Harp Volume

[barbara-brundage]

>he’s expecting not to like the sound of a harp

Oh, honey, they *all* expect not to like it. I can’t tell you how many men come up to me at the end of jobs and say, with obvious astonishment, “I really LIKED that.”

[sherry-lenox]

Kay I can’t wait to be good enough to play outside without scaring the groundhogs away. For reasons to complicated to explain, the front porch on my little Dutch Colonial is a balcony, and I sold my husband on the idea of my “little” harp by telling him my Serenade is too big to go out there.

[unknown-user]

I gave up violin because the people I live with complained about my practising. I also play the classical guitar but it’s too soft to bother anyone. I’m gonna switch to harp in the hope that it will be louder than the guitar and yet soothing to my own frazzled nerves.

As for my neighbours, they like to blast their stereo. I have no compunctions about blasting back!

[unknown-user]

Don’t worry Becky, for me one very special thing about the harp is that, even when it’s played by a beginner, even when you just practice the simplest thing, even if you’re wrong, and even if someone who can’t play it at all tries it, it still sounds good. It’s not like beginning the violin, you’ll see. Then, if for any reason you can’t play at home, a good thing about a small portable harp (like the one you’re getting, I’m also thinking of getting it) is that you can always go somewhere else with it…Some friend’s place, under a tree…And the harp volume is not SO loud, I mean it’s not a drum…I always lived into an apartament, I still do, and so far I never had any problem with my neightbors because of the harp.
Good luck
M.

[John McK]

Harps are *really* weird on this issue. . . as far as I know, they are the least obnoxious musical instrument for practicing, bar none. My father, who can;t stand my practicing on the Irish flute has absolutely no problems with the harp. He is one of those extremely sensitive people who finds uncontrolled noise a large distraction. So, at least try it out first.

Also – could you consider the idea of a practice space separate from the home? The place that leaps to mind is your church, but there could be a lot of options.

[unknown-user]

While living at home (with 4 other people) I’d practice until 2am some nights, and I never received any complaints. In fact, I was often told that it helped people sleep. I guess I���m lucky to have a ‘harp friendly family.’ However, as unbelievable as it may seem, I know for a fact that there are some people in this world who are bothered by harp playing ��� I know somebody who has had issues with neighbours. Personally I’d keep an eye on them because clearly they are of the devil. How else can you explain it?

When you own your own home maybe it would be helpful to set a room/section of the house aside for your harp – far from where your husband spends his ‘down time.’

[harpglo-jean]

Well, I thought I’d put my “two cents” in on this subject, and it pains me to say this but, unfortunatley, it’s true, not everyone loves the sound of the harp…..my adult daughter for one, because when she was living at home with us hated the sound of my harp (a beautiful 36FH Dusty Strings in [mellow] walnut)..I was quite dumbfounded and a little hurt when she told me!…I thought it would be as relaxing and enjoyable for her, as it was, and is for me, my husband, relatives, and even my dog…and I play pretty good, and tried to play my songs as softly as possible, but the comments of how “plinky” and “annoying” it sounded didn’t help..it got to the point where I would cease to practise when she was in the house, or take it out after 10p.m., which I do quite frequently now that she’s moved….I still wonder if it had something to do with her hearing, but I really don’t think so..she just found it annoying….however, I’m still hoping that some day she will come to enjoy it as much as I absolutely do…and I believe that she is truly in the minority, because most people love its sound….

[unknown-user]

Hrm, well there was one time I was practicing in the evening and I happened to have the windows open.

[carl-swanson]

The question of ‘noise’ is an odd one. A very good friend of mine(whose name absolutely everyone here knows) was moving into an apartment in New York many years ago. She was wheeling her harp down the corridor towards her new apartment when a man came up behind her and said,” You’re not going to be playing that in here are you?” “It’s very quiet,” she said,”Really, you won’t hear it.” He continued down the corridor until he got to his own apartment door. As he put the key in the lock, she heard, coming from his apartment, the sound of 3 or 4 Chihuahuas barking furiously!

[unknown-user]

Hi Becky,

I agree with what everyone has said about the harp being enjoyed, not viewed as a disruption.

[unknown-user]

Hi Becky,

[Pat Eisenberger]

I know that I’m not a good harpist, so I close the windows when I practice. (I also tend to swear when I make mistakes.)

You remind me of a story my teacher told me. She has a cottage on a small lake. Sound travels far on the lake. One morning she got a knock on her door. This couple had just bought the cottage across the lake from my teacher. They told her they were sitting on their deck their first evening, watching the sunset. The wife had just said that she was so happy they had bought the cottage because the lake was so beautiful, it was just like heaven. Two seconds after she said it, they heard harp music!

In the morning they asked the neighbors and found out that there was a harpist living across the lake from them. They looked her up to tell her the story, and that they were looking forward to their evening concerts.

[kay-lister]

Pat – your post reminds me of when I went up in a hot air balloon.

[unknown-user]

My family was a little iffy about me choosing harp, as it isn’t always convenient, but one thing they tell everyone who is interested in hearing about

[Audrey Nickel]

I wonder if you and your husband couldn’t come to a compromise.

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