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Sylvia Woods Harp Center
January 2015 Newsletter
In this issue:
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A Personal Note from Sylvia Woods
Making your New Year very "Happy!" 
In honor of the new year of 2015, I have created a fun harp arrangement of Pharrell Williams' hit song Happy. As an added bonus, I'm including an easy harp duet arrangement. You get BOTH the solo and duet in the same sheet! Fingerings and lyrics are included in all parts. SOLO: The harp solo is arranged for advanced beginner harp players. There are several sharping lever changes required, and you need to have levers on F, C, G, and D strings. The harp range needed is 24 strings from B up to D. If you have a 26-string harp with C as the bottom note, you can play this solo if you tune the bottom C string down to a B. DUET: Both parts of the duet can be played by advanced beginner harpists. Part 1 is the easier part, and could be played by some beginning students as well. It requires no sharping levers except for the F#s in the key signature. It can be played on a 26-string harp and requires 19 strings from E up to B. Part 2 of the duet is a bit more advanced than Part 1. Sharping levers are required on F, C, G, and D strings, and there are two lever changes within the piece. The harp range needed is 24 strings from B up to D. If you have a 26-string harp with C as the bottom note, you can play this part if you tune the bottom C string down to a B. Currently, this is only available as a PDF download. The actual printed sheet music should be ready sometime in February. Let this fun, bouncy song make your new year extra Happy! P.S. Sorry, but this new music is NOT part of the 15% newsletter discount.
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Judy Collins  Tomorrow I'm going to attend a concert by Judy Collins here on Kauai. I've always loved her music, so I'm very excited to see her in person. I arranged her beautiful song "Since You've Asked" back in 2007 as a selection in my Groovy Songs of the 60s book. To help celebrate tomorrow's concert I'm putting my Groovy book and PDF on sale through this newsletter when you use the code word listed below. Since the other products on sale this month are the PDFs by Joyce Rice (see below), the code word is joyce (not Judy). To get the 15% discount Groovy Songs of the 60s book or PDF, and any of Joyce's PDFs listed below, enter the code word joyce in the Promo Code box on your shopping cart page and click "Enter Code" by February 2, 2015. For more information, see the " Save 15%" section at the bottom of this newsletter.
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Joyce Rice 
In this 6th installment highlighting the composers and arrangers whose music is available through harpcenter.com, we're featuring Joyce Rice. Here's what Joyce has to say about herself and her music.
I don't remember my first harp lesson. I had just turned four and we were spending the summer at my family's little cottage in Onset, MA, near Cape Cod. Our next-door summer  neighbors were Gladys and Kenneth Custance, harpists from Boston. They were also Spiritualist ministers, Onset having been a hotbed of Spiritualism since the late 1800s, and had a little church one street over. The story is that I went to the church to have a piano lesson, as Kenneth was also a pianist, but came home having had a harp lesson instead. They rented me a Clark Irish harp, probably the only kind of harp available for children in 1944.
My parents were both musical, Dad a violinist, Mom a jack-of-all-trades who began with piano then learned whatever instrument was needed, like saxophone in high school, then violin, viola and oboe. She co-founded the Hingham (MA) Civic Orchestra in 1946 and I was its harpist from age 9, having moved to a pedal harp at 7 -- what terrific experience that was, and set me up for a lifetime of playing with orchestras wherever I lived.
I continued lessons with the Custances, traveling into Boston in the winter and walking to the church in the summer, until I was 14 when I changed to Bernard Zighera, harpist of the Boston Symphony and from a different school of playing. He was a true taskmaster, speaking sternly in French and pounding me on the shoulder, but after a year I finally got it, changing finger and hand position to his liking, and we became friends.
One day when I was 15 or so his wife asked where I was thinking of going to college. "Um, Julliard?" I proffered. "Don't do it!" she said. "All Bernard thinks about is music, morning, noon and night. Go somewhere else!" So, being an obedient girl, I went to Wellesley and majored in music. 
