String Popping…a record?

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This topic has 19 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 3 months ago by brian-noel.

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May 3, 2009 at 1:06 am #109743

David Ice
Member

How many of you have had several strings go on you in a very short period of time?

May 3, 2009 at 3:43 am #109744

karen-conoan
Participant

Yes, I had a similar experience while playing for a garden wedding. There was a tornado watch (meaning conditions are right to produce a tornado).

May 3, 2009 at 4:11 am #109745

Misty Harrison
Participant

Yeah I can remember two or three times when there was unusual weather and I lost five strings over

May 3, 2009 at 1:32 pm #109746

dawn-penland
Participant

Maybe we should set up records in categories.

May 3, 2009 at 9:17 pm #109747

harp guy
Participant

I once had the same two strings break multiple times over a two week period. But, it turned out that the levers needed adjusting.

May 3, 2009 at 9:37 pm #109748

bernhard-schmidt
Participant

If the strings become more damp

May 4, 2009 at 3:27 pm #109749

tony-morosco
Member

Honestly I haven’t had more than three strings break in

May 4, 2009 at 6:15 pm #109750

unknown-user
Participant

I’ve had three break at once during a storm.

May 4, 2009 at 7:16 pm #109751

andy-b
Participant

I’ve only ever had one go during a performance; but I did have eight break in the first two weeks with a new harp that was shipped from Chicago to Florida.

Andy

May 5, 2009 at 1:36 am #109752

David Ice
Member

Hi Andy,

It seems that whenever a string pops for me, it’s either just before or during a performance!

May 5, 2009 at 4:24 am #109753

Sid Humphreys
Member

I once had a 1rst oct C pop during a choir concert that I was playing (it wapped me really well on the right cheek). Lucky that there were enough rests to quickly put a new string on before playing a gliss that ended on that note! It was a little flat at that point… (hindsight) should have just used Bsharp but who thinks when they are slapped in the face with a gut string!

May 5, 2009 at 12:54 pm #109754

andy-b
Participant

Hi, David,

I’ve been really lucky that way, only having the one go during performance. Of course, when it happens, every eye in the place is immediately focused on you!

May 5, 2009 at 3:34 pm #109755

David Ice
Member

Especially when it’s a big string!

May 5, 2009 at 4:27 pm #109756

alice-freeman
Spectator

I had 11 strings break in the first 8 months on a lever harp shipped from California to Wyoming. One of those was on stage just before a performance but the rest were sitting around my house. Then it settled down for a year and just broke 2 strings in the last month as the weather as been changing (much rain and heavy wet snow).

My pedal harp rarely breaks strings, and only once (a 2nd octave B) during a performance on a hot July day. I didn’t need that string and ignored the problem for the rest of that piece. Interestingly the pastor standing on the opposite side of the altar was quite unaware anything had happened while I quietly changed the string during the service.

May 5, 2009 at 8:35 pm #109757

rod-c
Participant

David:

My harp teacher plays a lot of weddings. About a year ago, she was playing for a wedding and had a pedal rod break about 5 minutes before the processional. She played the Bridal March an octive higher and said no one seemed to notice.

Question: do harpists ever suffer eye injuries from strings popping? I’ve never heard much of anything about this…so I am assuming eye injuries not common.

Best,

Rod C.
Author

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