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It appears that your harp experienced a “cascade” – this does not happen often – usually from a sudden change in climate – but it can be annoying (and alarming) when it does. Here is a good explanation of restringing such harps, from David Kortier:
http://www.kortier.com/subpages/toggles.htm
To remove them I use a telescoping magnetic “pickup” tool, which you can buy for about $5-$10 US at most hardware and auto supply stores. Assuming you live in the US you can buy new brass or bronze wires at The Instrument Workshop:
For a lot more information, including wire resources see
http://www.wirestrungharp.com/
You might also consider joining the Yahoo wire harp group:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/WireHarp/info
Please DO NOT try cutting access holes in the back. A closed back on these harps is intentional for reasons of both tone and volume. The old harps which these were modeled after had closed backs that were removable in toto and some reproductions still do; but they also have a tendency to slip, stick, and rattle as the wood changes with humidity and temperature. You might also very possibly end up splitting the wood. Then the only option would be to buy a new harp.
A few modern wire harps have access holes in the back – Triplett and Caswell, for example – but they are otherwise also designed for that. Here’s a general rule: do not physically alter any harp unless you yourself are an experienced harp maker.
When they are desired we use half hard sterling silver wire, but again, you should understand harp making and string theory before experimenting. Silver is heavier than brass (or bronze) and is only useful for bass strings that are too short for the other two to ring – which is not the case with the Folcharp.
Best wishes,
BiagioIt’s interesting to consider different building techniques, and these ancient clarsachs especially, with respect to ancient and modern tools available. For instance, as Hearpe noted, the box was carved out of single slab – Why, I would hazard, because the glues available back then were pretty limited, By the same token we might ask, “Why did they add brass cheeks to the neck?” Well, OK for strength maybe but it would be stronger to put a brass strip underneath. However, they did not have routers which would make that easy, just chisels and planes.
I’m inclined to think, however, that these cheeks gave a better grip to the pegs, which were irregular – no precise modern machining. How about the enclosed back? It would have been a lot easier to brace the body that way, and when you study the acoustics, putting sound holes in front provides better projection – adding access holes in the back negates that somewhat.
This is not to say that Hearpe or another is wrong to consider different approaches of course! It is definitely easier to make a four-part body than spend a year carving and aging a 3″ thick chunk of willow, alder, or
whatever!If interested in actually making one of these, it is not difficult IF you understand certain things that make a brass strung harp unique: tensile strength and density, narrow versus “standard” spacing, why we use a relatively thick hardwood board and why we usually do not add bridge pins.
The wire strung harp website is great for all of this and more: if you can, also read Karen Loomis’ and Simon Chadwick’s in-depth analyses of the Queen Mary and Lamont harps.
All very interesting!
Biagio
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