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Hi Lyn – yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Take the luthier’s advice, and you’ll come to understand why as you begin playing in more keys. I’m looking forward to seeing the new harp! 🙂
Wow, these are great examples!! I am delighted! Thank you all, I had no idea I would have so many to choose from!
Sherri — I would love to see a video of your husband playing the organ in his flannel and hunter’s hat. That would be so appropriate to our neck of the woods. Do you think you could convince him to do that? 🙂
SKHarp23 will be a great example! The image is good (jeans, t-shirt, shaggy head) and he’s clearly playing with a lot of strength. I’m using DHC for the “not just classical music” part, so classical will work well for the male example. Thanks, Kreig. 🙂
Hi Lyn,
Congratulations on your new harp! I hope you’ll post a picture when it arrives!
Your last question: No matter what key you’re using in at the time, your instrument is a “C” instrument. If you pluck a C string on your harp without the lever engaged, it sounds as a C. Instruments that are “F” instruments, or “Bb” instruments play a C where it is written and actually create an “F” or “Bb” pitch. I believe (someone correct me if I’m wrong, please!) that this only happens with wind/brass/reed instruments.
Your second question: Db and C# are the same pitch on a harp (though I’ve heard that on fretted string instruments they are slightly different). But because your instrument is a diatonic one — it only has seven pitches available per octave — you lose C natural if you engage the lever to create C#.
Your first question: If you tune your harp to C, some of those sharping levers will only be helpful for playing enharmonics (the same note spelled differently — like Db and C#), because you will pretty much never see a lever harp piece written with more than four sharps. Personally, I have not yet come across a piece in four sharps (E Major). Most people will full levers tune their harps to Eb because that enables them to make better use of their investment in levers — you can play from three flats to four sharps (in Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A, and E major and their relative minors) without retuning. If you tune your harp in C, you may never use the A, E, B, or D levers.
Put another way, if your harp is tuned in C and you want to play a piece in Eb without retuning, you’d have to set your harp to D#, G#, and A#. (You probably want to go get your harp or look at a diagram of a fully levered harp to walk through this.) The first problem is that you’ve just lost your D natural (the leading tone!) and G natural. The second problem is that you can’t use your B and E strings because Bnat and Enat are not in the key signature. The third problem is that you either need to rewrite the piece for the enharmonics, or you need to see a Bb on the staff and pluck your A(#) string instead (and likewise for the other enharmonics). So — you end up with a 7-tone scale that looks like this: D#, (E), F, G#, A#, (B), C. If you sharped your E and B to create enharmonics for F and C, so that you could use them, you’d get a scale that looks like this: D#, F, F, G#, A#, C, C. Since levers can only adjust a string’s pitch upward by one-half step, it is just so much easier to tune the harp to Eb. 🙂
I hope that helps!
Edit: We have private messaging now! If you’d like a copy of my lesson (lecture notes in PowerPoint, presentation slides/links in LibreOffice Impress, and an “Anatomy of the Harp” diagram in Word), you can just message me with your email address.
This happens in church during the sign of peace. I tend to fold my hands loosely in front of me and bow slightly at the waist. Accompanied by a smile, it doesn’t give offense. I also do this in company, since I usually don’t have pockets and keep my hands folded the same way.
Well, I wasn’t able to figure out a way to post my lesson plan, but the class went off without a hitch last night. I ended up with three students for my three harps (I found another used Harpsicle), so that worked out perfectly! Two of the students were elementary school music teachers, and one had no musical experience, so it was certainly a challenge to balance the level of information I presented. Fortunately, the non-musical woman was a good sport about it, and I was able to present a little more for the benefit of the teachers without a problem.
Musical anagrams was a big hit! I expanded on it a bit by chording under the words. One student came up with “edge.” First she played it through (E-D-G-E), then we all played it through a few times, then the students played it while I played “CM, GM, GM, CM” underneath to flesh it out. It also gave me a chance to demonstrate the rich, rolling tone of the lower notes of a harp.
The two things I really need to tweak are the tuning portion of the class — which really didn’t go well. At all. — and the support mechanisms for the harps. The Harpsicle floor stand worked very well, as did the stool I used for the Pakistani, but the lap stick for the second Harpsicle was not a good choice. Every student had trouble balancing that harp, which was really a shame since we had such limited time available.
But overall, all three seemed enthusiastic when they left, which of course was my point in teaching the class. 🙂
On the down side. . . there was not a single person from my hometown present, which was a little discouraging. The longest commute to class was about 50 minutes, and it’s good to have that kind of reach — but what I’m trying to do is build a harp community *in* my community! I have another more community-centered venue available, so my next project is going to be adapting this 3-hour college course for a 60-90 minute community class, and then figuring out how to advertise it. I think I’m going to go door-to-door with my pink Harpsicle.
If you’d like a copy of my lesson plan, feel free to be in touch. You’ll find my website in my Profile; my email address is at the bottom of the site. My class notes are in Powerpoint, so I can send them to you that way, or as a PDF (I think). Just let me know which you need.
Many thanks to all of you who offered me your help and advice! I appreciate it so very much!
Woops! How could I forget that [The Harp Connection](http://www.harpconnection.com/LeverRentalProgram.html) also rents harps? They will ship a harp to a renter.
