Resources for Aspiring Harpists
Have you sometimes dreamed of playing the harp? Have you even thought about taking lessons, but didn’t know where to start? How do you find a harp in the first place? Aren’t they expensive?
When I began teaching in New Haven in 2006, I compiled the following list of resources to aid my prospective harp students, whether adult beginners or the family of a child seeking harp lessons. It provides contact information for a few notable harp manufacturers, vendors, and rental programs in the US, with preference given to those in the New England region. I have also included brief repertoire lists to get the beginning harp student started with method books and music. I have used some of these with my own students and find them to be of good quality.
Download harp resources guide (pdf)
or
Choose from among the following:
US Pedal Harp Manufacturers
Lyon & Healy
168 N. Ogden Ave
Chicago, IL 60607
1-800-621-3881
Salvi Harps, Inc. (US Showroom)
2000 S. Santa Cruz Street
Anaheim, CA 92805
1-888-420-4277
Venus Harps
W & W Musical Instrument Co.
VENUS Harps Mfg.
3868 W. Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60651
1-773-278-4210
US Lever Harp Manufacturers, Distributors, and Showrooms
*Companies with rental and/or used harp options; most have affordable rent-to-own programs.
Harps Unlimited International (also pedal harps)
Dusty Strings
Harpsicle Harps
Swanson Harp Company [also sells pedal harps]
Triplett Harps
Vanderbilt Music Company (also pedal harps)
Rees Harps
The Harp Connection
The Virginia Harp Center
Distributors of Harp Music
Lyon & Healy West
Salt Lake City, UT
1-877-621-3881
Sylvia Woods Harp Center
915 N.Glendale Avenue
Glendale, California 91206
818-956-1363
LYRA
International Music Service
2061 Palm Bay Road NE
Suite # 7B
Palm Bay, FL 32905
1-800-959-LYRA
Vanderbilt Music Company, Inc.
PO BOX 456
Bloomington, IN 47402
1-800-533-7200
Harp Methods, Etudes, and Theory Books
- Bochsa, N.C.R. 40 Easy Etudes.
- Bundock Moore, Kathy. Music Theory at the Harp, Vols. 1-4.
- Bundock Moore, Kathy. Thumbs Up! Beginning Harp for the Adult and College-Level Student.
- Dilling, Mildred. Old Tunes for New Harpists.
- Godefroid, Félix. Mes Exercises.
- Grossi. Method for Harp.
- Kastner, Alfred. 25 Etudes Without Pedals (possibly no longer published)
- McDonald, Susann and Linda Wood Rollo. Harp Olympics.
- Milligan, Samuel. Fun from the First, Vol. 1.
- Pozzoli. Etudes.
- Renié, Henriette. Method for Harp.
- Salzedo, Carl. Method for Harp.
- Woods, Sylvia. Teach Yourself to Play the Folk Harp.
Harp Music for Beginners
- Chertok, Pearl. Junior Bach Collection.
- Friou, Deborah. Early Music for the Harp.
- Grandjany, Marcel. Little Harp Book.
- Marzuki, Marilyn. The Sacred Harpist.
- McDonald, Susann and Linda Wood Rollo. Graded Recital Pieces, Vols. 1-5.
- McDonald, Susann and Linda Wood. Haiku for Harp.
- Milligan, Samuel. Medieval to Modern, Vols. 1 and 2.
Other Resources
- Kolacny, David. Trouble-shooting Your Lever Harp.
- Rensch, Roslyn. Harps and Harpists.
- Swanson, Carl. A Guide for Harpists.
- The Harp Column
Subscription magazine geared towards harpists of varying abilities, from beginners to professionals and teachers. Includes classified section with new music, harp sales, and rentals. - The American Harp Society
Resources for members include a nation-wide member directory (helpful for finding teachers!); option for local chapter membership; summer competitions, conferences, and institutes; harp insurance options with the Anderson group; and automatic subscription to the biannual American Harp Journal. Membership must be renewed yearly.