After college I spent the next decades being a freelancer and teacher as well as wife and mother. By 1991, after 16 years in Amherst MA where I had a full complement of students (about 28), had long been in a flute and harp duo, had helped start and played percussion in a town band, and had free-lance contacts all over Western Massachusetts and into Vermont and Connecticut -- we moved to Los Angeles!
Suddenly my days were completely empty, and just as suddenly, little tunes started creeping into my head. I wrote them down and then decided to try to write some more with certain students in mind whom I'd left behind in the Pioneer Valley of Western MA. I bought and learned a little computer music program (soon obsolete, alas) and off I merrily went. This resulted in "Valley Tunes," my first collection.
Around that time Sylvia Woods opened her Harp Center in Glendale and I was lucky enough to be offered a job there. What an education I got! Sylvia's was a big-time distribution center where I learned about ordering, mailing, keeping records, and so on, as well as little tricks to make my music look better. I also saw how choosy she was in selecting music to sell.
In 1993 we moved back east and I wrote some little pieces for beginning students called " Petty Larcenies" and then " Petty Larcenies Two", as well as some solo pieces. I loved having fun with the music, whether in style, rhythm or title, and others have enjoyed them, too.
I also wrote up a lot of notes from harp teachers and other harpists, added my own research, and produced " Teaching the Lever Harp" that has proved to be a popular text. 
These days, in Seattle since 1995, I take care of lively grandchildren and direct the Harp Spectrum website, and am the secretary for the Greater Seattle AHS Chapter, preferring to write about our instrument than fight Seattle's nasty traffic to free-lance.
-- Joyce Rice
To get the 15% discount on Joyce's PDFs (listed below), enter the code word joyce in the Promo Code box on your shopping cart page and click "Enter Code" by February 2, 2015. For more information, see the " Save 15%" section at the bottom of this newsletter. |
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This PDF is Volume 1 of 3 Contemporary Collections of wonderful original music for lever or pedal harp by Joyce Rice. These collections are great for teaching, recitals, and background music. They will be a great addition to your repertoire.
Volume 1 includes 3 jazzy compositions for intermediate players.
Red Sequins is a bouncy blues piece in the key of F (1 flat) with E-flat, A-flat and G# lever changes. No fingerings. 3 pages of music.Blue Bliiss is named after a parakeet. It is in the key of C, with no lever changes needed. Some fingerings included. 3 pages of music to be played "blissfully." Plum Brandy
is in the key of C, with C# lever changes. Some fingerings are included. 3 pages of music.In the back of the PDF you'll find a link to download the sound files for the music.
Regular Price: $8.00 Newsletter Sale: $6.80
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Contemporary Collection #2
by Joyce Rice
This PDF is Volume 1 of 3 Contemporary Collections of wonderful original music for lever or pedal harp by Joyce Rice. These collections are great for teaching, recitals, and background music. They will be a great addition to your repertoire.
Volume 2 includes 8 jazzy original pieces in varying styles: waltz, jazz, variation, Irish, contemporary, and more. Appropriate for both C and E-flat tunings. A special effects guide can be found at the beginning of the PDF. Some of the songs are very simple, some are intermediate and some are upper intermediate. Many use the full range of the harp. Some fingerings included. These pieces are cool, unique and lots of fun!
In the back of the PDF you'll find a link to download the sound files for the music.
Regular Price: $12.00
Newsletter Sale: $10.20
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Contemporary Collection #3
by Joyce Rice
 This PDF is Volume 1 of 3 Contemporary Collections of wonderful original music for lever or pedal harp by Joyce Rice. These collections are great for teaching, recitals, and background music. They will be a great addition to your repertoire. Volume 3 includes 8 cool, unique, jazzy, bluesy, and impressionistic pieces for intermediate to upper intermediate players. They were originally published as the book Valley Tunes. Appropriate for both C and E-flat tunings. A few fingerings are included. A special effects guide can be found at the beginning of the PDF. In the back of the PDF you'll find a link to download the sound files for the music. Regular Price: $14.00 Newsletter Sale: $11.90
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The String Sings
by Joyce Rice
 This reflective solo for lever or pedal harp premiered at the 1998 Folk Harp Conference as part of a poetry and music presentation. Included is the poem which inspired the piece: Musician by Louise Bogan. This is not meant to be a virtuoso piece, but contemplative and thought provoking. Fingerings and dynamics are marked. Lush harmonies include a fair amount of extended chords with 7ths and 9ths, and the piece itself goes back and forth between major and minor, resolving on a lovely G9 chord. It is in the key of G (1 sharp) and requires one D# lever change. Fingerings are included the first time a pattern or passage occurs. 4 pages of music. Intermediate level.
