Ultimate Guide on Being a Harpist

Every harp player wants and needs creative inspiration. However, many feel this flow is accessible to a chosen few. Many creatives feel insecure about their inspiration and have no idea how, when, and where inspiration will strike.

Insecurity about accessing our flow of inspiration can make us question whether we have talent, whether we’ve been chosen as “gifted." Lack of confidence may cause you to abandon your creative path. This is very sad and unnecessary, as you’ll find out below!

Blocks around your creativity can manifest most dramatically in performance anxiety. Stage fright, fear of public speaking, and sharing your work in general is common in our culture. Many creatives suffer in silence because they may feel fear is a sign they are not talented.

It’s a situation I know well, so allow me to share my story here:

I began music lessons at 8 years old. Despite outward success, I secretly suffered severe performance anxiety. It became so intense that I quit music for years as an adult, even though music was the only path I’d prepared for.

When I lost touch with my creative inspiration, every lesson became stressful and creative doubts haunted me daily. I feared I wasn't not good enough. Despite the fear, over the years it dawned on me that I had to reclaim my musical voice or risk living an unfulfilled life forever.

So started an epic creative recovery journey, with many twists and turns. The struggle was worth it: it resulted in The Bright Way: Five Steps to Freeing the Creative Within.

Today I teach hundreds of creatives to reclaim their creative voices and perform with confidence. I'm here to reassure you that all doubts and fears about talent and creativity are actually good signs. They mean you truly desire to be creative!

It is your calling to become creative!

Imagine living a creative life as a harp player, in touch with your inspiration every day.

Imagine being in flow and sharing this with a community of like-minded, inspiring people.

Sometimes the way can seem tough, but if I did it, you can do it too! Today I'm a full-time musician, author, and teacher. I live amid creative community, and have a Master of Music in classical piano performance (piano is my first instrument), and a Ph.D. in harp composition.

Over the years I've taught thousands of students that deep connection to the piano, harp - any instrument you love - reconnects you to your true self.

Many people admire the harp for the way it sounds and its magnificent beauty, size, and shape. Many people assume they'd never be able to play something so formidable. But it's never too late! My eldest student began harp at 83 years old: by age 85 she was performing out and about!

You can achieve your harp dreams by combining proven learning and practice methods with expert mentors and supportive community. Regardless of your age and background, you can experience great joy playing the harp.

Learning to play the harp can boost your creativity across your whole life. Many people find that learning to play the harp - or up-leveling your skill on the harp - elevates your entire life to be more satisfying, fulfilling, and productive.

As you become more skilled at playing the harp, you tap into infinite inspiration so that playing is never a duty, guilt, or obligation. Access and develop the unique creative style waiting within you by becoming a harp player - it’s one of the most satisfying ways to find your creative voice!

Find a safe place to explore your creativity here.

How do you go from beginning harp to turning passion into profession? In this section, we'll discuss how professional harpists cultivate and become successful in their careers.

You may see professional harpists playing the harp in classical settings such as orchestras, ensembles, symphonies, or as solo acts. Besides this route, there are many other options to make a living playing harp.

There is consistent demand for harpists for weddings, anniversaries, church events such as christenings, holiday parties, and other special events. Each of these avenues allows you to play the music you love as a career. And often to play in interesting places and meet interesting people!

Healing music is another field where you can play your harp in hospitals, hospices, and other health care settings.

Harp is often brought into recording sessions, adding instant magic and melding with almost any instrument and genre. So session musician is another job you can do! 

Recording harp music yourself, especially meditative music and other “background” music is yet another revenue stream. Since harps play well with other instruments, harpists are often welcome to join ensembles and groups, which widens your professional reach further.

Dr. Diana Rowan is an example of a successful professional harpist. She is an award-winning musical artist performing worldwide and holds a Ph.D. in Music Theory (world harp techniques for composers), and a Master of Music (classic piano performance). Raised as a child of an Irish diplomat, Diana has traveled, lived, and performed on six continents. Her music interweaves global music, art, spirituality, and mythology.
 

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Diana integrates global musical traditions with fluency and reverence. Diana’s performance career spans over 30 years. She performed at the World Harp Congress in Australia, Washington DC’s Smithsonian, the US Embassy in Vietnam, and Eastern European cathedrals.

Online harp classes are available whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced student. With some time, patience, and practice anyone can play!

If you are just starting playing the harp, online harp lessons help you to learn the basics and gain momentum. 

If you are already an experienced harpist, advanced online harp lessons will take your skills to the next level.

Finding an experienced harp teacher online is the opportunity to work with the expert from the comfort of your home. 

You won’t waste time and energy commuting; you get to focus 100% on creating and growing as a harpist.

Whenever you have certain questions, your private online teacher will devote their attention to the specific areas you want to focus on.

You can find a harpist who specializes in exactly what you want to learn and how you want to learn, anywhere in the world.

Whether you want to experiment with a new hobby or if you want to try out for your local orchestra, your private online teacher will guide and encourage you every step of your journey.

Recently more and more students prefer to learn to play harp online.

Virtual classes give students flexibility and choice that weren't available before. 

With online harp classes, don't restrict yourself to “harp lessons near me”. No worries about commuting: simply log in online on your device and say hello to your perfect teacher!