Woods Sylvia - Harp Fingering Fundamentals

How to add finger markings to non-fingered harp music

For lever or pedal harp.

This important and informative book by Sylvia Woods is subtitled How to add finger markings to non-fingered harp music. As far as we know, it is the only book of its kind.

This book teaches you, step-by-step, how to figure out fingerings in harp music when none are provided. It is chock-full of useful advice, information, examples and tips. At the end there are 10 pieces for you to practice your newly acquired fingering skills. You will then compare them to Sylvia's fingerings for the same pieces, and read about why she chose the ones she did. An added bonus is that by going through this book you will gain an enhanced understanding of harp music, which should make you a better player. 60 pages, spiral-bound.

Subjects include: intervals and chords, melodies and runs, phrasing, runs of more than four notes, repeated notes, enharmonics, individual notes, fingering in and out of chords, left hand patterns, hands together, repeated passages, ringing and muffling, and more.

What teachers and students are saying about Harp Fingering Fundamentals:

For years, I have had students who come to me asking for fingerings before they get started on a new piece. This new volume will be helpful for students and teachers alike, offering multiple ideas for many situations. An excellent teaching and reference volume. - Denise Grupp-Verbon, harp instructor 

Chock-full of common-sense suggestions on fingering from the simplest to the trickiest passages. A real boon for do-it-yourself harp players, and good ideas even for experienced players on how to make the unplayable playable. - Joyce Rice, harp instructor 

This book will be very helpful for students and harpists who are teaching themselves how to play. It gives wonderful basic, logical and practical approaches to all the problems involved. - Linda Wood Rollo, Retired Professor of Harp, Indiana State University, Bloomington 

Sylvia Woods has done it again! Harp Fingering Fundamentals is a must for every teacher and student. It clearly and concisely shows how to approach harp fingerings in her accessible and charming style. It will be a staple in my studio and should be in your collection, too. - Felice Pomeranz, Professor of Harp, Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA 

Having read and played through the entire book, I can say that it made me better at playing the harp. If you play through all the exercises in the book, your playing will improve. The songs at the back of the book were a big help, too. After writing in fingerings for each of the songs, you can see how Sylvia would have done it, and why. Sylvia's style of writing is not only positive and encouraging, but also clear and concise. - Susan Hironaka, harp student 

Thanks to Sylvia for sharing her expertise in this easy-to-follow book. I found the exercises improved my playing ability, and I learned how to make pieces personally flow better for me. I feel I can now approach any arrangement with greater confidence and have a better understanding of how to overcome challenging runs. - Joanna Chambreau, harp student 

Sylvia’s fingering book is going to be her latest classic “must have” book for all harpists. This is the book that I wish I had had when I was learning to play the harp and one that will now be required for all my harp students. - Beth A. Stockdell, professional harpist and editor of The Folk Harp Journal 

This book, covering a vast, detailed and difficult topic, is crammed with technical information, yet it’s fascinating to read. This is due to Sylvia Woods’ emphasis on fingering not only for technical ease but for tone quality and phrasing. Her clear, upbeat writing style makes what can feel like an impossible challenge, instead, an adventure with your harp. - Frances Stroscio, intermediate harpist