Regular Price: $5.00 Newsletter Sale: $4.25
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Joyce Rice has composed these fun and simple solos for the beginning harp player, inspired by familiar tunes from the classics and other sources. Each song has a clever title referencing the title of the original tune. These pieces are excellent teaching material as they cover a variety of skills: harmonics, dotted rhythm, clef changes, glisses, two and three-note chords, left hand melody, etc. Beginning students of all ages will love this music!
Keys range from 2 flats through 2 sharps. Fingerings are included the first time a passage occurs. Most of the pieces can be played on a lap harp. 21 pages of music.
Regular Price: $12.00 Newsletter Sale: $10.20
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Joyce Rice has composed 10 more fun and simple solos for the beginning harp player, inspired by familiar tunes from the classics and other sources. Each song has a clever title referencing the title of the original tune. These pieces are excellent teaching material as they cover a variety of skills: harmonics, lever or pedal slides, glisses, muffles, etc. Advanced beginning students of all ages will love this music!
Keys range from 1 flat through 1 sharp. Fingerings are included the first time a passage occurs. There are a few lever changes in some of the pieces. 21 pages of music.
Regular Price: $12.00 Newsletter Sale: $10.20
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Joyce Rice has compiled a very clever medley of "Moon" songs:
Clair de Lune, In the Evening by the Moonlight, Blue Moon, Moonlight Sonata and Moon River. It is playable on either lever or pedal harp, and is at an intermediate to upper intermediate level. The first two tunes are in the key of G (1 sharp), the rest of the piece is in C. There are a significant number of lever and pedal changes. This piece is a real audience-pleaser!
An added bonus is an optional cello part, so the medley can be played either as a harp solo, or as a harp/cello duo. A clever flutist can play some of the right hand harp part for a harp/flute/cello trio.
Regular Price: $16.00 Newsletter Sale: $13.60
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This wonderful book is intended for people wishing to teach folk harp, but it also contains a wealth of useful information which will be of interest to virtually any harp player. Joyce Rice gives excellent step-by-step instructions and ideas regarding the business end of being a teacher (attracting students, what teachers should expect from their students and vice versa, keeping track of attendance, etc.) and then guides you through all the intricacies involved in teaching someone to play the harp. This book is a compilation of ideas, suggestions, and helpful hints from experienced harp teachers. Sixteen chapters, well over 100 pages on standard sized paper! Includes a complete index. This is an excellent resource for any teacher of harp.
Regular Price: $20.00 Newsletter Sale: $17.00
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This fun, light blues tune,
Red Sequins, was composed by Joyce Rice, and arranged for 3 lever harps by Mary Radspinner. It was first performed as a solo by Tina Tourin at the 1994 Folk Harp Conference in Vermont. The second major performance was as a trio, performed by Therese Honey, Emily Mitchell and Mary Radspinner at the 2010 Folk Harp Conference in St. Louis. This is the trio arrangement for intermediate players. The music is in the key of F (1 flat), with E-flat, A-flat and G-sharp lever changes which are notated with diamond notes. There are no fingerings.
The 14-page PDF includes all three parts, and the full score. You have permission to print copies for your trio, but please do not make additional multiple copies..
Regular Price: $8.00 Newsletter Sale: $6.80
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Joyce Rice has arranged this medley of 3 spirituals for 2 harps:
Deep River, Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.
The student part is very easy with single notes or octaves, and some simple harmony in 3rds or 6ths. It also includes glisses, simple arpeggios, and a section that can be played with fingernails or près de la table (playing lower on the strings). The second part is for the teacher or an intermediate to advanced student.
