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Wonderful news, Sarva–congratulations on choosing the Bardic! It is a great little harp and you cannot go wrong with a Camac!
Best of luck to you,
BalfourWil, thank you so much! I just found your last one (above) in my spam! I had no idea they were going there! I will try to fix it so I get the next notification, ha, ha!
Hello, all! This has been a great thread, even though big hunks of it have apparently disappeared, ha, ha! Sarva, I am really looking forward to hearing about your visit to the Camac shop in Madrid. Their Festival last November here in the USA was just wonderful. I had a chance to play all their different harps at the extensive exhibit, lever harps, and pedal harps much too expensive for me to afford, ha, ha! I personally own a Dusty FH36S in cherry wood that is the nicest lever harp ever built, in my humble opinion, that has beautiful Camac levers on every string, one of the harp’s nicest features. I thanked Jakez Francois personally for letting Dusty and other harp makers use Camac levers–they are the best, in my opinion. (Sarva, I am a professional harpist, both lever and pedal.)
If not for my FH36S, I would have loved to have an Excalibur like my friend Josh Layne recently purchased. But their smaller harps were very nice to play, also. So, I am looking forward to what you find as your very first harp, Sarva. Wishing you all the best and much luck!
Cheers to you all,
BalfourHang in there, Wil! I have not received any “Notifications” that someone has responded to a topic that I have been involved with, in several weeks. I have just been lucky sometimes to find them myself. Usually Kim Rowe responds when she sees something like this, so maybe she just has not seen it yet. Hope they get it resolved. Also hope that “Notify me of follow-up replies via email” is back working again soon.
Best to all of you,
BalfourThanks, Leonard! I figured that if we were TOO far “off-topic,” you should be the one to tell us, since you are the one who started this topic, ha, ha! So, Gretchen, just “get a grip,” my friend! You are certainly entitled to your opinion about bench height, but I know how I was taught and what feels comfortable to me at my age, with arthritic shoulders, knees, etc. Just to check it out, I cranked my bench up a little higher this week, and all the old pain started up as usual, and I could not reach my bass strings as well, which I love to play MUCH! So, I put the height back down to about 19″ (I am 5′ 6″) and I played for about two hours more without additional pain. So, to each his own!
Back to the topic, Leonard, have you experienced the new Camac line of pedal harps? The Atlantide Prestige is my favorite, along with the Canopee, which was newly exhibited at the November 2017 Camac Festival in Washington, DC. The Camacs are much lighter on the shoulder, and also the height of the shoulder end of the harp is lower than other brands of pedal harps. Camacs also seem to universally have a brighter tone than L&H and Salvi, if you like that tonal quality. The overall weight of a Camac Concert Grand is less than other brands, also, the Atlantide being about 77 lbs. compared to the 90+ lbs. of most others. This makes for much easier moving, you know!
I agree that it is wonderful to have blogs like this and the availability of all different kinds of harps and information to choose from. I guess I have said too much here, but I always enjoy reading what others have posted. Hope all of you have a wonderful day, my friends!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourDon’t forget Isabelle Moretti, my all-time favorite! Her La Source, by Hasselmans, is so beautiful! Her live concert at the Camac Festival last November was amazing!
Emma, that was the way I was taught, by the French method, about finding the exact balance point of the harp. That way, very little weight is resting against your knees or your shoulder. Also, the right eye is supposed to be level with the highest C string on the harp. From my observations, most harpists have their benches set too high, which puts them farther away from the bass strings with their left hands. This, coupled with pulling too much weight against their shoulders, makes for very uncomfortable playing for long periods of time. The lower the bench can be for comfortable playing, the better, as this makes it much easier on the legs and feet.
Have a good day, all,
BalfourSusan, I hope you have the answer to your question by now! I don’t have any experience with a Jeep Patriot, but thought I would mention that some person working at the rental agency might measure the available linear distance behind the driver’s seat for you. My sweet wife called dealers and got them to measure all different kinds of vehicles before we went to look at the Subaru Forester. They were all very willing to help, thank goodness!
Best thoughts,
BalfourEmma, I would love to hear you or Sivan play your 23. It seems like it would be just wonderful!
Harp hugs,
BalfourHa, ha, I stopped at just two! But I love to look at and play every harp I can get my hands on, you know!
Oh, friends, I have enjoyed reading your posts here! I am one of the very fortunate musicians who has always worked in music, my passion! Be it ever so humble, I have always been able to make enough money doing what I love. I do confess, one has to be happy with a small income, but if you are doing what you love, life has so much more meaning and enjoyment.
Wishing all of you fellow Americans a very happy July 4th! Cheers, to all of you,
Balfour
You can always check out Subaru! They are coming out with a larger than ever Subaru, an Ascent, I believe, in the near future! We are very happy with our Forester right now, of course, as long as Subaru makes this model large enough for a concert grand harp! Car sizes do change from time to time, but the Forester has been large enough since at least 2015 for a 73″ tall concert grand, and you have the “beauty of all-wheel drive” in bad weather and for off-roading. Bear in mind that I am 5′ 6″ and don’t have to position the front seat very far back–a tall person would not have as much room behind the front seat. The Subaru Outback may have even more linear room than the Forester, which gives one another option. Hope this helps!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourDear Brook, I echo what Kathy said about your back issues. You are continually in our thoughts and prayers. Kathy, you still have to get that Camac Canopee that was so gorgeous at the Festival last November, ha, ha!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourHi, Wendy and Gail,
I don’t know about an Outback, but we can fit a Camac Atlantide Prestige full-size concert grand into our 2017 Subaru Forester. It is a rather tight fit, but my wife and I are short, I am 5′ 6″ and she is under that, so we don’t have the front seats pushed back very far. A tall person with the front seat pushed back would not have as much room in the rear behind the seat. Hope this helps!
Harp Hugs,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)
