Starting your adventure with the harp may be easier and more affordable than you think. The only two things you will need at the beginning will be:
1) a bit of time
2) a harp

Perhaps you would like your daughter or son to learn music and harp has caught your attention, but both playing and getting one seem challenging and you are not sure whether it will be the right choice. Or your child came from school one day demanding ‘I want to play the harp’ and has not stopped since. Maybe you have found yourself recently with a bit more free time to learn a new skill. Or you have decided that you want to stop putting off a dream that you have dreamed for a long time already.

There may be many other reasons which made the idea of playing the harp something you ponder on. One thing is certain – you will only know for sure once you have tried it.

In our busy lives it may seem that the first of the two will be much more of a challenge and you may even think ‘why should I even bother if there doesn’t seem to be enough time for practice?’. But let me assure you – if you can start with finding 10 minutes a day to spend on making music, you will be able to see the progress sooner than you think.

An activity rather different than the usual load of homework, an enjoyable way to spend time with your child in a creative way, or a relaxing moment for yourself, something to look forward to when you come back home from work or take a break, the few minutes when you can forget about your phone and everyday rush. You may want to ask your child or yourself: ‘Is playing the harp something I would like to start my day with or would I prefer this to be on of the last things I do? Maybe both? Or would I like this to be something I enjoy when taking a break from work? What would be the best moment in my morning/evening routine? What would remind me about the practice time?’. Playing the harp may be something which will help you organise your free time as well as maintain a good work-life balance. It is up to you to find out when do you enjoy it most!

A harp: you do not need to buy one to start learning. Hiring a harp will give you an excellent opportunity to find out what your needs are to decide what kind of instrument you would be looking for as well as develop your playing skills to the point where you will be able to try out and assess an instrument you may potentially buy. It can cost you as little as £60 per month and some of the retailers (for example Pilgrim Harps) offer deducting the costs of hiring a harp when you decide to buy a new one from them.

At the stage when you are looking for an instrument it is highly recommended to contact a teacher. If you are not sure where to look, read more on where to find a harp teacher. They will be able to advise you on where to look and which models would be best for you. They would be of invaluable help if your chosen retailer doesn’t have instruments available to hire and you have suddenly found yourself at the end of a long waiting list – then they may be able to point you to the places you haven’t looked at. Some of the harpists have spare instruments that they are able to hire to their students. They may also know about colleagues who may be able to help.

You are only a few steps away from lovely music making. Why not start today? If you need some help do not hesitate to get in touch.