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Lever concert harp with high tension

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Home Forums Harps and Accessories Lever concert harp with high tension

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 21 total)
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  • #77070
    lili-monogatari
    Participant

    Hi!
    I search a big concert lever harp with high tension, and gut strings.
    I play now on a gorgeous Mamore by Starfish, but the sound is a little too celtic for me even if it’s very beautiful.
    The strings are folk gut, and it’s resonant and bright.
    I saw the Eos by Telynau Teifi, and the Lochaber by Starfish. Any other suggestions?Or do you own theses harps?

    #77071
    joann-buice
    Participant

    Check into a Steen harp,the Concord II. It sounds very much like a pedal harp and is a beautiful very well constructed, gorgeous harp. Steve Green makes these but only when he gets an order. He will make the Concord II with 40 strings or 38 and is wonderful to work with.

    #77072
    e-nb
    Participant

    I have a friend with a Teifi Eos and in my opinion the sound is gorgeous.
    The Pilgrim Clarsach is concert tension, but maybe doesn’t fit the criteria for “Big”.
    Andrew Thom does wonderful sounding big harps with concert tension.

    #77073
    Tacye
    Participant

    Teifi Eos, Salvi Ana, L&H Prelude, Pilgrim Progress, Camac Mademoiselle are the biggest. In the same size as the Starfish there are also high tension harps by Mark Norris, Pilgrim, Nigel Tree and probably many more!

    #77074
    lili-monogatari
    Participant

    Hi! thank you very very much for all these suggestions! In fact I seach a floor harp(I call it big because I play a lot on a lap/travel harp!)
    The mamore is very heavy, and it’s not very easy to carry. I used to have a Camac mademoiselle when I was a child, and, yeah, it was too big 🙂

    #77075
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I just got to try the Camac Isolde (38 strings), and they have a classic and celtic version. Very nice string tension, and it might be worth trying. It’s not as petite as some of the others though.

    #77076
    lili-monogatari
    Participant

    Hi!I’m not convinced by the sound of the Camac harps, I prefer the harps that have been made by a luthier!

    #77077
    joann-buice
    Participant

    I mentioned the Steen which I love and own 3 in different sizes. Unfortunately Steve Green the exclusive maker of this harp passed away last Friday. It is very very sad because he made beautiful Harps and there will no longer be in new Steens

    #77078
    sherry-lenox
    Participant

    The Thormahlen Swan with pedal harp strings (by order) sounds gorgeous.

    #77079
    lili-monogatari
    Participant

    Oh, that’s very sad for Steve Green…did you know him well?

    #77080
    joann-buice
    Participant

    Steve was a wonderful, generous man. Always willing to try whatever was asked in harp making. He made gorgeous constructed and sounding harps. I have 3. One with 40 strings, one with 34 that I use in the hospital and a smaller 32 string that Steve made for me by special requirements. They all have Wire,Savarez, Concert gut and nylon strings which makes them sound more like a pedal harp. The harp world has lost a very special harp maker.

    #189136
    lili-monogatari
    Participant

    Hi!
    I now own a second hand Eos made by Telynau, and I’m happy with the sound, but I’m always curious about new harps.
    Who wants to talk with me about high tension lever harps? 🙂

    #189448
    duckspeaks
    Participant

    Hello Lili,

    I like high tension lever harps (to the extent that I actually and really hate low tension harps). I love them for the intonation stability and power of the sound. Tried some medium tension harps and unhappy because the note sways too much as your finger leaves each string. This alone is bad enough and if the harp happens to be bright (very often so for lower tension harps), it screams at you. I believe sweetness and tonal stability are strongly related.

    Regards

    #189451
    Biagio
    Participant

    Technique will go a long way toward determining what one likes or dislikes in a given model. In a recent post one very experienced person remarked that he hates fluorocarbon strings and sustained some injury from playing them. I don’t of course know the particular case. But I will take a wild guess: since FC strings are more elastic than gut that could indeed occur if played with the same strength – even though they might be at higher static tension as gut. Try before you buy!

    Salvi just introduced the Gaia which sounds pretty exciting – take a look:-)

    http://salviharpsinc.com/HarpGaiaSalvi.htm

    Best wishes in your search!

    Biagio

    #189911
    lili-monogatari
    Participant

    Thank you for your messages 🙂
    I also like carbone strings, if there is some tension, like the two travel harps I own, made by Bernhard Schmidt.
    I can more “work” on the sound when there is tension.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 21 total)
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