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Reading music
Hi friends! I have a question for anyone to answer:
I played piano and tenor sax for many years and I know how to read/understand sheet music. But, it’s been years since I’ve played either of those. As I picked up the harp this year, I’ve noticed that instead of reading the music, instead I am memorizing the song. Not sure if this is seen as improper and I need to get back into reading the sheet as I play; or if this is something that would be an asset, useful as I grow with the harp? Anyways, I hope everyone is doing ok!
Stay safe and take care 🙂
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2 Replies
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Hi, Trenton. The answer is going to depend on your ultimate goals. What style of harp music do you want to learn? Do you want to perform, play in a group, or is it more for personal enjoyment? Do you want to arrange your own music?
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You have a real advantage in your ability to memorize easily. (Some of us are quite jealous. 😅) There is a whole aural tradition on the harp, especially for Celtic and folk music. If you choose to learn harp by ear, that is perfectly valid. But don’t choose it simply because you are rusty on reading the notes. There are apps that will help you brush up your skills. One free set of tools is explained here: https://www.learningtheharp.com/forums/discussion/free-tools-to-learn-to-read-sheet-music/ . Since you’ve read music previously, it will probably only take you a week to refresh your memory, and then you will have the ability to read sheet music for the rest of your harp career.
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For my own goals on harp, I would find it very limiting not to be able to read sheet music. It opens a whole world of possibilities for whatever style of music you want to play, including writing your own arrangements.
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I agree with @judiann.maddigan 100%. Learning by ear is definitely an option, and knowing how to read music is a skill set that serves you in other ways. I learned the piano for about 7 years when I was younger. I was not a good piano player, but somehow I managed to retain my ability to read music and can still sight-read reasonably well over 25 years later when I started learning the harp. I attributed my ability to read music as a significant factor in my progress with the harp because I can focus my efforts on learning and polishing techniques instead. Being able to read music is also very helpful for sheet music buying: I can look at the preview page and make a reasonable guess of how the music is going to sound and whether or not it is a piece I can handle. It’s quite handy if you are a sheet music addict like myself. 😬
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