Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Molly, good luck on your hour of playing! Since we were talking about 45 minutes of actual prepared music, I forgot that you actually have an hour to play. You said “I booked my first paying event this week which I’m very excited about. I’ve been hired to play background music for an hour for a Mother’s Day tea, etc.” But I am sure you will be fine, just repeat some “out of order,” and it will sound as if you planned it that way!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourMolly, congratulations on getting your first paying gig! I bet you have enough music to play, with some variations and improvisation thrown into the mix. Since it is background music, most people will just be enjoying it, but not paying too much attention to “what you play.” If I play tunes people know, sometimes I will have just finished one, and then someone comes up and requests that I play that exact piece! I guess they heard it only subconsciously, ha, ha! So, you could get away with repeating some in a 45-minute program, if you need to. Just don’t do what I heard a wedding organist do a few years ago! He played 30 minutes of pre-wedding music, then when the wedding was delayed for another 15 minutes, he started over on his program, playing it exactly the same way in the same order!
Good luck with your gig!
Harp Hugs,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)https://www.shrewedfox.com/forte-levers This tells all about the Forte levers! They seem to have much to recommend them, and look good, all metal, with choice of silver or gold. There is even a separate Youtube video showing how they work and slide up the string to sharp a note. I still prefer the direct, no slide action on the string, of the Camac levers, though. The Forte levers are advertised as being light weight, probably lighter in weight than the Camacs. I have never examined a Forte lever in person, however, so maybe I’ll get the opportunity some day!
Happy Harping, friends!
BalfourDavid, it is wonderful that you are sharing these edits with other harpists! Thank You!
Best wishes,
BalfourYou’re welcome, Dancingpiper! I bet your harp is totally beautiful, like my Cherie. Walnut is also one of my favorite woods, but Cherie stole my heart! She has the beautiful Celtic-knot abalone inlay on the pillar, along with the Camac levers and built-in pickup. I picked her out at the Southeastern Harp Weekend that used to be here in Asheville, NC. I enjoyed playing all of the harps that Dusty Strings brought to the conference, and was not intending to buy a harp then. But when I found Cherie, I could not let her get away–she is one of a kind, one of the first ones they made in cherry.
So glad you rediscovered your Korg tuner! Those high notes on the FH36S are nice and pure, so I enjoy tuning them by ear, too. After a year or so, I restring them up there, so they stay nice and pure, ha, ha!
Happy Harping with your outstanding new harp!
BalfourTara, I owned a harp with Loveland levers on it, and the horrible scraping sound they made on the bass wire strings drove me crazy. The Camac levers do not do this, with their ingenious design, and are easy to manage while playing. It is always a good idea to muffle strings that may still be sounding before changing a lever, just like you have to do on a pedal harp, before changing a pedal, especially in the Bass. Like Carl Swanson has said, we do a lot of slight-of-hand when we play a harp, ha, ha!
I forgot to ask you what wood you picked for your wonderful new Dusty FH36S! I bought my FH36S in 2015, and she (Cherie) is made from the most gorgeous figured-cherry, and has the warm, bright tone to match. When I play her, it is like biting into a chocolate-covered cherry, my favorite!
I can tune Cherie completely with the KORG CA-30, although I prefer my own ear, ha, ha! The very highest strings can be played comparing them with their lower octave (already tuned note!) while looking at the tuner, and it works better than just plucking the high string by itself. They don’t ring long enough up there for the machine to adequately “hear” them.
Hope this helps, and enjoy playing your new beauty!
BalfourI use a KORG chromatic tuner CA-30, with pickup, to tune my harps. I only tune the middle of the harp with the tuner, then use octaves, 4ths and 5ths to tune higher and lower on the harp. I am a professional piano tuner, also, and have a much more elaborate KORG tuner for doing pianos. But I find that the small CA-30 does just as well as the larger KORG for the harps. On keyboard instruments, you are tuning and tempering all the chromatic notes, whereas, on the harp, you only have diatonic notes, much more simple to get a good temperament! I rely mostly on the KORG tuner to establish and maintain standard A=440, but I very often tune the harps just by ear.
Happy tuning,
BalfourGood answer, Charles. Tara, Dusty Strings Harpmakers still use Loveland levers on their harps, but they are beginning to use Camac levers more, as harpists request and expect them. It would have been a deal-breaker when I bought my FH36S if it had not come with Camac levers! There may be other makers out there who also still use the Lovelands, but you can ask and find out before you buy your next harp.
Have a great day,
BalfourFor lever harpists, I will post a suggested scale, at least a place to start, with the New Nylgut NGH strings by Aquila. The following scale would also work as a “light-tension” alternative for Pedal Harp. If your lever harp uses Lever Gut strings, just go by that stringing chart. Nylgut is the same density and scale as real gut. If converting from nylon, check with Aquila to get the formula! Remember, do not use thicker gauges than your harp can stand!
0G–.42
0F–.44 Black
1E–.46mm
1D–.48
1C–.50 Red
1B–.52
1A–.54
1G–.56
1F–.60 Black
2E–.62
2D–.66
2C–.68 Red
2B–.70
2A–.76
2G–.79
2F–.82 Black
3E–.85
3D–.88
3C–.91 Red
3B–.94
3A–.97
3G–1.00mm
3F–1.08 Black
4E–1.12
4D–1.16
4C–1.20 Red
4B–1.24
4A–1.28
4G–1.40
4F–1.45 Black
5E–1.50mm
5D–1.60
5C–1.70 Red
5B–1.80
5A–1.90mmNote to Lever Harpists:
If you are planning to use the New Nylgut (NGH) strings on your lever harp, you need to use smaller gauges than what I have posted here for standard pedal harps. I recommend using one gauge smaller in the First Octave, two gauges smaller in the Second Octave, and three gauges smaller in the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Octaves. You will need to specify “red C’s and black F’s.”
The exception to this would be if you have a lever harp with standard pedal harp stringing, such as a L&H Prelude. Also, on lever-gut stringing charts for most lever harps, such as Dusty Strings, you can just use the same gauge for the New Nylgut (NGH) that they recommend for real gut. If you have a gauge for a real gut string, and that exact gauge is not available in Nylgut, just use the next available gauge smaller in Nylgut. That way, you will not be putting too much tension and strain on your harp.
If you have nylon strings and want to convert to New Nylgut, Aquila USA will help you do the conversions. Nylgut gauges are smaller than nylon for the same note, just like real gut.
I hope this information is helpful.
Harp Hugs,
BalfourHello Harper10!
I think that a graduate harp performance major might be an excellent choice, but it all depends on the individual. Does this person already teach other students, and are the students successfully learning how to play the harp? Might there be masterclasses or recitals offered by the graduate student, so that by attending one, you might “sample” their performing ability, teaching methods, student results, etc.? Every teacher has to start somewhere. If everyone held out for an “experienced” teacher, a new teacher would never get any students and would never have the chance to teach anyone and get experience!
Hope this helps.
Harp Hugs and best wishes,
Balfour
