Lux Et Veritas Academy Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Who plays and what method do you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraceinMD Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Can I reply if I play *at* the harp?! I have a beautiful Dusty Strings lever harp (that dh thought I should learn to play - in my spare time!?); I have taken exactly one lesson, and have a Sylvia Woods video. I have a number of harp books and have just sort of tried to figure it out. I play piano, and it was quite an adjustment in terms of muscle memory to go from one to another. I actually played with some friends at the nursing home I work at (in one of the dementia buildings, since I figured that all of my mistakes would be both forgiven and forgotten!) last Christmas, and people said they "wished there had been more harp playing," which I'm positive was NOT because of my skill but because of the beautiful sound of the instrument - even if played one note at a time! What are your specific questions? There used to be a Wendy (I think) on the boards who played - don't know if she's still here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 My hubby was plays a wire strung Clarsach. It is played with the fingernails rather than the fingertips. Personally, I can't even read music. I'm missing the gene. asta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaJuana Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 She took up the harp after studying piano for years, and it was relatively easy to transfer her knowledge of music from piano to harp. The lever harp is a lot more transportable than the pedal harp. Its repertoire is limited, but it still makes lovely music. The Sylvia Woods Harp Center is a great resource for information and sheet music for all types of harps. We also like Song of the Sea for folk harps and other traditional instruments. Both of these places will help you choose the harp that best meets your needs. Having a harpist in the house is such a blessing. From the first day, the music is beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 And here you go making me think about harps again! Having a harpist in the house is such a blessing. From the first day, the music is beautiful! Oh, please talk to me more about the harp! I've been wanting one for years. We have a fairly musical family - lots of piano, guitar, string players (and saxophone, but we won't talk about that :glare:.) A nice sounding lever harp would be wonderful. Does your dd have a 26 string or a 34 (?). Would a 26 string be adaquate? What about tuning levers? I see that some are available w/ C and F and some have full levers, but they are quite a bit more expensive. I had been looking at a harpcicle (or sharpsicle) because it seemed pretty solid and very affordable, but those Dusty Strings harps are so beautiful! (GraceinMD, what kind do you have?) I'm sure harps are a bit like pet chickens, you can't stop at just one :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyinNNV Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Who plays and what method do you use? My 8th grade dd plays harp and uses the French method. We own a concert grand (the largest) Lyon and Healy pedal harp. Susan: Oh, please talk to me more about the harp! I've been wanting one for years. We have a fairly musical family - lots of piano, guitar, string players (and saxophone, but we won't talk about that .) A nice sounding lever harp would be wonderful. Does your dd have a 26 string or a 34 (?). Would a 26 string be adaquate? What about tuning levers? I see that some are available w/ C and F and some have full levers, but they are quite a bit more expensive. I had been looking at a harpcicle (or sharpsicle) because it seemed pretty solid and very affordable, but those Dusty Strings harps are so beautiful! (GraceinMD, what kind do you have?) I'm sure harps are a bit like pet chickens, you can't stop at just one . We also have a musical family. I have a degree in music and play violin and viola. (piano & clarinet in college) My dh plays viola and ds plays piano. Dd, plays piano too. With the background that your family has, it probably wouldn't be too hard to figure out a lever harp. Pedal harps are a bit different and require some extra knowlege. But, a lever harp is more accessible. You will find that it is pretty helpful to understand enharmonic equivalents with lever harp. My biggest suggestion with the harp is to wait and buy the best, biggest harp that you ever think you might want. Harpsicles are nice, but certainly don't possess the sound quality of a larger (more expensive:001_huh: instrument). For example, when you are looking at how many strings the harp has, think of how many octaves in an arpeggio you will get with one vs. the other. I like to think of arpeggios as the harpist's bread and butter, although that is a violinist's perspective. In terms of levers, I would always go with as many as possible. Will you get tired of being limited by the keys you can play? Will you be playing with others? Do you think you will be able to retune quickly or not? I suppose that this all kind of goes to what you intend to do with the harp. But, I think that the better the harp, the less quickly you will feel limited. As far as harps and chickens, you are totally right-you can never have enough. Well, I don't have any chickens, but I see your point. Our dilemma is that the current harp is pretty big. Although it is superb for orchestra rehearsal, it will be rather large for things like gigs at the lake or outdoor weddings. So, eventually we will probably end up purchasing a L & H Troubador so she can make $ in college. HTH, Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraceinMD Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 those Dusty Strings harps are so beautiful! (GraceinMD, what kind do you have?) This is the one I have: http://www.vaharpcenter.com/dusty_fh36s.html in bubinga - it is just gorgeous (both aesthetically and in sound). The Virginia Harp Center is really helpful, if you really decide to go for one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lux Et Veritas Academy Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 My daughter plays and we have a Lyon and Healy Semi Grand- We love the harp and it is the perfect instrument from day1- ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 My dd plays the harp. In regards to instruments, she self-taught recorder from the age of nine. At 12yo I started her on piano lessons and she took from 12-13yo but she absolutely hated the piano. She was very good at it, but she just couldn't stand playing it. Since she was 6yo she had wanted to play the harp. Since it seemed a remote possibility, we never gave it much thought, but when at the age of 13 she refused to take any more piano lessons, we knew we needed to find her the right instrument as she was obviously very musically talented. So, she started with a Salvi (Ana) lever harp at 14yo. It is the biggest lever harp available, and it was just right for her. Beautiful from day one. After only 4 weeks of lessons she was requested to play for a funeral and everyone just loved it, even though it was simply beginner music. Dd played that Salvi until just last summer (dd turned 18yo). We traded up for a concert grand pedal harp, series 85, from Lyon and Healy. It was between the 85 and the 23, but she couldn't stand all the scroll-work on the 23. We really liked the sound of the 23, but her 85 is better. We do find the concert grand a challenge to transport for gigs, but so far....so good. Sometimes I wish we would have went with the semi-grand, but dd wants (and does) to play in orchestra(s). She has always studied Salzedo, although her teacher-to-be at Hillsdale (having trained with different methods) likes to use what works and mixes styles. That should be interesting for someone trained strict Salzedo, but dd likes the "mix it when it works" philosophy. Anyhow, dd plans to major in harp performance in college. We'll see what happens. She came a long way in a short amount of time, but it is her passion. I'm glad we finally found 'her' instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 In terms of levers, I would always go with as many as possible. Will you get tired of being limited by the keys you can play? Will you be playing with others? Do you think you will be able to retune quickly or not? I suppose that this all kind of goes to what you intend to do with the harp. But, I think that the better the harp, the less quickly you will feel limited. These are good questions. (BTW, dh and I both have degrees in music - violin for me, voice/sax. for him - although he's more of the instrument junky!:tongue_smilie:) It would make sense to save up for a bit longer and get a full set of levers. I imagine that we would mostly play at home, although I'm sure our church would love some harp music now and then (if I can learn it passably). So I'm guessing something fairly portable would be best. While I don't foresee any professional aspirations at this point, it's possible one of my kids would take a serious interest someday. Aiy - harp lessons aren't cheap! And Katia, I am so impressed that your daughter would find such a passion especially after hating the piano! I hope she finds college to be very rewarding. I'm adding the VA harp center to my link favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in TN Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 My dd plays pedal harp and is currently majoring in it at college. She has a L&H 23. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.