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Hi Lauran, Charles, and Biagio,
Great posts here! Lauran, I am a little surprised that you even kept the L&H after you bought the Dusty FH36S and love it so much. The only lever harp I own now is a cherry FH36S, and the only other harp I own that I love as much as the Dusty is a Camac Atlantide Prestige concert grand pedal harp. I sold all my other harps in favor of just these two. It was unfair to expect my former harps to compete with my current two, and I knew I would never wish to play those former harps again, when I could be playing my current two.
If you enjoy the tonal (and tension) difference between the two harps, then play both, by all means. But I am like you, I am spoiled by the Dusty (and the Camac!). I don’t think that changing the strings would make too much of a difference, unless you did what Biagio suggested and also change the soundboard. However you decide, I wish you good luck in this.
Harp Hugs everyone,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)My dear friends, please see the other thread by Harp57 called “Salvi Orchestra Model Help” in which we have just been informed that a lovely black Camac Excaliber lever harp has already been purchased at the Virginia Harp Center. It was so nice of you, Biagio, and Gretchen, to respond to this thread, though.
Have a wonderful day,
BalfourThanks, Christy! Best wishes for all of this working out so that you and your daughter can enjoy a gorgeous harp!
Harp Hugs,
Balfour and Carol LynnThat is wonderful news! Congratulations! We wish you many hours of embracing and playing that beautiful harp!
Harp Hugs,
Balfour and Carol LynnGregg is correct–my original model of the K2 Harp Caddy with the 5″ lip works great for my concert grand pedal harp, and every lever harp I have ever owned. The 8″ larger lip, or the 6″ lip on the other brand would also work well, I’m sure. The smaller size lip is easier to store, and to put in the car along with the harp, and that is probably the only advantage of the 5″ lip.
Have a great harp day my friends!
BalfourL, the only carbon fiber harps I know about are made by Heartland Harps, here in North Carolina. While I do not care for the tone of them, Dave does make them out of rust-proof materials. If he made your harp, you should check with him to find out why the strings are rusting. Then, if you restring, in about a year as Gretchen suggested, use tarnish-resistant strings.
Best wishes,
BalfourAs a piano, organ, and harp teacher for many years, I can say that most children I taught had very strong little fingers, especially the boys. I liked for the harp students to first study piano for at least a year before I started them on harp. That way, they could get acquainted with reading music at the keyboard without the additional struggle of plucking the harp strings. They could also develop hand/eye coordination before plucking harp strings.
I agree with Gregg, have your daughter try plucking the strings on the Prelude, with just thumbs and 2nd fingers, or maybe 3rd fingers, to see how she does. (4th fingers take longer to develop on harp, and 5th fingers are not used at all.) If the strings are just too much for her at 6 years old, maybe a Harpsicle by Rees harps would work well to get her started. Gregg could tell you all about those.
I hope some of this helps, Christy!
Harp Hugs from both of us,
Balfour and Carol LynnThanks, Gretchen, tarnish resistant wires are my favorite, too, and are a must-have during our damp Summer months here in North Carolina. I heartily recommend them, L, and would also like more info.
Hi again, Christy,
Be sure to look for Isabelle Moretti playing the Atlantide Prestige harp on Youtube. She is one of our favorite harpists of all time, and we met her, spent time with her (with our harp!) and heard a wonderful concert played by her, at the Camac Harp Festival in Washington, DC, back in 2017.
That is wonderful that you would be able to get that Prelude “right off the floor” at your local music shop! We do hope all goes well with the financing, as that sounds like the “perfect harp” for you and your daughter. We have experienced very young children not having any problem whatsoever plucking pedal harp tension strings, so I wouldn’t worry about that. It is all a matter of technique. You might like to invest in a harp caddy for ease in moving the harp, and ours was made by K2 Harp Caddies. It is the 6-wheel original model, for climbing steps. Your local music shop should be able to assist you with all the accessories and particulars.
Wishing you all the best,
Balfour and Carol Lynn
