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Congratulations, Biagio! I have always wondered about the Cheyenne harp model from Musicmakers. Since the demise of the Southeastern Harp Weekend in Asheville, NC in 2015, I have not been able to play a new MM harp, unfortunately. I have continuously recommended to MM that they needed to feature a 36-string harp, so maybe my comments, along with others, I am sure, were taken into consideration.
Howard, which harp have you selected? I do not have access to the Internet at home, so I lose touch with these forums sometimes–forgive me! Best of luck with the upcoming Holiday season–I am experiencing the same thing, believe me 🙂
Harp Hugs,
BalfourHello, Biagio and all!
I really don’t need to post it again here, since most of you already know that I prefer Camac levers and why. But I just thought that some “new” reader might want to know how many of us prefer a certain brand of lever. I think Dave T.’s explanation on his harp website “says it all.”
Best wishes to all,
BalfourHoward,
I asked Alison at HC to give you my personal e-mail address, but have not heard from her. You may need to ask her for it, if you like.
Best wishes,
BalfourWow, guys, there are many more good posts here since I last saw this forum! Biagio, CL loved the “malt cows” comment! She is still laughing about it!
Howard, I once owned a very nice Ravenna 34 for a number of years. I traded it in on the FH36S in cherry, mainly for financial reasons–you know how that is! I also knew that I would probably never play the Ravenna again, compared to the FH! I do love the built-in pickups–they are a MUST for the kinds of outdoor events I play for. I agree with others who have said, “you cannot go wrong buying a Dusty!” Also, one of the best things, in my opinion, is the Camac levers Dusty is now using on their harps. I had only experienced Lovelands and Truitts before I finally saw Camac levers in Atlanta, GA at the Atlanta Harp Center. I was sold on them immediately! Not only do they SOUND better, but there is no unpleasant rubbing on the Bass strings when levers are flipped during the playing of a piece. The Lovelands used to “scrape” in a very embarrassing way when I performed on lever harp, and there seemed to be no way around it, other than flipping fewer levers, which I do not like to do. The Truitts were better than the Lovelands, but not as easy to use as the Camacs, and their handles always feel “thin” in my fingers. The Camacs are very solid and have a nice, fluid movement.
Howard, it is a fine balance among my instruments, two harps, piano and organ. I dearly love all of them, and they are like magnets drawing me to them, depending on what mood I am in and which one I want to play at that particular point in time. Also, if I have a concert or program coming up, that dictates which instrument will get special attention right now, like my next performance is on the Dusty FH36S. (Yes, I do play a lot of Bach and all sorts of styles of music on the Dusty!) I will ask Harp Column to give you my personal E-Mail address, since I do not want to post it here.
Take care, harp friends!
BalfourHa, ha, Biagio my friend! My sweet wife says to tell you that she is sure there are chocolate-milk cows separate from the regular milk cows and the pedal and lever gut cows!
Thanks everyone, for all these wonderful postings for Howard and the rest of us. Harp Column is always fun!
Best wishes to all of you,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn!)Hello Howard and all my other harp friends!
I am a late-comer to this thread, but I only want to add that I play both pedal harp and lever harp professionally. (Like you, I am also a pianist and organist professionally.) I use traditional “pedal harp” technique on both types of harps, no fingernails on strings, etc. My lever harp is a Dusty Strings FH36S with very nice tension just under that of my Camac Atlantide Prestige concert grand pedal harp. I go from one harp to the other effortlessly, and play both of them “all the time,” ha, ha! Many times I warm up on the Dusty for 30 minutes or so, then really have a work-out on the Camac pedal harp. Like Charles said, the string spacing on the Dusty is very slightly narrower than on the Camac, but not enough to throw me off. The left hand has to do more damping on the pedal harp, of course, because there is another whole octave of bass strings, going down to Low C.
Also, Howard, there are quite a few of us male harpists still around. You are “meeting” a lot of us on this forum!
Harp friends, you have done such a great job answering Howard’s questions, there is very little I could add here. Thanks everyone!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourHello friends!
Be sure to read all about new harpmobiles in the Sept/Oct current edition of Harp Column! They did a wonderful job reviewing some two dozen new cars. Thanks, Alison and Gabrielle, for all your hard work.
Happy Harping!
BalfourSo glad to hear that, Karine! Yes, harps are very personal, indeed. Other than what they sound like, it is how they feel when you play them, and also the visual appeal of the harp itself and what you look like playing it. Also, as has been said here before, the harp just keeps sounding better and better as it ages and comes into its own!
Best wishes,
BalfourBiagio, my friend, thanks for the news about Musicmakers’ new direction! We have met and talked to Jake and Matt personally, and I think they are the very best guys to take over and continue Jerry’s harp business. I understand that Jerry is still involved on a part-time basis, so that is great all around!’
Linda, I hope all this info is helpful to you, too!
Cheers,
BalfourKarine,
I hope that last post of mine did not sound like “you should have bought a Dusty.” I have played very nice L&H Preludes at several different harp centers and I have harp friends who love them. I am sure that yours is a very beautiful harp! Congratulations on your new harp purchase!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourToo bad you didn’t closely examine the Dusty Strings harps! I am a professional pedal harpist and lever harpist, and my personal preference is the Dusty FH36S in figured cherry with Camac levers. I have absolutely no trouble changing from this harp to a Camac Atlantide Prestige concert grand pedal harp, since I play both of these harps all the time and I am used to them. Good luck with your new Prelude!
Best wishes,
BalfourThanks, Biagio! I hope to try some more Musicmakers harps one of these days! We truly miss having the SEHW close by in Asheville, NC. That used to be such fun! Wish someone else would take it over.
Harp Hugs,
BalfourI also can heartily recommend Musicmakers. My sweet wife and I built one of their hammered dulcimers from their very nice kit with very detailed instructions. I also used to own a very fine Large Gothic 36-string harp built specially for me by them. I agree with Biagio, the Voyageur is also very nice, except that I like 36 strings (as a professional harpist) and the one they offer now is the Cheyenne model which I have no experience with.
Good luck choosing a harp kit, and I wish you many pleasant hours of playing the finished harp!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourI actually make the children wash their hands, and then do a “hand-inspection!” Having taught music to children for over thirty years, I seem to know all their little tricks, ha, ha!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourThe answer from me would be “no, do not touch my harp,” unless the child or person can already play the harp, of course. The same thing goes for my piano, organ, clavichord, etc. Musical instruments are not toys, and mine cost far too much to risk damage from children who are not properly supervised by overly-permissive parents these days! I have experienced many parents who say their child can play, and it turns out that they can only beat on the piano or glissando on the harp, usually with dirty, greasy little fingers. I totally agree about the hand-wipes in any event!
