I’ve spoken in previous blog posts about the importance of developing both your sight-reading and learning by ear skills for playing the harp.

Today I wanted to focus in on some of the great resources out there for practising your sight-reading.

1. A to G of Sight Reading for Harp by Harriet Adie (pre-grade 1 - Grade 3 level)

   I love this series of books by Harriet Adie. She really breaks sight-reading down into individual technical components, and there are lots of handy tips on each page. Each chapter concludes with simple quizzes that both challenge the student on the work completed and encourage a 'think first, play later' approach.

2. Sightreading for Harp Series by Anna Dunwoodie and Lisa Williamson

   Two New Zealand harp teachers, Anna Dunwoodie and Lisa Williamson, designed this series of books to give students practice in sightreading. The books have 250(!) exercises in them, which are all original compositions, and can be easily taught or practiced on a daily basis. Books 1 and 2 are for any harp. There are two versions of Book 3: one for lever harps, and one for pedal harp.

3. ABRSM Specimen Sightreading Tests

   If you are preparing for a harp exam, this book, published by ABRSM will give you an idea of the level required. The tests, for pedal and non-pedal players, explore different keys, styles and tempi and are representative of the technical levels expected in each exam.

4. Harp Sight reading by Stuart Green (Book 1 and 2)

   These books use a graded approach designed to develop reading skills, providing varied musical examples of progressive difficulty.

5. Sight Reading for Harp by Fiona Clifton-Welker (Grade 1-5)

   These are graded books at 5 levels, each with 40 exercises.