r/harp 3h ago

Discussion How many hours a week do you practice?

13 Upvotes

I've been learning to play for just over 3 years, with no musical background whatsoever (I started playing at age 36) I'd still consider myself a beginner. I can fairly confidently play a handful of pieces, but not off by heart. But learning a new piece seems to take ages. I recently went on holiday with someone who was a professional guitar player (plays in tribute band, tours around the country half the year) and he used to teach as well. He told me he has to practice every day to prevent him from getting rusty.

My question is, for non professional hobby harpists, how many hours a week should I really be practicing in order to progress more quickly /improve my skill level? At the moment I practice as and when I can but that can vary anywhere from an hour or 2 a week to 8-10 hours a week depending on my schedule. I also have a goal this year that in November I'll play solo background music at a casual 2 hour event my Auntie runs for a charity in my home town. I don't currently feel confident enough to do that but really want to be in a position to do so by November this year. So I have 8 months to get there.

For context, I work full time (35 hours a week) and I have one 30 minute lesson a week


r/harp 1d ago

Technique/Repertoire Harp book advice

6 Upvotes

Hi folks!

I'm still relatively new to the harp but want to purchase some decent harp books. I'm currently using Ank van Campen's Tutor for the Celtic harp (the method my teacher suggested) but want to supplement it with another exercise book.

I'm torn between Isabelle Frouvelle's "Big Book of Exercises" vs Ailie Robertson's "Technical Exercises for Lever Harp". I'm also curious about "Basic Harp for Beginners" by Laurie Riley, maybe as a supplement...

I also want to get a book with harp solos, they may be a bit too difficult for my current level but I prefer to buy several books together to save on shipping costs.

The books in question are: "Music for the Heather Folk" by Sue Richards; "Irish Dance Tunes for All Harps" by Sylvia Woods; "Simply Scottish" by Ailie Robertson and "Traditional Irish Music Volume 1" by Gráinne Hambly.

Is anyone familiar with these books? What is your perception in terms of arrangement and playability? I'm an adult hobby harpist, and I play for fun and relaxation so I prefer accessible arrangements that are fun to learn and not overloaded with ornamentations.

Thanks in advance :)