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That was great, Biagio, my friend! If Michael wants to replace that soundboard, this will tell him exactly how to do it. Thanks for posting!
Have a great day, my harp friends,
BalfourI have the highest praise for this new edition of Tournier’s pieces, Jerusha! The old editions were so much trouble to read and figure out what to do, that it made learning the gorgeous pieces a real chore. Not so this new edition! I can now sight-read these pieces as easily as I can read and play them on the piano, which is really saying a lot! It has been so nice to be able to enjoy Carl’s amazing work during this time of “sheltering at home.” I totally recommend all of Carl’s new editions–look them up on his website!
Best to all,
BalfourI agree with Paul about the lever harp gauge of strings for your harp, Michael. I can see no use in increasing the tension to pedal harp standard, and I believe the smaller gauge lever gut strings might even sound better on the Troubadour. I owned a Musicmakers Large Gothic 36 for years and it sounded lovely with lever gut strings.
Also, do not worry about the laminated soundboard versus the solid spruce one. I owned a Ravenna 34 for years that had one of the best tones of any harp I have ever had, and the Ravennas have laminated birch soundboards, as do the harps by Musicmakers. Of course, I prefer the solid boards on my Dusty FH36S and Camac Atlantide Prestige, but laminated ones can be quite successful if the wood is of very fine quality.
Best of luck bringing your Troubadour back to life. This has been a good thread!
Cheers and harp hugs,
BalfourFrom Wil-Weten: I just saw that my L&H Prelude (new in 2018) seems to have more or less the same kind of soundboard.
At the inside there’s no clear grain visible (contrary to my Camac and Salvi lever harps which do have a clear horizontal grain on the inside).
The inside of the Prelude’s soundboard seems to be made of some horizontally cut plates (their colours vary a bit).
So, if Carl is right (and I’m afraid he is) that the old L&H Troubadour has a plywood soundboard, my Prelude has one too. Yet, it still says on the website that the soundboard is made of Pacific Northwest/Northern Midwest Sitka Spruce.
Michael, does your harp stand in a room with a relative humidity somewhere between 45 and 55% in order to avoid cracks caused by a too low humidity?
Harpist 123–how neat! We used to own a 2002 Honda CRV that had a folding picnic table in the back to cover the compartment below. I never thought of using it to place a harp on, but I bet it would have worked! It seems you have re-invented this idea for your Jeep! We could add legs or a folding stand to place our plywood pieces on and have a nice picnic table. My sweet wife would love it!
Cheers to all,
BalfourHi, Lauren,
I just measured my plywood for you: it is 3/4″ thick, 30″ wide, and 42″ long. My rubber-backed rug is just slightly smaller than that, to fit on top of the plywood very well. The plywood piece could be used without the rug to increase sound projection, if I were on very level, firm ground. I was just thinking of staining or painting it to make it look nice when not using the rug, thanks to Harpist 123! Great idea!
I will add that I perform without music or music stand, so if you need room for the stand, increase the width of the plywood. I hope all this works well for you, and happy harping!
Best,
BalfourI agree about the hard wood surface being better for sound projection, but the rug with rubber backing is to keep me and my harp from slipping on uneven, unstable terrain. You would not believe some of the situations I have encountered in my long career of doing this, ha, ha! That was a very good post, though, and thanks for sharing, Harpist 123.
Harp Hugs and cheers,
BalfourLauren,
I have used a heavy rug with rubber backing to play my lever harp (Dusty FH 36S) for graveside services. Also, for further support, you may wish to use a piece of plywood, about 4’x4′ under the rug. Measure off a square or rectangular area in your practice room to see exactly what size plywood would accomodate you and the harp, and it needs to be about 3/4″ thick. If the ground is damp, place a piece of plastic down under the plywood and rug.
I hope this helps!
Have a great harp day,
BalfourHello Davy and Andre!
I agree with Elizabeth, this is lovely. Sorry I missed this when you originally posted it–thanks, Elizabeth for discovering it!
Andre, the melody of this Air is wonderful on the flute, and Davy could accompany you on the harp!
Wishing you all much happy playing,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)This is still one of my favorite pieces! Debussy was not the only composer who wasn’t totally appreciated during his lifetime, that seems to be the norm, unfortunately. I am thankful that enough musicians and audiences eventually recognized Debussy’s genius!
Have a great day, harp friends,
BalfourI agree, keep your lever harp, too! I play both lever and pedal equally, but find that I take the lever harp out more often than the pedal!
Best wishes and harp hugs,
BalfourI am one harpist who likes good tension on my strings! I use pretty traditional classical technique which works well for all kinds of music. I can play “fast” on my Camac Atlantide Prestige concert grand pedal harp or my Dusty Strings FH36S. Of course I do not use my nails like some Celtic harp players do, and in that event, you might need lighter tension strings more like on a guitar to get the sound you desire.
I hope this helps. I play all kinds of music on both my harps and do not worry too much about a certain type of harp for a certain kind of music. I guess it is sort of like playing harpsichord music on a piano, or piano music on a harp–I say, whatever you like, ha, ha! Of course, for more formal, academic, period performances of great music, it is far better to have the authentic instruments on which to play.
Have a great day!
BalfourThanks, Carl! I wanted to add that I got out my older editions of some of the Tournier pieces, with all the “marks” and corrections on them, and after a few years of not playing these pieces, they become so difficult to play and relearn. Then, I opened your book to the same pieces, and read them off like a charm! Bravo! I could sight-read them as easily as I can sit down to the piano and play them, thanks to you. I just cannot say enough good things about these new offerings. Keep up the great work!
Best wishes,
Balfour
