I’m going to a harp center in a town a few hours away from my home just to see/play harps I’ve been admiring on the internet for months and get a better feel for which pedal harp I want to buy when the time comes (I think the time is coming soon) – I have a few ideas of what to consider while I’m at the harp center, but do you have more advice? I plan to take lots of notes (not the kind of stuff they write in the specs) on each harp I play and I’m sure there will be pro/con lists once I return from the glorious land of harps. I am considering new and used options. Thank you!
My advice is not only to play all the harps you are interested in, but ask someone at the harp center to play them for you. Take a seat a bit back away from the harp and listen to what it will sound like to someone listening to you. What you hear in front of the harp and what you hear behind it can have some surprising differences.
Great advice, Tony! I had that experience when I was looking for my harp — I had been listening to recordings of the model for so many months that I was shocked when I sat behind it; it sounded *nothing* like what I expected. I played for 30 minutes and couldn’t figure out if it was the right harp. Then the owner sat down and played something really simple for me (that clock-chime sequence), and tears started pouring down my face. Great advice.