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I hope it’s a “don’t carry cash” thing. I have yet to work this experiment, though. This fall, I hope to busk next to our farmer’s market, where people will have small bills a-plenty. I rarely have small bills on me. Usually an emergency $20 and my debit card.
I have noticed, however, that my presence as a busker does make some people nervous, as if they aren’t allowed to listen unless they want to give you money. They skirt by as quickly as possible. I am thinking of making a sign that says “Tipping not required or expected. I’m here to play for everyone.” Or something to that effect. While I am not there to make lots of money, a little compensation is nice. I wonder if I can get some people to stand around, perhaps more people will feel comfortable stopping to enjoy the music and express that appreciation.
I don’t actually get gigs, yet, but I do go out and play in public quite often in order to accustom myself to nerves and an audience. When I first went out, I wasn’t intending on collecting tips as I figured I’d be so bad, no one would want to tip me! I was wrong, of course, and several people tried to tip me anyway, fumbling with sticking money on my stand with the wind blowing…
I then added a tip jar, which simply says “Harp Strings Fund.” Now I get people who wait to apologize they don’t have any cash.
So, either way, you’re not going to make everyone happy. Do what you feel is appropriate for the moment, read the crowd, but bring the jar in case 🙂
How do we start brawls of lever/pedal when it is a discussion of STRINGS? No matter how harps are set to pitch – peg only, levers, pedal mechanism…The thing they all have in common is they all use STRINGS and those strings all apply the same rules of physics on the soundboard and neck.
Biagio, you need to re-set your sensitivity meter for “digs” at non-pedal harps. I saw no disparaging comments in this thread. All I see is comparison of different lever harp models, comparison of string sound and warnings about high string tension.
How do you feel about the sound of other pedal gut strung lever harps such as Lyon and Healy Ogden or Troubador, Salvi Egan, Camac Korrigan? If those harps speak to you, too, perhaps you like the sound of the strings.
I have never had a nylon-strung harp, but of the two pedal gut strung I had, one broke three strings in 2 years, and the other breaks strings constantly. Sure, the gut will break more, but how much may depend on the instrument.
Welcome, Filipa!
I think you should be able to get by with a 26 string harp, at least for a little while. There are plenty of song books made for lap harp, and you can search this forum where people list their favorites. The difficulty with the 26-string is holding it securely enough as you play. A 34+ string harp is big enough to sit on the ground with you at a comfortable level, allowing you to pluck away without concern of the harp teetering on your lap. I have seen videos of people with smaller harps with the harp placed on a bench to raise it up a bit. If you really enjoy the harp (which, of course, you will), you can look into investing in something larger in the future and keep the 26 as a harp to take “out and about.”
That harp is certainly lovely and unique! The only concern I have is if the photo is flipped. The levers appear to be on the opposite side than you would normally find. If learning on a harp built “opposite” than most, you may have difficulty with the transition to a more standard instrument.
So, yes, as everyone told me, the instrument has settled down and is now holding pitch very nicely. It has snapped 4 strings in a week. HAHAHA! If it’s not one thing it’s another 🙂
Some horns have bells that can screw on and off. Not all. It makes them much more transportable on a plane.
I was getting ready to put my harp in the back of my Prius, and someone asked me (jokingly) “does that thing fold up?” I said, “no, but I do. It’s a very tight squeeze.”
Thanks, everyone, for your replies. No, the bass wires are not losing pitch anywhere near as bad as the gut. The Ogden was strung in pedal gut, but I know I was very spoiled by its uncanny ability to stay in tune. I went away for three weeks once and middle c was still in tune. This makes me feel so much better. I had thought they should at least last through practice by now. I confess to having the “new mom” syndrome if anything seems amiss. Plus, I am playing with a community orchestra next month and don’t want the harp going out of tune mid-concert. (Perhaps, if it does go out of tune, I might blend with this orchestra better, ha ha).
I agree with Angela. I don’t know how long you have been attending, or how many people you have in your “circle” there. I have personally found that the more people in a church, the harder it is to get to know any of them. Getting involved in the music department in any way will allow you to develop friendships, in addition to an opportunity to play. An electric harp might be a great thing to have, or have some pickups put in your existing harp. If you want to just get experience playing in public, you can just set up and play in a park (check local laws!), or contact a small church that might be hurting for music during offertories. Nursing homes are also a great way to share your gift of music with people who will appreciate your time and effort. Regardless of whether your church can make room for you in their “program,” you can always find some way to minister on the harp.
