warm-Ups. Today’s second question came up on a recent warm-up. My feeling is that when three people have asked it, there are a bunch more harpists who would have liked to ask it but didn’t. And so I know that there are lots of harpists who really would like to have the answer, even if they let someone else ask the question. So if you’re one of those who asked the question, I thank you, and so do your fellow harpists who let you ask for them. If you’re not one of those who asked the question but want to know the answer, remember that next time you can be the brave one and do the asking. If you’re on a live call with me, I can tell you that I always pay attention to the questions that arise. But if you haven’t been on a live call with me, you can always email me here at the podcast, and I’ll register your question or comment that way. The email is . So what are our questions today? The first has to do with tuning by ear and why I feel it is so essential, not just because your harp needs to be in tune, but because it’s an easy way to intentionally focus on your aural skills, which are key to your learning music faster and playing with more security. The second question brings up a really vital point about playing without tension. It’s this: being relaxed before you begin playing is one thing, but staying relaxed while you play is another, more difficult one. How do you keep relaxed and keep tension away while you’re playing? It’s a topic that is so important to all of us; aren’t you glad those three people asked? Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Don’t miss the webinar, Let’s plan the rest of this year together in the Live Monday Warm-Up from February 2, 2026 where I talk about sticky placing, tone and tension. Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-248 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/40033480

How Not to be a Control Freak Harpist - PHH 247 02/02/2026

How Not to be a Control Freak Harpist - PHH 247 Today we’re talking about control. Control is a word that comes up a lot in our harp playing, whether it’s about controlling our fingers, our dynamics, tempo, tone, focus, or a hundred other relevant things. It feels like we’re always trying to gain control over something in our playing, or over ourselves. But the path to mastery isn’t about asserting control; it’s actually about letting go of control. If you search, you can easily find dozens of books that explore the idea of control in music, and nearly all of them start out with the idea - sometimes it’s even written in the title - that we gain control by letting go. It’s a simple enough concept, but it comes with a big paradox: letting go of control essentially requires us not to do what we’ve been training ourselves to do. For example, we train ourselves to play the right notes, which usually requires a lot of focus, concentration and sometimes sheer willpower, in other words, control. But if we don’t let go of that control, our music doesn’t flow. Another example is our technique. We work hard to teach our fingers to play the right way, and we want to make sure that they behave themselves. So we keep paying attention to them; we keep them in our control. Of course, this means that we don’t have the attention to spend on making the music expressive, and we don’t let our fingers play naturally, because we want to make sure they play correctly. Perhaps the best example is when we try to play faster. We want to stay in control, and the challenge of playing a passage or a piece faster, creates chaos. We resist the chaos, with the result that we never achieve that faster tempo. The crux of the dilemma is this: we need to control many different elements in our playing, but if don’t let go of control, we can’t achieve the expressive, fluid musical playing we want. And practicing not controlling these things feels uncomfortable and even wrong. But today, I’m going to show you how to let go of control without the fear and without feeling like you’re on the brink of disaster in your playing. I’ll teach you a three-step system for keeping your controlling instincts in check, to allow them to serve your music instead of hold it back. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Register for my free webinar, Let me help you create your personalized Breakthrough plan on the Learn control practice techniques in my Kaleidoscope Practice e-book. [LINK to shop] Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-247 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/39954175

Next Level Repertoire: Turning Baby Steps into Giant Strides - PHH 246 01/26/2026

Next Level Repertoire: Turning Baby Steps into Giant Strides - PHH 246 Have you ever started learning a piece that seemed like it should be relatively easy to learn, and then discovered it was actually much harder than you thought? Of course you have; it happens to all of us. In this situation, we have a choice. We could persist, digging our heels in and fighting our way through the piece anyway. Or we could put the piece aside for the time when we are ready for it. (By the way, that time only comes when we are very focused on leveling up our skills.) Neither choice feels good, mainly because we feel like we aren’t growing. We feel like our playing is staying at the same level. In fact, one of the reactions I see from harpists in this situation is that they choose to put aside the challenging piece and play another piece by a composer or arranger whose works they know they can play easily. Unfortunately, this can mean that the music they’re playing and the finger patterns they are learning don’t stretch them at all, but actually keep them stuck in the same place. Obviously, there’s a gap we need to bridge. It’s the gap between our actual skill level and our perception of our skill level. It isn’t that we think we’re better than we are; it’s not a case of inflated ego. It’s just that we can’t see the holes we need to fill before we are actually ready to learn the piece. Sometimes the holes are missing technical skills, like independence of the hands that makes playing hands together fluid and easy. Sometimes it’s a musicianship skill, maybe fluency with a rhythmic pattern or quick chord recognition. My point is this: you shouldn’t have to take baby steps with your music. It’s important that you play the music you truly want to play, not feel trapped playing music that isn’t what you really aspire to. But you don’t have to take such a giant step that you’re struggling to learn a piece in a reasonable amount of time. If you’ve ever ridden the Underground in London, you may remember the signs and announcements alerting you to “mind the gap” as you step from the platform onto the train. That’s my idea for today; I’m going to show you how to mind the gap between the music you can play and the music you want to play so your journey will be faster and easier. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Plan your growth with The Harpist’s Breakthrough Blueprint. ! Last call for the Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-246 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/39864010

Next Level Musicianship: The Sensory Triangle - PHH 245 01/19/2026

Next Level Musicianship: The Sensory Triangle - PHH 245 If you’ve listened to me for a while or taken any of my classes or workshops, you know that I love finding the solutions to problems we harpists face and creating the step by step plans to take action to solve them. I’ve discovered over my years of teaching that it’s not hard to define the problem, at least the surface problem. For instance, if your left hand can’t play the notes in two specific measures of your piece, then that’s the problem, and the solution is easy: drill the notes. Sometimes, however, the real issue lies a few layers down. Maybe the reason the left hand can’t play those measures isn’t the notes. Perhaps there is a technical issue, or maybe reading bass clef is the sticking point. It could be a counting issue or even not quite understanding what the meaning of the music is at that moment. So when I’m working with my Gold Circle students, we often spend some time digging a little deeper to see where the real issue is. Then we can define the proper steps to address it. I’m mentioning this, not because we’re going to talk about solving problems today, at least not exactly. What I want to point out is that music study isn’t as linear as we would like it to be. It would be terrific if we could practice a piece, put extra time on the hard spots, polish it up and play it, but we all know that it doesn’t always work that way. That’s because when we play music, we are using a very complex set of skills that involves much more than just playing with our best technique or learning the notes. This is the skill set that comes under the heading “musicianship.” In today’s podcast episode, I want to talk about the specific musicianship skills we use everyday in our playing and how to keep them growing and developing. These skills are truly key to your growth as a harpist. I’ll help you understand how they connect to each other and to your playing, and we’ll talk about how to integrate more intentional musicianship skill development into your daily practice. And we’ll do that using a concept I developed called the Sensory Triangle. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: Get organized with The Harpist's Breakthrough Blueprint Intensive - ! blog post Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-245 /episode/index/show/harp-happiness/id/39691740

Practicing Harp Happiness

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