Conditioning Exercises for Beginners and Advanced Harpists: Harp Method

I'm a brand new harpist.I spent my first week with my harp endlessly running scales in all the modes, to teach my fingers where the strings are, and how to move, etc.When I finally opened this book, and started on it... Well, I'm not claiming I can play any of these exercises at speed yet, but OMG, do they highlight where my technique is weak, and work on improving it!I absolutely love this book. Well worth the money spent!

Personally i would consider this for intermidiate to advanced players. Knowing how to read music is required. if you dont know how yet pick up another book that will teach you how along with this book. I am not a Harpist but I purchased for my wife who has always wanted to learn. I can Read music, not very well, but i can. This book looks intimidating when you open it to the music, especially the last pages.

This is a very small book of exercises, and can be useful for the begginner, but as the frontspiece tells us, it was intended to be a thorough warm up for gig-ing professionals, and it packs a punch. Some of these stretches are very tough, and while they are difficult, it is clear why they are useful and neccesary in warm-ups. Salzedo thought these out very carefully, and while one piece focuses on pre-placement, the next focuses on separate placement, etc., so it truely is a full work-out. (And I do mean work-out... these are not exercises for wimps, but for someone who wants to be serious and who will be rigorous on yourself on the specifics of each warm up.) I am so impressed with this, and do intend to work on it regularly so that I can memorize it and then just "take it with me on the road". Excellent and well worth the small cost.(My only exception... I understand Salzedo had a large hand. I have a large reach and still find some placements a challenge. If you are a harpist with a very small hand some of these may simply be -literally - out of your reach.)

Even though many of the exercises are written using 16th and 32nd notes, beginner and intermediate players can play the passages at a slower tempo to get the desired benefit each exercise offers. With time and practice, one can play with a quicker tempo.

I have started playing the harp less than 2 months ago. I was hoping that it would have more exercises for beginners. I am now able to use some of the exercises. If you are looking for a beginner's book, I wouldn't recommned this one. It seems like it has a lot to offer, though.

Very good especially if you need to strengthen the 4th finger. However, not good for beginners. I planned to use this for my 16 year old student that was just beginning on the harp, but there's no way that she could have done them. Better for intermediate to advanced stage. I found it helpful just for day to day practice though.

My teacher told me to buy these exercises, now I understand why. Within a few minutes my fingers could "feel the burn"! Quite a work out! But better yet, I can already see my finger position improving. Only practice will make you better, but these exercises when played diligently will certainly help to whip your technique into shape and strengthen your fingers!

A very good and short book for practice for all skill levels. I still use it to this day! A staple in my box of practice books.

I am a very very amateur pupil of the Celtic harp and find this book very good for finger exercises. Having cut my right thumb I was confined to playing with my left hand for a week; this book was really good for playing with the left hand only.]Would recommended it for pupils like myself.

I bought this because I'd heard about them in a harp blog from the States. I was wanting something different from a book of studies. This is a slim volume of technical exercises which practice different fingering techniques. Not easy! But awfully good for you! Each exercise needs a lot of stamina but luckily there are abbreviated versions of some. I have just added one exercise to my warm up programme, and will move on as I get more proficient. But they are rather dry exercises so don't expect a tune...

I bought this after an injury (broken elbow) to help me get back to playing my therapy harp...and I loved it from the very first time! Ideal for intermediate and advanced harpists!N.B.: These are exercises for spacing/fingering only, so don't expect a tune :-)

book was good and arrived fast and safe. Packaging was awesome. Even the book is so thin, the packaging was not destructible

All fine