I play lever harp, and my Required list would go more like this (I left off the items that are performance-related):
REQUIRED:
Harp (I don’t need a dust cover because my harp doesn’t have complicated carvings where dust can be trapped)
Tuning key (should come with the harp)
~Electronic tuner
Music stand (I’ve tried to play with the music propped on a bed or desk, and it’s horrible. Make this a sturdy folding one like the Peak stand, and you’ll only need one)
~Hygrometer
Humidifier and dehumidifier (I live n the northeast – wet in the summer, dry in the winter)
Bench/chair (again, make this portable and you’ll only need one)
*~Music
*Replacement strings
*Harp regulation (every year; with a lever harp I can do this myself)“~” Are items you can get inexpensively.
Since your daughter is young, I would also add lessons to her Required list.If you’re looking for rental harps, try the [Atlanta Harp Center](http://stores.atlantaharpcenter.com/-strse-template/harprentals/Page.bok) and the [Virginia Harp Center](http://www.vaharpcenter.com/displayHarps.php?dsp=lever&ty=rental). I *think* they do out-of-state rentals. If you’re going to start with a lever harp and aren’t stuck on getting one that feels like a pedal harp, [Stoney End](http://www.stoneyend.com/_downloads/SE%20Rental%20plan.pdf) also has a rental/rent-to-own program.
How very exciting for your daughter! I hope that your effort pays off in many years of enjoyment for both of you — and rest assured that your ears are going to have a much easier time than your violin-parent friends’. 🙂 My mother still misses my inept but determined piano practicing; I think if I had been playing the harp at that point, she never would have gotten over me leaving the house. . . .
I have a Heartland Sylvan. I love the lines and the materials — between the curves and the figured and birds-eye woods, she is visually *stunning*. Her Truitts are handsome and move very smoothly. Sometimes I still walk into the “harp room” just to take a look – and I’ve had her for over two years. 🙂
I love the warm, even tone; even in nylon, and even in the upper registers, she is never shrill. She has a lovely sustain, especially in the lower registers. My singing voice is light and clear (soprano), and the Sylvan blends with it beautifully, supporting without overpowering. She also sounds amazing with a flute.
Oh – and the Sylvan is a full-range lever harp but very light. I can handle her in all situations without any help, including choir lofts and their notorious stairs!
I have a Harpsicle. I purchased it broken (soundboard separating from soundbox) and repaired it. The people at Tasty Harps were very helpful in telling me what to do, and it was an easy fix.
I find the string spacing a little wide, especially at the top, but it’s close enough to “concert” spacing that I am comfortable loaning it to a student as her learning instrument. The sound is pretty good for what it is, and whenever I touch the strings to demonstrate something in a lesson, I’m surprised again by how firm the tension is in the mid-range. Since it’s baby pink and looks like a toy, I always expect it to feel like one!
Overall, it’s a good little harp for what it is. It’s definitely not a concert-level harp, and I would not want to keep a Harpsicle as my only instrument. Also, since you have some piano training, the Harpsicle would be insufficient — you’ll want levers much sooner than you expect, and you’d be happiest with a Fullsicle. However, if you’re going to spend that much money anyway, you might consider upgrading to the next level right off the bat. Maybe check out the Dusty Strings Ravennas? They’re a little more solidly built, still very portable, relatively inexpensive, and the lever holes come pre-drilled so that you can add them as you need – and can afford – them. Dusty Strings also offers a “Gig bag and tool kit” that comes with all the tools you’d need to regulate their Loveland levers, as well as an instruction book for installing and adjusting them.
If I “warm up”, I do it by reviewing a previously memorized piece (1.5-3 minutes long). I try to practice cold as often as possible, because most of my public playing is done 40 minutes into a Mass, which means 50-60 minutes after I last touched my instrument.
If I’m going to work on exercises, I tend to do it in the middle of a practice session. At that point I’m alert, focused, my hands are settled in, and I learn fastest; since I’ll never need to play exercises in public, that means I never have to practice playing them cold. 🙂
The class will take place Tuesday, February 26, 5:30pm, at the Claremont, NH campus of River Valley Community College. I’m just about done with my “further resources” handout; this week I’m going through my lesson outline and searching for good YouTube videos to plug in where appropriate. When I’m done with that, I’ll print out the whole thing so that I can analyze the plan on paper — I tend to process information better that way.
I’m also looking for a used Harpsicle or two. I just missed out on a $200 one in Maine; I have a lead on a Flatsicle in TX, but the seller is marketing the case separately, which with shipping will most likely put it out of my price range. Plus, I don’t need the levers for this purpose, and would rather not pay for them — my equipment expenses are strictly out-of-pocket. If you hear of a *very* inexpensive, used harp of 26 strings or more, please let me know! If it’s inexpensive enough, it doesn’t have to be in great condition. Just no Pakistanis, please. I know of one I think I can borrow, but I’m not willing to pay for one.
If I don’t find any very cheap harps by the middle of February, I might order a Fireside cardboard harp kit. It depends on how many students are in the class (I want to limit it to 3 students per instrument, and I don’t want to put anyone on my performance harp!). So far I have my repaired pink Harpsicle and the 22-string Pakistani I’m hoping to borrow.
When I have a confident draft of my lesson plan, I’ll try to figure out how to post it.
