Simply 7: Small Harp Collections with a Big Purpose
Sometimes a large book of music can feel overwhelming. We may learn one or two favourite pieces while many others remain unexplored. I created the Simply 7 series with a different idea in mind: seven carefully chosen pieces that you can enjoy learning from cover to cover.
Seven is both useful and manageable. It provides enough variety to create a satisfying musical program without giving you more music than you can comfortably absorb. Each collection has its own cohesive mood, allowing the pieces to flow naturally from one to the next.
The first two collections are now available:
Two more collections will be joining the series soon:
- Simply 7 Christmas Classics — coming in early October
- Simply 7 Original Melodies — coming in mid-October
Created for Small Harps
One of the guiding principles of the Simply 7 series is that every piece can be played on a small harp with bass C as its lowest note. You do not need a large or elaborate instrument to enjoy beautiful and satisfying music.
Most of the arrangements use F-sharp in the key signature. If your harp does not have levers, you can simply retune your three F strings to F-sharp before you begin. Once your harp is prepared, you can move through the collection without stopping to make lever changes.
Approachable Music for Beginning Readers
If you are new to reading music, these collections are designed to support your musical development. The spacious layout, simple rhythms and limited note-reading range make the pieces approachable for beginners.
Learning to read music takes time, but it should also bring a feeling of success. These pieces give you an opportunity to become comfortable following both staves, recognizing notes and intervals, and reading ahead without being distracted by too much information on the page.
Sight-Reading Music for Early-Intermediate Players
The Simply 7 collections are also excellent for early-intermediate harpists who are looking for appropriately levelled music to develop their sight-reading skills.
These are intended to be reading pieces, rather than pattern-based or rote-learning pieces. As you play, use your music-reading skills fully. Identify individual notes, notice the distance and direction of intervals, recognize triads and their inversions, and look for musical ideas that return in a slightly different form.
Try reading each piece from beginning to end at a steady, comfortable tempo. Keep your eyes moving forward and allow yourself to continue through small mistakes. You can then return to work on any passages that need more attention.
Because the rhythms, textures and reading ranges are carefully limited, you can concentrate on processing the notation fluently. As your confidence grows, you may begin to recognize groups of notes as familiar musical shapes rather than reading only one note at a time. This is an important step toward becoming a stronger and more independent reader.
Why There Are No Fingering or Brackets
I have intentionally omitted fingering and brackets from the scores. This gives early-level players an opportunity to develop the important skill of working out their own fingering.
There is often more than one good solution. Your choice may depend on the size and shape of your hand, your current technical level, the tone you would like to create and the musical direction of the phrase.
As you experiment, you will begin to recognize patterns and make fingering decisions more confidently. If one solution feels awkward or interrupts the musical flow, try another. This kind of problem-solving is an important step toward becoming an independent harpist.
Using Slurs to See the Musical Phrases
Although fingering and brackets are not included, each piece contains slurs to show its musical phrasing. The slurs help you see where the music moves forward and where it naturally breathes.
These phrase markings can guide your fingering choices, but they also serve another practical purpose. They make it easier for your eye to locate appropriate starting points during practice. Instead of always returning to the beginning, you can choose one short phrase, work on it carefully and then connect it to the phrases around it.
Clear starting points are also helpful during a performance. If you lose your place, the shape of the phrases can help you find your way back into the music.
Turn Seven Pieces into a Longer Program
The pieces in each collection have been chosen to flow naturally as a set. Once you are comfortable playing all seven, try turning them into a longer and more creative program.
You might play each piece twice, adding a little variation the second time. You can also create smooth transitions between pieces so the music continues without a complete stop. A short bridge might use broken triads over a simple chord progression or borrow a small melodic idea from the piece you have just played.
This creative approach is especially useful for harpists interested in therapeutic music. Learning to connect familiar pieces with simple improvised transitions can help you create a continuous flow of peaceful music while responding naturally to the setting.
How to Level Up the Arrangements
The simplicity of these arrangements also makes them easy to adapt. If you play a larger harp or have more experience, you can add depth and colour without rewriting the score.
Look for an occasional G chord that could be moved down an octave and expanded into a 1-5-8-9-10 pattern. A rolled triad might become a spacious 1-5-8 chord in the lower range. You could also add an octave, enrich a cadence or vary an accompaniment pattern when a section repeats.
It only takes a handful of thoughtful changes to give an arrangement a fuller, large-harp flavour. You can make these choices spontaneously, allowing the music to grow along with your skills.
Seven Pieces, Many Possibilities
The Simply 7 series is for small-harp players, beginning readers, early-intermediate sight-readers, developing musicians and harpists interested in creating gentle programs for peaceful or therapeutic settings.
My hope is that you will begin with the first page, learn all seven pieces and discover how satisfying it feels to play an entire collection. Along the way, you can strengthen your reading skills, experiment with fingering, shape the musical phrases, create seamless transitions and gradually make the arrangements your own.
Simple music can offer plenty of room for growth, creativity and beautiful expression.
Discover more in your music,
Anne
