Learning to Play the Harp

Concert Harp

If you would like to play the concert harp (the very large harp that you see in the orchestra), I would recommend that you subscribe to the "American Harp Journal" and this should get you started.

Irish, Celtic or Folk

The following outlined is for those who would like to learn Irish/Celtic/folk on an Irish/Celtic/folk harp:

1. Buying or renting a harp.
Since Áine endorses Steen Harps, she recommends buying a Celtic 36 from them. Having played and tested virtually every harp available - in her opinion this is the best harp on the market.

2. Find a teacher.
The Folk Harp Journal harpwire@netcom.com (510-943-1749) has a listing of teachers throughout the country. If you live in the Northeast of the U.S. - feel free to Contact Us and we will try to put you in touch with a teacher. It is really important to have a teacher for the first few months. Many people have to go back and unlearn bad habits. If you cannot find a teacher in your area, then I would recommend attending a workshop outside your area for a week. For Irish music, there is a wonderful Irish Music Week at the Catskills. Boston College also has a week long summer program. This should get you started. If you try to learn alone, you may make progress for a while, but may eventually be stonewalled. Do yourself a favor and save yourself a lot of time - go to a teacher in the first place.

3. The Learning Process.
When you start to play the Irish harp - much of the learning process will involve playing technique - therefore, it may be a while before those Celtic/Irish sounding tunes start to roll out. Be patient - first you must learn to play the harp - then you can learn to play Irish music. The two will not automatically come together. Again - it's well worth the wait.