The second page of the PDF includes extensive information about the selections which can be used as an introduction before performing them.
This PDF includes a 4-page student part, a 7-page score, and one page of performance notes.
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Regular Price: $11.00 Newsletter Sale: $9.35
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Joyce Rice has arranged this medley of 6 traditional Scottish songs for 2 harps: Wi' a Hundred Pipers, Annie Laurie, Hail to the Chief, John Anderson My Jo, The Campbells are Comin' and Loch Lomond. Each tune is written to segue into the next, making it a very nice recital piece. The medley modulates between the key of C and one and two sharps. There are a few lever changes required in both parts.
The teacher part is written in the spirit of parlor music of a century ago. It is lush and arpeggiated, easily sight read by the advanced harpist, and of intermediate difficulty. The easy student part compliments the teacher part and consists mainly of the melody with single notes in both hands, no chords, with some drones. .
Regular Price: $12.00 Newsletter Sale: $10.20
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When you have as much teaching experience as Joyce Rice, you learn to be creative, especially with adult students. These 7 relevant pieces for the adult advanced beginner are sure to be enjoyed. They can be played on lever or pedal harp. Fingerings are included the first time a pattern or passage occurs. Humorous lyrics are included for some songs. Some pieces require lever or pedal changes. Keys range from 2 flats to 1 sharp. 20 pages. These inventive pieces are named Dust Rag, Rush Hour Radio Rondo, Um I Need a Costume for Tomorrow, Get them to the Bus on Time, Internet Handshake, Dirty Dishes Blues, and Please, Baby, Sleep.
Regular Price: $10.00
Newsletter Sale: $8.50
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Joyce Rice has created arrangements of two popular Irish tunes that can be played by harp ensembles with 2 to 5 harp parts. Some fingerings are included. The PDF includes the 5 individual parts and a score for each piece. For lower intermediate players. 21 pages.
Danny Boy is in the key of C. There are lever changes in some of the parts.
The Harp that Once Thro' Tara's Halls is also in the key of C. Some parts require F# lever changes.
Regular Price: $8.00
Newsletter Sale: $6.80
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Joyce Rice has created arrangements of two popular Christmas carols that can be played by harp ensembles with 2 to 4 harp parts. Some fingerings are included. The PDF includes the 4 individual parts and a score for each piece. For lower intermediate players.
Silent Night is in the key of C with no lever changes.
What Child is This (Greensleeves) is in the key of E minor (1 sharp). There are a few lever changes in part 1.
Regular Price: $9.00
Newsletter Sale: $7.65
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Joyce Rice has created arrangements of two popular Christmas carols that can be played by harp ensembles with 2 to 4 harp parts. Some fingerings are included. The PDF includes the 4 individual parts and a score for each piece. For lower intermediate players.
Bring A Torch, Jeannette Isabella is in the key of C. There are no lever changes within any of the parts.
Angels We Have Heard on High is in the key of F (1 flat). There are 2 lever or pedal changes in the Harp 2 part.
Regular Price: $10.00
Newsletter Sale: $8.50
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Save
15% |
Our newsletter promo codes are only redeemable on-line, and can only be used for the products featured in the sale section of this newsletter. They are not valid for phone, fax, e-mail, or in-store orders. This month's code word is joyce and it is good for 15% off PDFs by Joyce Rice and Sylvia Woods " Groovy Songs of the 60s" book or PDF.
Here's how to get your newsletter discount at harpcenter.com: #1. Put the items you want to purchase in your cart.
#2. On the page where you view the items in your cart, type this month's code word
joyce in the "Promo Code" box, and click on "Enter Code."
The actual price of the featured sale products on this page will then automatically change to reflect the discount. You'll also see a note below the Promo Code box saying the name of the promo code you entered, and the percentage amount of the discount. REMEMBER: you must enter the this month's code word joyce in the Promo Code box and click "Enter Code" on your shopping cart page by February 2nd to get the discount!
If you forget, or if you have trouble adding it to your order, email us immediately.
| Offer Expires: February 2, 2015
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