I’ve been preparing for a small harp competition where I will be recording my pieces and submitting a video. Over the past 2 months, I have been learning how to record the sound best. This started with browsing the web and not finding much help for instruments which aren’t the guitar. So I’ve created 9 tips to help you with your recording.

1. Make sure your instrument is in tune

It seems like a no brainer, but I didn’t tune my harp for a month at the beginning of lockdown. Also if you do record yourself and want to share it, its going to be pretty cringy listening.

2. Assemble all your tech

Round up the best recording equipment in your house. This means, if you know your sister has a better phone camera, ask if you can borrow it for the recording. Also charge all of your devices to the max ready for the recording day.

3. Find the optimal distance between the mic and instrument

You have to experiment. I found having my device 4 meters away was the best. Because it is quite far away from me the buzzes and pedal sounds are harder to pick up, and the rich sound is picked up better and not distorted.

4. Experiment with different lighting

Now this doesn’t have to be fancy – I used the sunlight. In the mornings I would have my harp at one side of the room and in the afternoon I would move it to the other side. Not only did this make the recording time less monotonous but then I didn’t have a shadow on me.

5. Make sure your recording room is quiet

My family can be quite loud. So if you know your mum may come into your recording room shouting “DINNER DINNER!!!” Specify when you be will recording. This can reduce the frustration of doing multiple takes and less anxiety when playing your instrument.

6. ‘Proof read’ your work

If you are going to put the video/audio online or send it so anyone, make sure you watch/listen to it. For me, my camera’s speaker was really bad and the screen is tiny. So I put the memory chip into my computer to watch and listen to it. This can also be the time when you pretend to teach yourself by marking in the music where you made mistakes.

7. Chill out

I set out two days for recording and going through little slips in my videos. Playing the same pieces over and over again can be very boring so take breaks. I recorded for 30 mins, then reviewed my playing for a bit. This gave me a change in scenery which helped with productivity and motivation.

8. Neat + tidy

You don’t want mess to detract from your beautiful playing, so clean up.

9. PRACTICE

Yes, practice your piece. But also practice where you will be recording (if possible) so you can get more familiar and comfortable with the view and acoustics.

Good luck recording your pieces!

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