Lever concert harp with high tension

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This topic has 20 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 11 months ago by ginny0810.

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July 23, 2013 at 7:29 am #77070

lili-monogatari
Participant

Hi!
I search a big concert lever harp with high tension, and gut strings.
I play now on a gorgeous Mamore by Starfish, but the sound is a little too celtic for me even if it’s very beautiful.
The strings are folk gut, and it’s resonant and bright.
I saw the Eos by Telynau Teifi, and the Lochaber by Starfish. Any other suggestions?Or do you own theses harps?

July 23, 2013 at 12:38 pm #77071

joann-buice
Participant

Check into a Steen harp,the Concord II. It sounds very much like a pedal harp and is a beautiful very well constructed, gorgeous harp. Steve Green makes these but only when he gets an order. He will make the Concord II with 40 strings or 38 and is wonderful to work with.

July 23, 2013 at 4:05 pm #77072

e-nb
Participant

I have a friend with a Teifi Eos and in my opinion the sound is gorgeous.
The Pilgrim Clarsach is concert tension, but maybe doesn’t fit the criteria for “Big”.
Andrew Thom does wonderful sounding big harps with concert tension.

July 23, 2013 at 4:30 pm #77073

Tacye
Participant

Teifi Eos, Salvi Ana, L&H Prelude, Pilgrim Progress, Camac Mademoiselle are the biggest. In the same size as the Starfish there are also high tension harps by Mark Norris, Pilgrim, Nigel Tree and probably many more!

July 23, 2013 at 7:00 pm #77074

lili-monogatari
Participant

Hi! thank you very very much for all these suggestions! In fact I seach a floor harp(I call it big because I play a lot on a lap/travel harp!)
The mamore is very heavy, and it’s not very easy to carry. I used to have a Camac mademoiselle when I was a child, and, yeah, it was too big 🙂

July 24, 2013 at 6:00 pm #77075

Anonymous
Inactive

I just got to try the Camac Isolde (38 strings), and they have a classic and celtic version. Very nice string tension, and it might be worth trying. It’s not as petite as some of the others though.

July 25, 2013 at 6:45 am #77076

lili-monogatari
Participant

Hi!I’m not convinced by the sound of the Camac harps, I prefer the harps that have been made by a luthier!

July 29, 2013 at 3:43 pm #77077

joann-buice
Participant

I mentioned the Steen which I love and own 3 in different sizes. Unfortunately Steve Green the exclusive maker of this harp passed away last Friday. It is very very sad because he made beautiful Harps and there will no longer be in new Steens

July 29, 2013 at 6:01 pm #77078

sherry-lenox
Participant

The Thormahlen Swan with pedal harp strings (by order) sounds gorgeous.

July 29, 2013 at 7:27 pm #77079

lili-monogatari
Participant

Oh, that’s very sad for Steve Green…did you know him well?

July 31, 2013 at 9:58 pm #77080

joann-buice
Participant

Steve was a wonderful, generous man. Always willing to try whatever was asked in harp making. He made gorgeous constructed and sounding harps. I have 3. One with 40 strings, one with 34 that I use in the hospital and a smaller 32 string that Steve made for me by special requirements. They all have Wire,Savarez, Concert gut and nylon strings which makes them sound more like a pedal harp. The harp world has lost a very special harp maker.

July 18, 2015 at 10:48 am #189136

lili-monogatari
Participant

Hi!
I now own a second hand Eos made by Telynau, and I’m happy with the sound, but I’m always curious about new harps.
Who wants to talk with me about high tension lever harps? 🙂

July 31, 2015 at 8:17 am #189448

duckspeaks
Participant

Hello Lili,

I like high tension lever harps (to the extent that I actually and really hate low tension harps). I love them for the intonation stability and power of the sound. Tried some medium tension harps and unhappy because the note sways too much as your finger leaves each string. This alone is bad enough and if the harp happens to be bright (very often so for lower tension harps), it screams at you. I believe sweetness and tonal stability are strongly related.

Regards

July 31, 2015 at 12:06 pm #189451

Biagio
Participant

Technique will go a long way toward determining what one likes or dislikes in a given model. In a recent post one very experienced person remarked that he hates fluorocarbon strings and sustained some injury from playing them. I don’t of course know the particular case. But I will take a wild guess: since FC strings are more elastic than gut that could indeed occur if played with the same strength – even though they might be at higher static tension as gut. Try before you buy!

Salvi just introduced the Gaia which sounds pretty exciting – take a look:-)

http://salviharpsinc.com/HarpGaiaSalvi.htm

Best wishes in your search!

Biagio

August 28, 2015 at 4:22 am #189911

lili-monogatari
Participant

Thank you for your messages 🙂
I also like carbone strings, if there is some tension, like the two travel harps I own, made by Bernhard Schmidt.
I can more “work” on the sound when there is tension.
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