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Interesting, I just discovered after all these years of playing it on pedal harp, that I can play the Nutcracker cadenza to the Waltz of the Flowers on my 36-string Dusty lever harp. The low A that my harp does not have can be achieved by tuning the low C down to that A, (thanks, Gregg!) and the highest note of the cadenza is B, which is already on the harp! Enjoy, my friends!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourI agree, Biagio. Taking the tension off, then trying to put it back on would be very time-consuming and vexing to the harpist. I would just take a regular small-size harp with me. It has not been difficult for me to travel with my smallest harp, my Dusty FH36S, but I have never been on a plane with it, ha, ha!
Have a good day, my friends,
BalfourHi, Taras,
That looks very interesting! I had not thought of silk harp strings in years. They look very vintage. I hope someone responds who knows more about them.
Cheers,
BalfourHope we hear from some more Camac harp owners out there. I know there are many of you who love your harps!
Cheers,
BalfourAll the more reason to keep conductors informed, I dare say. It is the same with the Nutcracker cadenza to the “Waltz of the Flowers.”
Harp Hugs,
BalfourHello Dancingpiper and my friends!
If you own more than one harp, chances are that they are different, particularly a pedal harp and a lever harp. My lever harp has 36 strings, C to C, whereas my pedal harp has 47 strings, C to G. I go from one to the other effortlessly, being very used to both of them. I think you will, too, if you choose to keep your first harp along with your second one.
Happy Harping, everyone!
BalfourHello Gregg and all,
I just checked the prices of the two mentioned harps:
Camac Trianon–$31,900 In Gold–$42,900
L&H 23–$34,000 In Gold–$55,500
I would thoroughly play and test these two models, plus really examine them for superior workmanship, then decide which one “spoke to me.”
Best wishes,
BalfourWe do hope they will come up with at least a discount, Gregg. This sort of thing should not slip by at L&H–it will give a great company a bad reputation! We all know the saying, “a good reputation is won by many acts and lost by ONE!”
Best regards,
Balfour and Carol LynnSo sorry to read about all this, Gregg! At this point, I agree with Wil in the other thread—send this harp back! These things would bug me to death, and also my sweet wife, who just said “these things you are bothered about right now will ALWAYS bother you. Your eye will always go to that!” There is no excuse for this sort of thing from L&H. They should accept the responsibility and settle things appropriately with you, either repair/finishing, or with total replacement. Hope my opinion helps.
Best of luck with this,
BalfourA correction to my last post, above! According to my charts, middle C pedal gut is 1.45 mm, and the same note in lever gut is 1.25 mm. 1.25 is the same as F above middle C is in pedal gut, not the E that I thought it was. Sorry for the error!
Best wishes,
BalfourGregg, lever gut is about three notes thinner in gauge than pedal gut for the same note. Check with Bow Brand to get the string diameters for sure. I don’t have the chart in front of me right now, but I think that it would be like this–for middle C on a pedal harp, one would use an E string gauge (E above middle C) for middle C if you used lever harp gut gauges. Biagio said that the cows don’t know the difference, ha, ha! The gut material is the same for pedal gut and lever gut; it is just a smaller gauge on the lever harp for any given note.
I have played both on Dusty harps. The lever gut feels slightly thinner, of course, and is a little more like the nylons in tension and in sound. When pedal gut is used, there is less sustain and a “tighter” feel when plucking the strings, and you have to work harder to get the tone out of the harp. Too bad you can’t experience this for yourself right now. Maybe you can in the near future.
Best wishes,
BalfourSo glad you are still taking lessons and playing the harp! Interesting to note that Dusty considers the FH36S a “large” harp, since it is their largest model. I always say, “I am taking my small harp to this gig,” when I take my Dusty, ha, ha!
I am glad you chose the natural finish for your 85 CG. According to a L&H representative, the best harps of the best quality of wood receive the natural finish. Any flaws show up there, and would be covered up by stain or ebony lacquer.
Now, if you want to play the pedal harp yourself, you have one–that is great!
Cheers,
BalfourHi, Gregg,
I was fortunate to be able to play a few Dustys with gut strings, and I was disappointed. I love the bright, clear sound of their nylons so much, that the gut strings seemed to make the harps lose that “Dusty sound” that I value so highly. I want that particular sound from my lever harp, totally different than my pedal harp. Otherwise, why have two harps? If a person only had one harp, and loved the sound of a pedal harp, then a gut-strung lever harp would make sense. (Because of the price difference, size, portability, etc.)
To each his own! Good to see all your posts.
Harp Hugs,
Balfour
