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I was playing with a group of other harpists today at an event, and during a break, I overheard one of my friends – an accomplished harpist – explaining the levers on her Heartland Delight CF harp and how they worked to a bystander. The bystander then said “So this is just a learning harp, right?”
Hi, Roger:
There are two books you might want to look into: Harp Scoring by Stanley Chaloupka and Writing for the Pedal Harp by Ruth K. Inglefield and Lou Anne Neill. It may not help with this particular project, but they’d be worth having if you write more for the harp. I think they may be available through Vanderbilt Music, but I’m not sure. Hope this helps!Cheers,
AndyI’d like to see an article about Rhett Barnwell…not only an accomplished performer on pedal and lever harp, but a composer/arranger as well – not to mention just an all-around nice guy!
I love my Camac Athena concert grand, and the Clio I had before that. I love the sound, the evenness top to bottom, and the ease of playing. Price was a contributing factor, as well as not having to worry about replacing pedal felts, and being able to do so much of the regulation myself. Having said that, I’ve tried a few that I didn’t like so much, and some Venus, L&H, and Salvis that I loved. It’s really best to try as many harps as possible and then pick the one that speaks to you! When I picked out my Athena, I tried all the pedal harps at the Atlanta Harp Center, and I realized that I was smiling ever time I played that one. I’ve never regretted it.
There’s also an arrangement of Edelweiss for pedal or lever harp in the Rogers & Hammerstein for the Harp collection arranged by Deborah Friou.
Before I got my concert grand, I had an ebony Camac Clio, with the lowest string 6th F. I literally could not see the black F wire against the column, so I changed it out for copper. I couldn’t tell a difference in the sound myself, though.
Hi, Frank:
Having played a McFall (it was my first really good harp, and I had it for several years), and now an Ogden as my lever harp, I hope you don’t mind hearing my opinion…The Odgen is smaller, but it is still quite heavy for a harp of that size. I find it difficult to carry in the case for any distance. I’d rather move it on a dolly for all it’s smaller size. Also, the string tension is very similar as the McFall – they both use concert strings – so that would not be a great improvement. Have you considered the Thormahlen harps? I had a Serenade model for awhile, and the tension was noticably less, and the weight close to 1/3 less than the Ogden. It still had considerable volume and a great tone. Just my experience, for what it’s worth.Cheers,
AndyWell, as far as I’m concerned, regardless of the differences between the old and new site, I greatly appreciate all the hard work that you, Kimberly, and Brock have done on this project. I can’t even imagine the hours and hours you two have put in on this, all to provide a service that’s free and accessible to all harpists everywhere. Thanks so much for all your hard work!
Cheers,
AndyAlso, many patterns of carpet or flooring make it difficult to see your strings…they’ll “disappear” against certain colors or patterns. Some people use a piece of cloth or carpeting to make it easier to see the strings.
Hi, Anja:
Sylvia Woods has an arrangement of “Over the Rainbow” for lever harp that is quite nice. It’s also available as a PDF, so you can download it and print it from your computer.
Cheers,
Andy
Rhett Barnwell has done a beautiful arrangement of How Great Thou Art that can be played on pedal or lever harp. It comes with two versions, one in G and one in Eb. I think I got my copy from the Atlanta Harp Center, but anyone who carries his music should have it.
Cheers,
Andy
Hi, Angela:
I have an arrangement I did of this, but it’s not as easy as SW, and the lever changes are many and tricky. If you’re interested, email me and I’ll scan it and send it to you.
Cheers,
Andy
I use Burgundy on my Athena and also on the Clio I had before. I think they sound great, even better to me than the original Camac strings, and much cheaper.
Cheers,
Andy
Hi, Sherry:
Just remember this. There’s only one person who has to approve of your interest in lever harps – YOU! No one else’s opinion on this matters in the least. As long as YOU are happy with lever harp, don’t let such small comments bother you! I play both a concert grand pedal harp, and a 34-string lever harp, and there are times when I’m SO glad to have the pedals, and times when I’m SO
Hi, Shelby: Catherine’s right about the temperature. While your mom is correct that harps are shipped all over the country in cardboard boxes in trucks, they also aren’t shipped if the temperature is outside a certain range. Living in Florida, I’ve had to wait for it to be cool enough in the southern half of the country to get a new harp shipped from up north. I’ve also had to wait for it to be warm enough for a harp to be shipped from Chicago. Harps can be packaged and cushioned well enough, but that doesn’t mean it won’t get hot enough to damage the finish or weaken the glue. If you wouldn’t endure the temp, your harp shouldn’t.
