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Hi Gretchen,
I have also enjoyed watching the virtual harp summit! What a cool thing it is, and the talks I’ve heard have all been very helpful. It’s so awesome to be able to soak in all this wonderful harp goodness in my own home. 🙂
I’m with Tacye–if a person is enjoying the instrument, I see no reason they can’t have it where they live (unless they live in a hot, locked car on a sunny day…*wink*).
Also, Ardival harps are made in the highlands of Scotland, and it’s very humid there much of the time. 😉 The Ardivals that I played were all at the Edinburgh harp festival, over a period of 3 days, and it was varying levels of humidity in that time– from pouring rain to sunny with a drier breeze. Windows were open when it wasn’t raining, so surely the weather was making a difference. While Bill Taylor did have to retune the harps a few times a day (between using them for workshops and people playing while browsing at the Ardival stall), he assured me that they generally don’t need that much tuning with normal use, and that they don’t break strings more often than any other harp, and that as long as the temp and humidity are generally consistent (or if there is a change, that the harp is allowed to transition slowly within safe range) they shouldn’t have any problems. I say all this, because these were the kind of questions I was asking him. I was considering bringing a Kilcoy back to the states, and was asking his opinion about changing climates with it. He said it wouldn’t be a problem, as long as I did the initial work of keeping it tuned and relatively stable while it was settling in.
So, if a person wants an instrument on their houseboat, and they love it and play it, then more power to them!
However, this is one reason my bigger harp is carbon fiber–it doesn’t matter what I do with it, or where I go, it will always be fine. I’ve left it in the car, played in rain, wind, sun, shade, traipsed around with it in the woods and played it while actually in a creek. The durability can’t be beat, as far as I’m concerned. I would totally take it on a boat if I had a boat to live in. 🙂
Thanks, Randal!
I mostly just want to be able to stand up to play (like I do with my larger harp) and also not have to always worry about having a chair or stool to rest it on while I sit to play.
By harness, do you mean something like what Deborah Henson Conant uses? I could see that being helpful.
Thank you for your input! That’s helpful. 🙂 I think I will go with strap locks so I won’t have to worry about it popping off the buttons.
Oooo I hadn’t checked in here for a while! Lots of good conversation happening!
Since I’m late to this party, it may be a moot point by now–but I will chime in to say that I LOVE my Folcharp. And I’m with Biagio on the tuning thoughts. It depends a lot on the weather and materials. Mine holds a tune quite well, but during humidity/pressure changes and/or extended playing, I have to tune it more often. Just like I do my nylon strung harps. 🙂
Actually, something nice about my Folcharp is that when it goes out of tune, it seems to go out of tune more or less equally. So, sometimes I tweak-tune by ear to get it in with itself, just go ahead and play, then retune it properly when I’m done or later on. It just depends on whether I feel like doing a full tune (that’s usually after it sits unplayed for several days), or just minor adjustments and then jump into playing.
I’m rambling. Time to get to sleep.
I hope you find the one that works for you, Elletaria!
I know this probably isn’t quite what you’re asking for, but I have totally fallen in love with the sansula. You can get heavenly sounds with very little effort, so it’s really relaxing. Mine is tuned in A minor pentatonic. Anyway, it’s a fun little instrument, and I suggest it to lots of people. 🙂
Ah yes 🙂 Beth and Laurie’s books are on my wish list. I got Cynthia Shellhart’s with my harp, and have been going through it a bit. Once I get my levers installed, it will be easier because I won’t have to transpose on-the-fly to play half the tunes. 🙂
Also, I’m SUPER excited that Laurie put her double strung dvd on YouTube! I’m definitely going to be using that! Thanks for the tips!
Thanks, Biagio and Wil! I’m having fun with it!  Now, to learn some new tunes for it– Ash Grove is the only one I have that’s even a little arranged for the double so far. 🙂
Balfour- you should make a video of yourself playing Cherie. I just do mine with an iPad, and even though I’m not using a special mic or anything, it gets the job done. 🙂 Uploading is really straightforward from there. I’ve also used my regular digital camera in the past. That was lower quality, but it was an old camera… 😉
I do tend to avoid lever changes most of the time, but I’m looking forward to having some levers to open up they keys I can play in, and use those tips and tricks Biagio (and others) mentioned.
I like the thought of a tiny Dusty Celtic-pedal harp. Haha! Keep spreading the idea around, and maybe you’ll create a market to convince them to make it…
Thanks Wil and Balfour! (I love my flowers– the poppies and foxglove are pretty much done for the summer, but thankfully the zinnias will be going strong for a few more weeks!) 🙂
And just like that, the harp is holding a tune long enough to really play! What fun! Soon, I hope to get a little something knocked out for a sound sample. 🙂
I’m still going to wait a while for levers, just to make sure it’s stable.
Thank you, Randal! I do hobbies in fits and spurts–other than playing music, that is. 🙂 I also went to art school, and it’s surprising how little actual visual art I make in the grand scheme of things… But it’s ok, I do the hobbies that make me happy when I feel like it, and it is enough.  So, you do hobbies that make you happy, and that is enough, too. I’m on to sewing for a bit now (when I’m not tuning, of course).
Thanks, Balfour! It’s good to hear from you again. 🙂
Biagio– thanks again, that’s helpful! The pegs don’t actually go in far enough. Maybe I sanded off too much wood, but I kind of doubt it… Maybe I can remove them, file them down a bit, and put them back in to get the right length or something. Your tuning method sounds fun! haha 🙂 I actually have been tuning them just a bit sharp, and I think that’s helping too. Maybe in another week or so I can get a sound clip. We’ll see.
Also, I got a photo of it fully finished! (I finally remembered to glue in the medallion…)
