I wouldn’t buy anything less than 34 strings. I’ve only been playing for a little less than 3 years, and I would say that within the first year, I was needing that low C. you can find lots of music written for less strings, but with 34 strings, you never need to concern yourself with it. don’t limit yourself now, it will surprise you how fast you can progress if you really want to learn, and practice

If you’re really into sound, there’s also the added importance of the sympathetic C when you play middle C.

You probably will eventually want to expand your repertoire beyond the Sylvia Woods Books. They are excellent books and I have almost all of them. But eventually you are going to want to play something not in them, or you are going to want to expand on what she wrote, or do your own arrangements.

Or you may eventually decide you want to play something other than Celtic music.

In any of those cases you will be very happy to have as many strings as you can get.

I don’t ever recall anyone complaining that they had too many strings, only not enough.

Of my lever harps I have a 34 string acoustic and a 30 string electric. I love my electric harp, but I often find myself wishing it went lower.

34 – 36 strings seems a good range. Less than that and I think that you will eventually wish you had something with more strings.

I own a 36 string Aberdeen Meadows, with a range of C to C. If I had to do it all over again…I would have chosen A to A

I second Gloria’s recommendation for a DS Ravenna 34.