Chairs

[daniele-di]

What kind of chair do you use for playing your harp inside your house AND outside?

For playing inside my house I have a really confortable soft chair with armrests; I know that playing with my elbows on the armest means that I`m not using the right position, but sometimes I`m just too tired so I don`t care 🙂

Now I was wondering what kind of chair should I get to play outside; of course It should be a folding chair, but they don`t seems really confortable, like this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Texet-PFC-1-folding-padded-chair/dp/B002EVOTSM/ref=sr_1_1?s=officeproduct&ie=UTF8&qid=1337162259&sr=1-1

Suggestion? 🙂

Thank you

Daniele

[Alison]

A stool Danielle, only ever a stool, of a corresponding height for the size of your harp and the height of your upper body. Best go looking in second hand furniture shops or purloin from your family… I would warn you that a cup shaped stool with a lip is most uncomfortable on the underside of your thighs, so best to have a flat or round topped stool. I certainly have a collection of stools here.

[tony-morosco]

I use a standard music bench. I have a collapsible one that has a carrying case that I use outside the house. The portable one is a little thin on the padding, but works well.

I don’t like chairs with arms. They just get in the way. Freedom of motion in the arms is essential.

[angel-zhao]

For indoor playing, I have a reupholstered vanity bench in the exact height I want. It pretty much resembles my piano bench except with cabriole legs and cotton fabric cover. For playing outside informally, I like a simple folding stool with metal legs and a plastic seat. I’m used to playing music on stiff seats so I don’t need much padding.

If you’re looking for a folding chair, you should probably take into consideration your sitting height and your sitting habit. The latter is because some folding chairs are made for sitting right in the center. In that case, if you tend to sit on the edge of the chair while playing, it might become unstable and flip forward.

The obvious choice would be to get a standard folding music bench or stool. The height is adjustable and they are padded for comfort:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_seeall_1?rh=k%3Afolding+music+bench%2Ci%3Ami&keywords=folding+music+bench&ie=UTF8&qid=1337192739

If you want something that looks like real furniture, this series might interest you:

http://www.amazon.com/Mission-Style-Folding-Chair-Better/dp/B00606XHO4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337192248&sr=8-2

[Havalah@Yarashus.com]

I have a beautiful all-wood folding chair like this that I use indoors:

http://www.amazon.com/Winsome-Wood-Folding-Chair-Natural/dp/B000NPONUA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337877026&sr=8-1

Mine is a dark wood, though, to match my harp.

[roger-day]

I made a stool from a scrap of 3/4 plywood, painted

[J P]

For the longest time I used an adjustable padded bench that was big and cumbersome and at times heavy, eventually I grew tired of it. Now I use a super lightweight stool that I spray painted black with a wooden flat top, sure it’s uncomfortable for long practice sessions but it takes up a lot less room and really makes me focus on my practice sessions so I can get off the stool!

JP

[Briggsie B. Peawiggle]

I have 2 Adjustrite Chairs — one at each of my harps at home. They collapse for transport, aren’t very heavy and adjust however you need the height, and they are very comfortable for long practice sessions. Each leg adjusts.

http://www.amazon.com/ADJUSTRITE-Musicians-Chair-Vivo-USA/dp/B0016OIIX0

Briggsie

[jessica-wolff]

I bought a lyre-back chair with a shlocky finish when the old San Juan Hotel was auctioning off its contents back in the late ’70s. Cost me $5. Recently my daughter had it repaired and refinished for my birthday. It’s now stained ebony to match my harp, and I use it with a brilliant black-red-purple-&c pillow to give me another inch or so.

[anita-burroughs-price]

Another fan of the Adjustrite chair!

[kreig-kitts]

I use an adjustable bench at home and at concerts with my pedal harp. For most rehearsals, I use a piano bench at the church where we meet. It’s not exactly the same height as where I keep my bench, but it lets me get everything I need into and out of the rental in one trip, which is especially useful useful since I can cart the harp to the ZipCar before the reservation begins instead of reserving at the next earlier time block (and paying more) to load and unload at my apartment.

I have the bench lower for my lever harp, and the chairs at the church where I usually play it are the same height, so I use one of their chairs when I play lever.

PS- I’m thinking of doing a post on the new site about moving a harp via ZipCar, if there are other urbanites without a permanent car.

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