By Denise Grupp-Verbon

This volume is designed for a young child starting harp lessons. The first pages discuss and illustrate parts of the harp, tuning, string replacement, how to sit, proper hand position, placing, brackets, music notation and basic rhythms. The tunes in the first section are in treble or bass clef and the grand staff is introduced by page 20. I like the way technique is discussed throughout the book, and there is even a little theory too. Helpful fingerings and placings are included. The book includes a link to online audio so you can hear what you are playing. Although geared to young children, I think this book could also be used for adult beginners.

Review by Stephen McSweeney
http://celticmp3s.com//

The opening track Barcelona Nights immediately makes one think of brightly colored dresses with young women dancing and old man picking out fantastic rhythms on guitars in the style of Flamenco Nuevo. This five-piece band orchestrates it so that this beat, the heart of Flamenco music, is ever present as the harp and guitar continuously trade back and forth taking the lead.

Next we are taken to Asia with the song appropriately titled, Chinese Farmers Tale. Once again, the rhythm of the piece and the staccato instrumentation immediately makes one think of that particular culture. In this piece, Kent Richardson uses the instrumentation of the group to really pull out some clear intonations to take us on this musical journey.

Following this, we have perhaps one of my favorite pieces, Waiting for Summer. It is upbeat and jazzy with a fun, almost swing, feel to it. I think of Ella Fitzgerald and kids playing on the sidewalk with water spraying from the fire hydrant. It still highlights the harp, but in a very unique and fun manner.

And the journey continues to St. Thomas, The Butterfly (a classic Irish tune), Cuando El Rey Nimrod, Jamaica Farewell and even in our dreams with Dream time Journeys. Through all of these pieces and more Star Edwards and KingBeat flaunt their incredible talent by capturing the listeners ear and taking them on an evocative journey. They call what they do World Harp Music, and they certainly don’t lie. While some may make this claim and only stick their toe off of the Emerald Isle, these musicians explore these other cultures deeply. This album is certainly worth the purchase.

Stephen Mc Sweeney is a High School English/Drama teacher. Besides writing for the Celtic Music Magazine, he enjoys acting, writing and playing Celtic music. He can be seen as one of the members of the band Terrible Musicians, where he plays percussion and mandolin.

Winter 2013 - Issue No. 161 ~ Folk Harp Journal, page 15, http://www.folkharpsociety.org

By Martha Gallagher

With a band full of keyboards, guitars, electric bass, and percussion to back her up, Star Edwards kicks off this CD with a groovin' version of Ottmar Liebert's "Barcelona Nights." The guitar soon takes over the lead, but throughout the CD the harp and guitar effectively trade off as lead instruments.

Interesting uses of percussion, blending of instruments, and grooves make this a fun collection of music, easy on the ears, with some great energy. Blending both acoustic and electric instruments is often not an easy thing to do. Star keeps a very harp sound, while blending it very nicely with the diverse instrumental make up of this band. Star's original piece "Waiting for Summer" is a fun, catchy piece that some listeners will want to play. Her "Dream Time Journeys" is at a completely different end of the spectrum--very electric, full of effects, and almost a '70s vibe. Star does some interesting explorations of harp in a variety of musical settings.

This CD explores varied musical styles, energies, arrangements, and interpretations of original, traditional, and contemporary pieces. It is a fun CD and a great listen, especially to hear how well a harp not only holds it's own, but steps into the spotlight as lead instrument in an electric/acoustic band setting. And it's got groove--so put on your dancin' shoes!

Alejandro Clavijo
www.reviewsnewage.com
Reviews New Age (translated from Spanish)

"Barcelona Nights" is rhythmic, hot, inviting you to dance. "Waiting for Summer", a cheerful piece and again, full of rhythm. Continuing the festive atmosphere, "St. Thomas" where Star Edwards runs the harp strings with glee. "Dream Time Journeys" where space and synth sounds mixed with crystal harp [create] a sound like oriental style. "The Butterfly" has the Celtic touch and is one of the pieces [that] highlight the album. Although the tempo is quick, we can enjoy an electric guitar with personality and some Uillean pipes that are quite interesting. In addition, we add the Harp. Star Edwards, in this case, moves like a fish in water. The harp presents "When King Nimrod" with a magical, full of fantasies. "Birth of Monmatia" is a promising piece to be drawn to the juice, because the mixture of electronic sounds and a good binomial form bagpipe. Finally, "Jamaica Farewell". A cheerful end marked by the sound of the harp.

The combination of nylon and wire-strung Celtic harps gives this music a fairylike quality, crossing it with new age relaxation music to offer tunes that flow like waterfalls. Each track is a gently blended instrumental. Pipes, pennywhistle and bodhran help to complete the mystical sounds.

Tunes range from the lively rambling "Stu Mo Run" to "The Harp of Dunvegan," a haunting melody when set to harp and bodhran. A well-known selection is "Minstrel Boy," which has been featured everywhere from The Man Who Would be King to Star Trek, but here is presented in a slow, lyrical fashion. The emphasis on this recording is soft, dreamy melodies rather than dance tunes. Offering tunes from Ireland and Scotland, this soothing collection is perfect for a relaxing night under the stars.

I'm always pleased to see collections for Celtic harp that make an effort to draw on all the different Celtic cultures. In this book Star presents a diverse mix that includes tunes from Manx, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Hebridean, Cornish and Breton backgrounds. It also includes some old favourites like Minstrel Boy, Suo-Gan (Welsh lullaby) and My Love She's But a Lassie Yet. The pieces lie easily under the fingers and the left hand parts are quite simple, making this an accessible book for anyone who is at the playing-with-both- hands stage. However, this is not a book for total beginners, as there are no fingering or placing notes. There are also 3 lever flips, and some sixteenth notes, although the pieces that look fast can be played slowly at first and still sound fine. The keys range from 2 sharps to one flat, and there is one A# in Mylcharaine, so ultimately best suited to a harp tuned to F with full levers. Note that those with harps tuned to Eb can't just substitute a Bb for the A#, since there are also B naturals in this piece (so a lever flip would be required). However all the other pieces would be playable on a harp with levers on the B's, F's and C's. Not suitable for small harp. - T.H. http://www.celticharper.com/musicbooks.html

This book is for people who cannot read music, although as Star says in her intro, "Tablature is not meant to be in the place of reading musical notation. It is a bridge into playing and listening as you explore the nature of sound through your chosen instrument". Something beginners should be aware of, is that not all harp tablature is the same. There are several different varieties out there (Star's tablature, for instance, is not the same as Laurie Riley's harp tablature). However, Star explains her tablature clearly at the beginning of the book, so that after a bit of practice it should be quite easy to follow. The book and CD are focused on learning the tunes by ear, with the tablature mainly providing fingering and placing. As with most tablature, there is no way to know from the tab the lengths of notes, rhythms, etc., so it is really meant to be used in conjunction with the CD. While obviously aimed at beginners, this is not a method book, in the sense that it does not give instruction on technique (how to hold your hands and arms, plucking, etc.). My one concern with any book aimed at beginners that does not include notes on technique, is that people may feel they only need to learn to play a melody to be a harp player, and may neglect things like hand position, which can cause problems later on. (This is not a problem with the book itself, more of a general concern that beginners are not always aware that technique is quite important when playing the harp). So as always, I would suggest that any beginning harpist take at least a few lessons with a qualified teacher, to learn proper hand position and plucking technique, so you don't pick up any bad habits. That said, this book is quite self-explanatory and would be very approachable to anyone new to the harp, and would not require any previous musical experience. - T.H. http://www.celticharper.com/musicbooks.html