Webster Harp vs Dusty Strings?

[Molly K]

Molly, just wondering how you are doing on your beautiful Ravenna. Were you able to adjust your levers to your satisfaction?

Very well! I actually just had a baby and had to set aside my Ravenna for the last month or 2 as it was a bit heavy for me to lift myself. I’ve been playing on a Grand Harpsicle, which is more manageable but the tone is not as nice. I’m very much looking forward to a couple weeks from now when I can carry my Ravenna around again!

I definitely appreciate the advice on the levers – I find I still prefer the Rees, but the Loveland aren’t too bad.

[balfour-knight]

Thanks, Molly! Congratulations on the birth of your baby!

[naisha]

• This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by naisha.

[balfour-knight]

Hello Annie,

It appears that your recent post has disappeared. Just wanted to let you know.

Best wishes,
Balfour

[jsmoir]

For whatever its worth, it’s pretty obvious Molly has a lot of disposable income- or major credit cards [!] as she has gotten a whole slew of harps in the last year or so, as her YT channel shows. Lucky her. https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalMollyKhan/videos

So, in my case, after going insane trying to determine which [lever] harp to buy, being at a minimum of two hours (one way) from just ONE harp store, it really comes down to hoping that your ‘ears’ can actually hear via pre-recorded ‘samples’ of the various models out there. If only there were Harp stores in Target… or Wal-Mart- lol. Those people who live near a ‘harp shop’ are soooo lucky.

But, in my case, it’s finding a harp with the requisite sound,that then fits my body size. As a 6’4″ individual, so many harps are just so small….except for Pedal harps. But those are pretty standard.

Balfour & Biagio. Could you talk to the subject of the male physique and which lever harp configs out there, that might ‘fit’ someone over six feet, and/or with arms 34-36″ long?

• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by jsmoir.

[Biagio]

I’ll do my best, my friend. Let’s consider posture first: feet flat on the floor, back straight but not rigid, thighs parallel to the floor, head and shoulders relaxed. Hands should each easily to the middle of the strings.

Most 5+ octave harps should be satisfactory but in your place I would probably prefer one that is fairly taller than, say a Dusty FH36. Be advised that long bass strings provide significant resonance and sustain however, that some might not prefer. I do, My custom made 36 is 64″ tall which is larger than most – I have to do a lot more damping than on shorter ones.

It’s no longer being made, but I would think the Salvi McFall ideal and if you can find a used one in good condition grab it. The L&H Troubadour and Prelude would also be fine if you are OK with the pedal gut strings and tension. The McFall was somewhat lighter and for a long time the concert lever harp played by Kim Robertson. I think that Frank Voltz plays a Prelude.

Best of fortune in your search!

Biagio

[balfour-knight]

Hi, Biagio and JSMoir,

Good response, Biagio, my friend! I will just add that a tall person can play even a small harp if the height of seat and harp are correct. For example, most lap harps can be equipped with “knee bars” to rest on the harpist’s knees at the correct height for comfortable playing. Small lever harps which sit on the floor can be raised with legs or stands, also.

In my case, I am just 5′ 6″ so my Dusty FH36S is the ideal height for me when I sit on an 18″ high stool. On the other hand, my Camac Atlantide Prestige concert grand pedal harp requires me to sit higher, about 20″ to be comfortable. Camac pedal harps have a lower shoulder end (playing end) than most other pedal harps, which allows a lower, more comfortable, seated height. In order to play a L&H 23, for example, I have sat on an adjustable bench set at about 22″, which adds stress to the lower back, legs and feet having to work the pedals! My favorite L&H’s are the semigrands for this reason.

So, being tall seems an advantage in the case of large concert grand pedal harps, and also the largest lever harps. Frank Voltz played a gorgeous Steen lever harp which had a tall shoulder end at one of his concerts I attended, and he also played a Camac Big Blue, which is the same harp electrified as the Atlantide Prestige.

I hope this helps, JSMoir. All this being said, an adjustable bench is a plus, and most harps can be enjoyed at the correct playing height for them and the harpist. Happy Harping!

Cheers,
Balfour

[Biagio]

Excellent point Balfour!

I love the Adjusrite bench and chair although they are expensive compared to let us say an ordinary desk chair that is 18″-20″ high. Many harpists do not go in for the Adjustrite but just add a pad if needed. Most in any case tip the harp back to rest on the thigh (or shoulder if a pedal harp, which is designed for that balance point).

Speaking of Laurie (different thread) she is about 5’8″ with long arms and often uses a stool that is only about 14″ high. So did Jocelyn Chang (my first teacher). Jocelyn was only about 5′ tall yet played an L&H Concert Grand.

Honestly, Jmoir, I am not being flippant when I say that I do not know any serious harpist who has just one harp which they have stuck to from the beginning. And as we have said many times here on various threads what a harp sounds like in someone hands may not sound at all the same in someone else’s.

For what it’s worth I would suggest that at this point in light of the paucity of stores in your area that you buy the Dusty Ravenna 34 and use that for mastering technique – which may take you several years most likely. Later on you will have developed your own preferences and style. There is a ready second hand market for the Ravenna, or you could keep it for informal gigging.

Sometimes I really really wish that I had done that instead of forging ahead into harp making. I would have saved a lot of time and money (and probably be a better player too).

Best wishes to you both,
Biagio.

[balfour-knight]

Thanks for that post, Biagio. If I had not found my FH36S “Cherie” and needed the money from the trade-in, I would still have my Ravenna! Even as a professional player, I always felt that Ravenna could handle anything I could do. The tension and tone are really good on that harp, like the other Dustys, and the nice stand could have different length legs to place the harp at the best height for the harpist. There is even the adjustable “stand” built in to that harp, even though it does not feel as secure as when it is on the four-legged stand.

Speaking about the “high cost” of harps, I found throughout my musical career that friends and family wanted to help out with the expense of my musical instruments. This allowed me to “start small” and work my way up to the professional harps and other instruments, including a fine grand piano and nine-rank tracker pipe organ I designed and built myself. I agree completely, Biagio, that I do not know a professional musician who attained and kept the same instrument all through their musical journey. Change and growth, if it is good, is always welcome, as we all know.

This is a fun thread running here, my friends!

Happy Harping,
Balfour

• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by balfour-knight.

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