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- This topic has 47 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 2 months ago by Liam M.
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January 6, 2009 at 9:24 pm #161274kay-listerMember
I know a lot of you play the wire harps using your nails.
January 6, 2009 at 10:08 pm #161275Audrey NickelParticipantI’m just starting with the wire harp, but I can tell you what I’ve gleaned from my teacher:
1) Yes, the wire-strung harp is traditionally played with the nails (and it’s the only way to get that really distinctive wire-harp sound).
January 7, 2009 at 1:33 am #161276Liam MParticipantAdding in, Cynthia Cathcart has an excellent You Tube on nail shaping for the wire, (surprisingly Audrey, what she demonstrates would interfere with the “Hitchhiker thumb” and defeat the crooked nail approach to playing both!)
But when you see how she shapes and after experimenting with shaping myself, I have come the the conclusion that the crooked nail might not be the best idea. I do know reshaping to her
January 7, 2009 at 2:51 am #161277Audrey NickelParticipantI’ll definitely keep everybody posted re the transition.
January 7, 2009 at 2:56 am #161278Karen JohnsParticipantYes Liam & Audrey you knew I was going to chime in sooner or later….
You can play a steel strung wire harp with fingerpads, using the same hand position as nylon. I have for over six months now, and Pamela Bruner does too. She has the same model harp.
Honestly, the only difference I have noticed with fingernails versus pads is the volume in the upper range. The steel strings have a lovely, huge, bell-like sustain to them. I have listened to the Cynthia Cathcart videos on YouTube and cannot tell a huge difference between the different strings.
January 7, 2009 at 3:01 am #161279Karen JohnsParticipantWhoops, mistake-
When you go to http://www.harpkit.com click on “Sounds” in the left side menu. That will get you to the Limerick wire strung chord progression and song samples.
January 7, 2009 at 1:06 pm #161280Liam MParticipantActually Karen, I don’t know how much of a purist I am. My preference for nails is more a matter of comfort. My big paws never would adjust to the Hitchhiker posture, (Hmmm Maybe if I had not started building my first car at 13, I would have picked up the pose?
January 10, 2009 at 6:41 pm #161281Audrey NickelParticipantAnother thing to bear in mind is that, on a traditionally strung wire harp, you CAN’T really use your fingerpads effectively (even if the strings would stand up to the force).
January 12, 2009 at 9:01 pm #161282TacyeParticipantI would disagree that one cannot play a wire strung harp effectively with fingerpads- didn’t most of the players at the Belfast 1792 gathering do so?
January 13, 2009 at 1:11 am #161283Audrey NickelParticipantI don’t know how the harps were set up in the 1700s, but I’m here to tell you that it’s nearly impossible with a harp set up with the traditional, narrow spacing (not to mention absolute hell on brass wire).
Audrey
January 14, 2009 at 5:42 pm #161284Seoid OCParticipantI would suspect that they played in the old style (holding a cup shape not thumbs up) but just with very short fingernails because long fingernails were out of fashion by then and seen as barbaric.
January 15, 2009 at 3:26 am #161285Audrey NickelParticipantThat would make sense.
January 18, 2009 at 9:54 pm #161286Liam MParticipantI am frustrated!!
January 18, 2009 at 10:03 pm #161287Karen JohnsParticipantLiam, Liam-
Just play with your fingerpads- I need someone on my side anyways. LOL Your steel strings will sound just as nice. It’s OK to experiment, right? You could just use the very tips of your fingers and use your crab hand position, that way when your nails grow out you won’t be compromising your preferred
January 19, 2009 at 1:43 pm #161288Liam MParticipantI am, Karen.
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