First Steps

A good introductory book for wire-strung harps, using traditional Scots, Gaelic and Karen's own tunes.
A range of 19 strings from G below middle C is used, and a C tuning for all pieces.

A set of mp3 recordings of all the pieces by Karen, played slowly for learning purposes is available here.

CONTENTS

• Foreword
• A brief guide to reading music
• Tuning your clarsach
• Obair Latha  (Karen Marshalsay) a first tune
• Fixed positions, damping and the C major scale
• Fixed position exercise
• Uamh 'n Oir  (Trad Gaelic)
• Modes
• Dh'fhalbh an Triùir Mhaighdeanan (Trad Gaelic)
• Olaf's Reel  (Karen Marshalsay)
• 1s and 0s / Thinking about rhythm (Obair Latha)
• Coupled Hands Technique
• Queen Mary, Queen Mary  (Trad Scots)
• Thig am Bàta  (Trad Gaelic)
• Saky Saky Pirn Taes   (Trad Scots)
• Hishie Ba (Trad Scots)
• The Three-Legged Clàrsach   (Karen Marshalsay)
• The Owls of Alnwick Castle   (Karen Marshalsay)   
• using the thumb choke, half scratch, bee’s plait and break.
• The Robert ap Huw manuscript
• Edward Bunting
• Sources of Scottish repertoire and further study