classical guitarists vs. pedal harpists in restaurants

[Maria Myers]

Have you noticed that classical guitarists have many of the restaurant jobs as opposed to pedal harpists?

[jessica-wolff]

Since I play both instruments, I applaud either being hired to play.

[Maria Myers]

That’s great, but the question is why have the restaurant jobs been taken over by guitarists.

[kreig-kitts]

The guitarist takeover sounds like a conclusion based on anecdotal evidence.

But if you’ve noticed more guitarists in your area at restaurants that used to have harpists, the two main practical differences are the floor space taken up and

[Maria Myers]

I didn’t hold a scientific study on this–it’s just my own observations.

Are there any professional harpists who are noticing this change?

Maria

[adam-b-harris]

Nobody gets gigs in restaurants here but could it just be that there is a glut of guitarists. If there is more of them out there looking for that type of work, logic would dictate that there would be more of them out and about.

[william-weber]

Too many hear “harp” and think towering gilded pedal harp.

Maybe restaurant gigs are for players of lap harps, for whom the field would be more level. If the restaurant wants jazzy background music,

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

There can NEVER be too many people thinking of pedal harps, in my opinion. I think guitarists work for less, and it is just a more popular instrument, even though they can only play a few notes at a time. If you play your harp in the guitar range (an octave lower), you will find that it is quite different, and more mellow. I think that is a large part of its appeal. And, yes, restaurants do not want to give up tables to have live music.

[william-weber]

If the harp is small enough, it can fit the guitarist’s footprint. That would be a selling point for someone walking into a restaurant carrying an Esabel or a Xythara or other such chromatic. You do make a good point about range, though — the guitar is more compact for its low end.

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