Here in Hawaii, our weather doesn't change much throughout the year. So one of the many things I love about giving harp lessons to students worldwide is that I get to find out what the weather is like in different locations. In the past few weeks, many students have mentioned cooler temperatures and that the leaves are turning beautiful colors. Now that it is fall, Christmas will be here before we know it. Be sure to check out the sale section below for important information!

And speaking of living in Hawaii -- October 1st was the 8th anniversary of my move from California to Kauai in 2013. I am so glad that I "took the plunge" and moved here! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE living on Kauai?!?!?

Usually, this newsletter is all about harps. This month's issue is a bit different and is more about me. I hope you have fun reading about my very famous "boyfriend."

Here are some of the PDFs that I've added to harpcenter.com this past month.

Aloha - Original Hawaiian compositions and information about Hawaiian culture and history

These popular lap harp books are now available as PDFs.

Three Ravens - 34 ballads from the 16th to the 19th centuries

Pastime with Good Company - 27 Elizabethan songs and dances

Laurie Riley has another new reference book!

Playing Pain-Free. You can play the harp pain-free for a lifetime!

Two more of Louise's hymn arrangements from her 2014 Sacred Treasures recording have been transcribed for pedal harp.

Laura Zaerr - You can watch videos of Laura playing her two new original harp compositions on the product pages.

In last month's newsletter, I mentioned that I tell a story about my "imaginary boyfriend," Paul McCartney before I play "And I Love Her" in my harp concerts. I also told you to tune in to this month's newsletter for more fun information about Paul and me. Here's the next installment in the "Paul and Sylvia saga."

My brother Don is seven years older than I am. When I was a teenager, he was a professional singer performing in nightclubs in Las Vegas and Palm Springs. In March 1971, near the end of my last year of college, I received a package from him. Here are some excerpts from the enclosed letter.

Paul McCartney recorded his Ram album in New York from 1970 to 1971. He then booked daytime slots at the Sound Recorders studio in Los Angeles to mix the album. My brother Don happened to book the same studio during nighttime hours to mix his first album. One evening when he entered the studio, he noticed that the trash can was full of empty Coca-Cola cans. The engineer said that Paul was a "Cokeaholic" and had drunk all of the sodas. Don asked if he could take one of the empty cans. He then mounted it, added the "PAUL McCARTNEY'S COKE" plaque, and sent it to me.

This is now one of my prized possessions. I have a Coke can that Paul McCartney drank out of!

P.S. Don eventually became a recording engineer at the legendary Gold Star Studios in Hollywood. He recorded and mixed all three of my harp albums.

But there's MORE! Here's the back-story for the next part of the Paul and Sylvia saga.

Lawrence (Larry) Einhorn and Richy Victor were directors at the Chicago TV channel WBKB. On September 6, 1964, they spent $400 to purchase the actual bed sheets the Beatles slept on at the Whittier Hotel in Detroit, Michigan. Once the Beatles vacated Suite 1566, a lawyer oversaw the stripping of the bed linen. The sheets were later cut into 1-inch squares and affixed to 9" x 6" certificates authenticated by the hotel's managing director. Larry and Richy originally sold these certificates for $1 each.

Susan Williams is a good friend of mine here on Kauai. She is also a friend of Larry Einhorn. When Susan saw my Coke can, she asked him for one of Paul's sheet certificates and gave it to me as a gift. That was so nice of both of them!

Here is an image of the bottom section of my certificate. The brown "stain" on the sheet swatch was caused by the 50-year old glue. Larry says that the "stains actually separate these authentic items from the fakes that are being sold."

To find out more about these Beatles' sheets collector's items, watch the fun October 5, 1964 episode of the TV show "To Tell the Truth" featuring Lawrence Einhorn saying, "I sell swatches of the Beatles' hotel bedsheets!"

Last month I mentioned several times that Paul didn't know that I existed. And even though "Paul Slept Here," I'm pretty sure he STILL does not know that I exist!

Jamey is one of my favorite FaceTime students. He is 12 years old and is progressing nicely on the harp. We have lots of fun in his lessons, and he always ends by telling me a joke or a riddle. For example, "What do you call a bear with no teeth?" -- a gummy bear!

Last month I mentioned that September is the time to start working on holiday music and asked him how long it would be until Christmas. He raised his watch to his mouth and said, "Hey Siri, how many seconds until Christmas?" The answer was over nine million seconds! That might sound like a lot of time, but now, at the beginning of October, there are less than seven million seconds left!

Time is flying by, so now is the time to get to work. To assist you in this endeavor, all Christmas and Chanukah music on my website is on sale this month with the Seconds code. This includes all of my Christmas arrangements as well as music by more than 30 other harp arrangers.

To get the 15% discount, type the code word Seconds in the "Enter Promo Code" box on your shopping cart page and click "Enter Code" by October 31, 2021. For more information, see the "How to get the 15% discount" section at the bottom of this newsletter.

15% off select sale items when you use the code word Seconds

Our newsletter promo codes are redeemable online and are only valid for the books, sheets, PDFs, CDs, and mp3s in the Christmas and Chanukah music category. They are not valid for phone or email orders. This month's code word is Seconds.

Here's how to get your newsletter discount at harpcenter.com:

#2. On the page where you view the items in your cart, type this month's code word Seconds in the "Enter Promo Code" box and click "Apply."

REMEMBER: You must enter this month's code word Seconds in the Promo Code box and click "Apply" on your shopping cart page by October 31, 2021 to get the discount!

If you forget, or if you have trouble adding it to your order, email Sylvia immediately.