Modulating Warmups for Lever Harp - Deborah Henson-Conant

Standard: Intermediate to Advanced     Harp Type: Lever Harp

An Introduction from the Composer Or... How These Warmups Came to Be

I originally created these warmups for myself. I was frustrated at not being able to find a focused set of warmups that worked all the parts of my fingers and brain I wanted to strengthen and develop.

I wanted to walk away from my morning workout feeling like I'd just been to the gym, and I wanted a set of warmups that would make me feel that way.

As my life as a touring soloist, composer, and coach became more and more demanding, I also had less and less time to practice. So, I wanted a focused, intensive warmup that could keep me in shape – or get me back into shape – quickly.

I wanted the warmups to have a beginning and end point so I could have the satisfaction of completing them each day rather than simply timing myself for a certain amount of time.

I also wanted a set of warmups I could start students on when they wanted to learn jazz as I found most harpists who came to me were lacking a basic facility with jazz modulations. So these warmups use classical techniques, but they familiarize players with the kinds of modulations that jazz is built on.

Later warmups in the series include the addition of rhythms, hand independence, Left-Hand and Right- Hand melodic patterns, Right-Hand and Left-Hand integration plus chord expansion, alteration and substitution.

But the whole journey begins with these three warmups you now have in your hands.

A few years after I created these warmups, I began the transition from pedal harp to lever harp so I could tour more easily. At the same time, I was working with the CAMAC company to develop the "DHC" electric harp. The lightweight DHC gave me the freedom to move, dance, and play the way I’d always wanted to--and it gave me even more reason to transition to lever harp!

At first, I thought it would be impossible to reinvent these warmups for lever harp, but they'd been so fundamental to my technique in pedal harp that I was committed to giving it a try. Around 2012, I adapted the series for lever harp - and have been playing them on both harps ever since.

But until now, these warmups have only been available to harpists who worked with me personally, and only in a rudimentary form. The Legacy Project Team has made it possible for all harpists in the world to now have access to these warmups and the variations that follow.

CONTENTS

An Introduction from the Composer Or... How These Warmups Came to Be
A Few Welcome Notes from the Legacy Project Team

General Performance Notes
Where These Warmups Fit in the Harp Repertoire or Pedagogy
How These Warmups Might Be Used
First, Learn the Two Basic Patterns for Each Warmup
Then Play the Warmups

Notes About Our Notation
Fingerings
Lever Technique
Standard Octave Designations
The Lever Diagrams

The Modulation Star Chart
Modulation Star Chart for All Harp Keys
Modulation Star Chart for All Eb Lever Harp Keys

The Circle of Fifths
Navigating 'Up and Down' the Circle of Fifths on the Lever Harp
Navigating Lever Changes in Circle of Fifths Modulation

Warmup #1: Arpeggios
My Goals with This Warmup
Notes from the Legacy Team
First, Learn the Patterns

Warmup #2: Scales & Cascading Inversion Arpeggios
My Goals with This Warmup
Notes from the Legacy Team
First, Learn the Patterns

Warmup #3: Classical Style
My Goals with These Patterns
Notes from the Legacy Team
Lever Change Varieties in the Classical Style
The Chord Symbols in the Classical Style
First, Learn the Patterns