(Aug. 11, 2017) — After so many years of public performance, retirement is not easy.
Last month I decided to channel my musical energies into notating the many well-loved songs I played at all kinds of events over the years, many of which have not been arranged for the harp until now.
Sometimes the process is slow and arduous, while other songs are more easily put to “paper.” My purpose is to add easy-to-learn selections to the performing harpist’s repertoire which will appeal to all audiences.
I decided to first focus on traditional Irish tunes, the first ten of which will become a collection for greater value and ease in performing. All were learned by ear from radio shows and CDs and are in the public domain.
I have found a home for these arrangements at SheetMusicPlus.com, which has already been offering my first publication, Easy Scottish Harp Music released in 2009 by Mel Bay, for some years now.
My current catalog of selections with sound clips for each can be found here:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/search?Ntt=Sharon+Hanjian+Rondeau
Some of the songs can be heard in their entirety on my YouTube channel. In print, the songs are presented in their simplest form, but advanced players can embellish them if they choose, as I did on YouTube.
After completing the book of ten Irish songs, I plan to publish a number of obscure hymns not normally played on the harp as well as my arrangements of favorite popular songs through SheetMusicPlus’s “Arrange Me” feature.
Most of these selections were arranged upon special request by a customer, sometimes from a piano score and at other times by ear.
I never realized how much music I had until after I retired at the end of 2016, which makes the process longer rather than shorter. That might be a good thing, because while the performances may be over, the sharing of the music with others is not.