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Sorry to hear about your loss. I would suggest contacting Glenn Hill at Mountain Glen Harps. http://www.mountainglenharps.com
He does all kinds of custom work, and I would think he could help make an estimate (he actually installed his own giant harp sculpture at the Guinness brewery in Dublin just yesterday).
I love the “hijacked” direction this has taken. 🙂
Janis- I like the idea of making real music with instruments otherwise perceived as “toys” or whatever. Very cool.
Somewhat along those lines is a small, portable instrument I desperately want: a Sansula! http://shop.kalimbamagic.com/category.sc?categoryId=8It has such a beautiful, mellow sound. I tried one at a percussion workshop last year, and it was my favorite instrument in the collection–and that includes the Hang-Hang and the wooden tongue drum the instructor had there. (Did I mention I have this problem of always wanting my own of every new instrument I meet? Haha)
Back to harp strings: my wire doesn’t have wound strings, and I like it that way. I’ve played some with wound bass strings before, and I just don’t like that sound with nails. My nylon harp has lots of wound metal and nylon strings, but that doesn’t bother me at all since my nails aren’t scraping the ridges when I play. 🙂
I also love Patrick Ball’s harp. Biagio- you’re still working on a high-headed wire harp, right?
Thanks, Randal! No, it’s not brand new, but it hasn’t been played much, apparently. The person I bought it from thought it might be easier on her joints than her other harps, but decided to go a different route. I think she bought it from someone else who changed their mind about wire, too. It’s in pretty good shape, and I was pleased it came with wire for new strings… I’m hoping my excessive string-breaking is coming to an end now! Like you, I’ve decided to keep it tuned just a little below pitch while I get used to it to help with that.
I’m glad you have a string solution that’s working for you! If you have any recording of your harp, I’d love to hear it. 🙂
Thanks, Biagio, I will check out the videos. Looks like a great resource!
And yeah, I’ve noticed that it’s not necessarily higher tension–the lower range strings move more when plucked than I thought they would. They also sound the best right now, too, (this harp actually sounds really good when it’s in tune!) because the previously-broken-so-still-settling-in ones are in the high octave… 🙂 Actually, the top 2 strings sound pretty bad (and they haven’t been broken) so I’m going to see if anything can be done about that once the rest are settled in. But the rest is great when it’s in tune 🙂Haha-no thanks on the double. My hands are full! 😉
(…aaaaand I’ve still got my own double on the way that I ordered long before this wire deal came up… it’s a totally unexpected gluttony of new harps around here. It’s gonna be an interesting juggling act this summer, trying to tune and learn two new harps, and keep my chops on the original… What have I DONE?! Haha I’m not actually complaining. It’s totally a first-world problem, I know.)Janis- thanks! And LOL!
I am totally a person who hears about a new kind of instrument, and then immediately feels the need to acquire said instrument… Lack of funds usually helps me stave off the urge and/or makes me plan ahead, though. haha
If this helps at all: I’ve broken and had to change 4 strings so far! Ugh! I knew going into it that brass strings are waaaaay different than nylon, but even trying to be very gradual with tuning it, it has been quite a challenge. So really, the harp and I are still getting acquainted, and we’re not quite friends just now. If I were to name it, and do so today, I might call it “bear” or “mule”… 😉
This isn’t new, but when people ask me the “don’t you wish you played the flute?” one, I get to smile and say, “Actually, I DID play flute (and piccolo), but I like the harp a lot more.”
I recently harped for our school district’s music program fundraiser, and the MC stopped me mid-set (just a few tunes, it was a variety show) to ask me questions about the “Seltic” harp. She also asked the flute question. 🙂
And, instead of just asking me to tell a bit about it, or explain the strings/levers, she would offer her speculations and made-up names. Then I would have to try to explain harp reality without seeming like I was contradicting everything she said! “Oooooh and the button-thingys up at the tops of the strings, are they decorations? They’re pretty!” (And I’m thinking: Oh, the levers? That I literally just explained and demonstrated? Can I just play my next tune now please?)
Haha It was cute…I don’t think there are any books for 12 strings, though someone correct me if I’m wrong. With only a 12-note range, you’ll likely be sticking mostly to playing the melodies of tunes.
If you find yourself wanting more strings to play more complex tunes, I would suggest looking into Harpsicles or the Waring Harp. I used a Waring harp for a year, and it was really quite enjoyable. Yes, it has a cardboard soundbox, but it had just as good a sound as my old Heather harp did–possibly even a bit better! I had fun decorating the soundbox before assembling, and it really worked well for such an inexpensive harp.
(I started on one of the rosewood/Pakistani/Roosebeck harps, too. I think I got super lucky in that mine held a tune pretty well, and didn’t crack or warp while I owned it. The levers were absolutely terrible, but the harp worked well for me for a couple years. Most others who own one aren’t so lucky, I gather.)
Anyway, I don’t think this has been particularly helpful (sorry), but I hope you have fun playing. 🙂Here’s a link to the Waring instruments site:
http://www.waringmusic.com/waring-instruments/I’ve heard playing uilleann pipes referred to as “wrestling the octopus” and that seems pretty accurate to me! I love how they sound.
I love all the variations you get with folk music. The regional “dialects” fascinate me. I have to admit–since Biagio mentioned it– I am one who tends to play “The Orange Rogue” legato and slow… But I do it knowing that it’s not how it’s meant, so I figure that makes it ok… ?
Sorry, this comment has nothing to do with alternate tunings. 😉Ah, this prompted me to get out my copy of the DVD again. 🙂 I really like it and have learned a lot using it. I think maybe the reason she said Inisheer was Scottish might have just been a simple mistake, in that she was teaching the “snap” ornament at that moment and it makes things sound Scottish. So, despite the fact that Inisheer was written in the 70’s, by an Irish man, about an Irish island, I could totally see a slip-up happening if you’re trying to teach a certain technique like that. Also, I know there are some very distinctive traits to each one, but Irish and Scottish music have a LOT of similarities to each other. I know I’ve accidentally gotten some details wrong when I explain the background of the tunes I play for residents at the nursing home. 😉
edit: Just noticed I cross-posted this when Biagio was also posting. Apologies for any redundancy or non-sense-making… 🙂
I’ve gotten used to the feel of intervals on my harp over time, but I frequently glance from hands to page when playing from printed music (and very much when I’m still learning a piece). Once I actually know a tune, I find that I do play the right hand mostly by feel/ear, but even then I have to look to make sure I’m hitting the right notes after a jump, etc. Like Balfour said, I think it’s completely normal to look at your hands at least periodically when playing.