Just in case anyone does a search on what harps fit in what harpmobiles, I successfully fit myself (5′ 7″) and a L&H Style 100CG, flat loaded into a 2008 Prius. It is tight and not comfortable for long distance. For that, we reverse loaded it – base first.
I am reviving an old thread…
I currently drive a 2008 Prius, the same model that supposedly fits a L&H85CG and 23. I haven’t purchased my harp yet, but I assume that it will be a tight fit, if a fit at all for me and my “future” harp if I load flat. For short distances, an uncomfortable ride is fine, but I’m concerned about traveling several hours in this way. I have seen a picture of a L&H CG harp loaded BACKWARDS into a Prius, with the base behind the passenger seat and column along the passenger side. I think that loading backwards would be a much more comfortable drive, but it apparently needs an extra person (or two!) to maneuver the harp in and out. If the harp is backwards, though, the passenger seat is flipped forward, and no help can ride with you.
I would love to discuss the possibilities of self-reverse-loading. Has anyone tried this? Are there things that can be made to assist? What I am thinking of is a piece of plywood, with attached padding, that can be set out on the ground behind the vehicle. The harp can be laid out on the padded board, and strapped on, so that the base is facing the tailgate. Can a female harpist in reasonably good shape then hoist the board on the base side up to rest on the tailgate, and then use the bumper as a fulcrum to slide the whole apparatus into the vehicle?
What are the possible dangers in this, possible setbacks (besides needing a whole length of harp behind the car)? I have no experience loading a pedal harp, but I have a nasty habit of planning ahead. 🙂
Thanks, all.
I played horn throughout college with the orchestra. We had a very good harpist available to us, and I felt that maybe 10-20% of pieces we played (standard orchestra fare) required harp. At some point we would schedule our rehearsals so we would always practice pieces with harp first so that she could pack up and go about the rest of her life. It was my impression then that in a cross-section of all orchestral music, very little actually has a harp part. Of course, I could be totally wrong, and I only played with an orchestra for 4 years. Others here will have more experience. Perhaps,though, asking to have at least one piece in every concert with a harp part is reasonable, but I don’t think you can expect to participate in everything. And don’t worry, now that they have a harp, I’m sure they will perform more Nutcracker next Christmas!
Hi everyone!
I have been playing for a couple years, and I really want to get over my inhibitions playing in front of people. I am not shy, but I am unaccustomed to the feeling of my hands shaking and distractions as I try to play. So, my teacher and I have worked up a list of “least to most terrifying” prospects of playing in public. My first was to play in the little square in my hometown, then playing in more crowded areas until I finally end up playing a “performance” where people come to stare quietly at me.
Well, I went out to my little square this weekend, and it was really strange at first. I informed some folks eating outside at a cafe that I was trying to get over my fear of playing in public and asked if they wouldn’t mind. Of course they didn’t. The afternoon went from strange to amazing. I am comfortable with about 25 minutes of music, and by the time I had gotten through it once, I had a few people sitting on nearby benches clapping after every piece. I had a nice gentleman come up and give me $5, even though he was one of the ones who knew I wasn’t busking, just practicing. I was invited to play at the local farmers market, too.
What I truly wasn’t expecting was the sense of complete control that came over me once my hands stopped shaking. I felt like I could play anything. My concentration was heightened, and I felt like I was controlling the harp and making better music than I have in my home. I pulled out pieces I hadn’t played in months, and despite the wind blowing my music shut several times, I played it without a hitch.
Has anyone else experienced “performance euphoria?” If so, is this a one-time thing caused from the relief of not completely bombing in public?
I had so much fun out there, that I really wanted to post on this thread and encourage others to get out there. There’s certainly a “harp effect” that anything you play, people will think it beautiful, and it opens up your ability to really try to produce something wonderful.
Thanks to this thread, I have been practicing tuning by ear, to varying degree of success. Since I now know the attack is often slightly sharp, followed by a decay, I wonder if I have been tuning “wrong.” I tune with notes sequentially played, not simultaneously. If I play a middle C, than the octave above, won’t I then be thinking the octave above sounds sharp and flatten it too much? Should I be plucking both strings at the same time?
Thanks for the input!
Thanks for the link, Biagio. I’ll put my over-sensitive ear to the test tonight.
Charles, Thanks for the insight. I honestly thought that all fixed-pitch instruments would be held to the same physics, but I suppose the method the sound is produced must play a big part in pitch. Now I’m going to wonder whether to tune the attack or the decay… 🙂
This topic actually brings to mind a music theory teacher that I had who, a religious man, thought that before “the fall” of man pitch and mathematics got along just fine. Our issues with temperament came about because of original sin. If that is the case, sin has at least allowed a fascinating discussion here!
