The Harp “Gig Bag”

[brianna-halpern]

Every harpist has that bag they take with them everywhere their harp goes. Call it the string bag, the gig bag, or whatever you want. What do you keep in your “survival kit?” I’m curious what kind of obscure things you could not live without on your outings with your harp. The extra strings, tuner with a pickup, and tuning key are a given. I have seen all kinds of crazy things come out of harpists bags so I thought this might be fun 🙂

[emma-graham]

Door stops x2
Spare tights (pantyhose for those outside the UK!)
Elastic straps to hold music onto stand on windy days
Nail clippers
Tissues
Sewing kit
Clip on light
Sign saying “please do not touch”
micropore tape
4B pencil
Aspirin
WD40
Photo of the dog

[patricia-jaeger]

Besides the obvious necessities: a rabbit-fur muff with a hand-warmer packet inside; several chunks of candied ginger (gets the circulation going in about 20 minutes): a health bar in case I need extra protein; business cards; 2 pens printed with my contact information, one to give away to the event manager; a blank contract; Tiny memo pad for any phone, hint of a requested piece I should learn, etc.;that special pliers with wire-cutter on the side from the roll-up kit of Lyon and Healy; complete set of extra strings along with tiny scissors and a small snack-size baggie with string anchors; good map of event location

[patricia-jaeger]

Almost forgot: Put all of these above

[adam-b-harris]

Small recording device.

[tonie-ogimachi]

I also add a doorstop in multiple sizes for different doors. I have a nifty pink one that’s shaped like an apostrophe that I picked up at a hardware store. Before that I carried three different sized doorstops, for holding doors open while moving my harp.

[tonie-ogimachi]

Bug repellent (plastic loops that you can attach to clothes or music stand for outdoor gigs, and a roll of gaffers tape.

[barbara-brundage]

I talked about mine here:

http://barbarabrundage.com/2011/02/23/part-6-ipad-cases-for-the-gig/

(My harp case has a string pocket so I don’t have to worry about those.)

[randal]

I find the packet of “baby wipes” is the gigging musician’s best friend

[tony-morosco]

These days my gig bag is much lighter thanks to the addition of an IPad. I have put almost all my music in there, it has an electronic tuner, several apps that can record, and the ability to look up almost any reference material I need.

Some of the other things I carry I haven’t seen mentioned are a small flashlight, a bottle of water, a Swiss army knife, and a small first aid kit.

I can’t help it, I was a boyscout once.

Plus all the typical stuff, including strings. Lot and lots and lots of strings.

[kay-lister]

Emma – I’m curious, why WD40?

Kay

[Sylvia Clark]

Very interesting topic!

[emma-graham]

Hee hee! WD40 is a tribute to my Dad who never left home without it!! If anything is squeaking or sticking (my harp trolley wheel just last weekend for example) it frees it up. Good for damp spark plugs in the car too. Wouldn’t spray it anywhere on the harp though just in case I did some damage!

[adam-b-harris]

chocolate. great idea I will put that on the list.

[mike-c]

How do you trust something that has a limited battery life ? Or could potentially fall victim to a software glitch ? I’m a computer programmer by trade, and harp amateur for

[Author]

Posts