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.
Practicing Harp Happiness
Claim This Podcastby Anne Sulllivan
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Podcast Overview
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.
Language
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Publishing Since
5/2/2022
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Recent Episodes
July 6, 2026
Beyond Independence: How Your Hands Really Work Together - PHH 269
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But today, I'm going a slightly different direction. I want to talk not about the </span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">in</span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">dependence of our hands, but about the </span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">inter</span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">dependence 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. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: </span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Join <a href= "https://www.harpmastery.com/compose-for-christmas-2026">Compose for Christmas</a> and get the best holiday head start ever!</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Register for the </span><a href= "https://www.chrysalismusicworkshop.com/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Chrysalis Music Workshop</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;"> </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "https://www.harpmastery.com/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Harpmastery.com</span></a></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at </span><a href= "mailto:podcast@harpmastery.com"><span style="font-weight: 400;">podcast@harpmastery.com</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you </span><a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/practicing-harp-happiness/id1567105286"><span style="font-weight: 400;">subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;"> you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/</span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Episode-269</span></p>
June 29, 2026
Finding The Music in the Silence - PHH 268
<p dir="ltr">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." </p> <p>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.</p> <p>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. </p> <p dir="ltr">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. </p> <p dir="ltr">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." </p> <p dir="ltr">Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: </p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Join the <a href= "https://www.harpmastery.com/compose-for-christmas-2026">Compose for Christmas Challenge</a></p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Register for the <a href= "https://www.chrysalismusicworkshop.com/">Chrysalis Music Workshop</a> </p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href= "https://www.harpmastery.com/">Harpmastery.com</a></p> </li> </ul> <p>Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at <a href= "mailto:podcast@harpmastery.com">podcast@harpmastery.com</a></p> <p>Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you <a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/practicing-harp-happiness/id1567105286"> subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts</a> you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/</span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Episode-268</span></p> <p> </p>
June 22, 2026
Layer by Layer: Build Your Own Arrangement - PHH 267
<p dir="ltr">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.</p> <p dir="ltr">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.</p> <p dir="ltr">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. </p> <p dir="ltr">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.</p> <p dir="ltr">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.</p> <p dir="ltr">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. </p> <p dir="ltr">Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: </p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Get creative with the <a href= "https://www.harpmastery.com/compose-for-christmas-2026">Compose for Christmas Challenge </a></p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Go even further at the <a href= "https://www.chrysalismusicworkshop.com/">Chrysalis Music Workshop</a> </p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><a href= "https://www.harpmastery.com/">Harpmastery.com</a></p> </li> </ul> <p dir="ltr">Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at <a href= "mailto:podcast@harpmastery.com">podcast@harpmastery.com</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you <a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/practicing-harp-happiness/id1567105286"> subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts</a> you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/</span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Episode-267</span></p>
220 total episodes available
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