Harp-pooned!

[Ann]

I wanted to write this right after HarpCon 2010 a month or so ago but I’ve been too busy playing the harp I bought there! It was not the harp I expected to buy. It totally took me by surprise.

Thank you to everyone on this forum. I have to say, You Were Right. You said a harp with just the right sound would find me. I doubted that could happen, but it did, just like you said!

I had my preconceptions all set for HarpCon 2010. I’d done my research and was sure I’d be deciding on one of 3 certain models. I planned to spend most of my time in the Exhibit Hall playing harps, yet still probably coming home with one of those 3. You all advised me to follow my heart and my ear. I was sure I’d be putting more emphasis on appearance and fit. And I was utterly amazed at what actually happened.

I must have played every harp in the hall twice or three times, and some even more than that. The ones I was previously certain of just didn’t capture my heart. They were very good, but when I found the two that were great, my preconceived notions went out the window. And those two were … drum roll please …

Lewis Creek (Jeff Lewis) and Magical Strings (Philip Boulian).

Lewis Creek harps are lovely. The woods and finish are radiant. And Jeff Lewis’s harps sound nicely even, authoritative without being strident, full and rich in the bass, nicely melodic in the upper registers. And they play like a dream, wonderfully comfortable. I was playing the 36 string mostly.

But then I played Philip Boulian’s Kailey Concert harp. What a sound! Where most harps, even very reputable ones, fade below middle C, this harp sings in a fabulous baritone. Of the 2 dozen (or more!) harps I played, there was no other harp like it, or even close.

So there I was, stuck in a dilemma: One harp was very beautiful and more comfortable to play, the other was the perfect enchanting voicing for me. One harp captured my eyes and arms, the other my ears. And you guys were right, I went with sound … this time! I love my Magical Strings harp, I really do. And yet I won’t rule out a Lewis Creek harp in the future. When 2 harps capture your heart, it’s tough to let one go.

Anyone who’s thinking about buying a harp, I highly encourage you to attend a convention and live in the Exhibit Hall for 3 days. There is nothing like actully putting your hands on the harp you’ll be living with. And you might just get a lovely surprise like I did.

Here’s maybe the most important thing … now that I have a good concert harp, my impossible harp dreams now seem much more possible. Already that is making a huge difference in my life.

Thanks to you all!

[jessica-wolff]

It’s true–you have to see them, hear them and play them in person.

[shelby-m]

Congrats!

[deb-l]

congratulations Ann!

[Pat Eisenberger]

Congrats, Ann! I know you’ll be happy with your new harp for years to come. But you’re right about coveting other harps. Even though I have my harp love of my life, I look at others and think…what if? I believe I could own a half dozen or so, if my wallet permitted!

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