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That was good, Kreig! I have even been hired to play for a wedding because I am a male harpist–the bride did not want a beautiful female harpist to “compete” with her, ha, ha!
I choose which of my harps to use based on the venue. I NEVER play my pedal harp for an outdoor wedding, so it is never an option. If I am playing without amplification, my Large Gothic Musicmakers harp is the choice. If the venue has difficult access, then I use my Ravenna 34, since her case has a convenient shoulder strap so that she can be carried anywhere. The amp I use is small and can run on batteries, so it also can be easily transported. After I choose which harp, my wedding fee is based on that. I personally do charge more for the pedal harp, but the bride and groom are not aware of this–I just don’t mention it! I think that some would just choose the “cheaper” option of the lever harp if they knew that I charged more for using the pedal harp! It also affects the music I will play at the wedding–less chromatics and key changes on the lever harps, of course. I hope this helps!
My best to all of you,
BalfourOkay, here goes–wedding rates for harpists in western North Carolina seem to be around $350, not including the rehearsal. Most of us add $100 or more for an outdoor wedding, and add mileage charges if the destination is more than 20 miles from where we live. I charge for music I have to purchase for special requests, and like Sylvia, perform from memory unless there is not enough time to prepare before the wedding (short notice on the bride & groom’s part!) Also, there is an “inclement weather” policy in my contract.
It is so good to have this forum, Kim! Thanks!
Kim, I was just reading more on the two different forums concerning this, and got them confused. I guess my post should actually be on the wedding gig rates forum. I will enjoy re-reading both now!
Thanks for all you do to make this an excellent place for us to participate with each other to make “harping” better!
Best regards,
BalfourA FASCINATING THREAD, this! Thanks to everyone who has participated in it. Sylvia, come to think of it, I have never been asked to play for a wedding shower, either–I guess I will just leave that up to the female harpists, ha, ha!
In western North Carolina, the “going rate” for a wedding, without attending the rehearsal, seems to be around $350. I tack on an extra fee for the rehearsal, accompanying other musicians/soloists, etc., and also add $100 dollars to the fee if it is an outdoor wedding. Our experiences playing/singing for outdoor weddings have been just unbelievable, trust me!
I do advise putting an inclement weather clause in every outdoor wedding contract, so that we do not endanger our expensive harps or ourselves. Once, when I was playing for an outdoor wedding with a violinist, the bride and groom had “no Plan B,” and we had to wait an hour for the rain to clear up before the wedding prelude could begin. Never again! At least be able to add a “starting late fee” if you do decide to wait out a storm.
I look forward to this thread continuing! Wishing you all the best,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)
Thanks, Mae and Biagio! I sure hope that Dusty Strings brings some gut-strung harps to Asheville for the Southeastern Harp Weekend. I would love to compare gut and nylon on their beautiful harps!
From Carol Lynn:
Hi Gretchen,I too am so sorry to hear about your hand. The technique that the surgeon taught me is not massaging or putting any pressure on the injury at all. It is a gentle stroking, just like stroking the head of a dog or cat. No pressure, just touch. My doctor had me do it even over the bandages. Hope this helps you.
With kindest regards and hopes for a speedy recovery,
Carol LynnI am so sorry to read about this, Gretchen! My wife had a similar accident a few years ago. A ladder fell on her and severed the end of her left thumb. I wrapped it up as best I could and rushed her to Urgent Care. They referred us to the best hand surgeon in Asheville, NC. He was able to re-attach the end of her thumb, and place a “retainer” in the area where her thumb nail had been pulled off, so that the nail grew back normally, eventually. The healing period was long, but her thumb is normal now.
She asked me to tell you to be sure and stroke your finger frequently to help the circulation and the nerves to heal. The surgeon told her that the nerves had a “memory” and by GENTLY stroking her thumb for several minutes at a time it helped her thumb to remember how to “feel” again. We also applied Aloe Vera each morning and night, and I played healing music for her on the harp every day. We wish you a speedy recovery!
Best to all of you,
Balfour and Carol LynnOkay, Mae, you have me intrigued! Does your Dusty FH36 have GUT strings on it? They would surely be “lever gut” unless Dusty built the harp especially to have “pedal gut” strings on it. Also, have you ever played a Ravenna 34 which had lever gut strings on it? Alas, the Atlanta Harp Center was not well-stocked with Dusty harps when I was just there. I was so disappointed, because I wanted to play a Boulevard and judge for myself, after hearing so much about them.
Nag, nag–are we ever going to get to hear/see you play your new double?!!!!! I am so bad, but you are really keeping us in suspense, ha, ha! I am on the road doing a short “concert tour” right now, but found a computer available at the Inn we are staying in.
Best regards to all of you,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)The Southeastern Harp Weekend is happening in Asheville this October, if you want to try many different harps by different makers. DRkatt, I don’t know what area of the country (USA) you will be moving to, but this conference is in Asheville, North Carolina.
Thanks, Biagio and Wil for all the wonderful information. I just played a Camac lever harp with carbon strings, so it is good to know something about them. These are the original strings put on by Camac, and felt rather coarse to my fingers compared to gut and nylon. But I guess one could get used to it. I had to get used to the nylon over nylon on the Ravenna–I got friction noise when I slid up or down on them when placing, so I adjusted my technique to accommodate them.
Thanks to everyone for your posts!
BalfourHi all!
I’m glad to hear that we helped drkatt. It was indeed a stimulating discussion! I guess that is what Harp Column is all about! Welcome, drkatt!
Best wishes,
BalfourWell, Biagio, I am having more and more of those “senior moments” now, too! Good advice, as usual. I hoped you would reply about the fluorocarbon strings, as I have had no experience with them. I agree about the fact that I have to replace my nylons more often than the guts because they go false and sound tinny after a while. It has been ages since I had a false gut string–they always break before they go false, and in the middle of the night, ha, ha! We get awake and say to each other “wonder which harp-princess broke that string?” ha, ha!
Best to all of you,
BalfourI have enjoyed reading all the posts–very interesting! My question now is “has anyone played a Ravenna 34 strung with lever gut?”
My Ravenna sounds so good with nylon and wire that I have really never considered restringing her with gut, even though I prefer gut on my other harps. Also, I gig with Ravenna much more than I do with the other two, so nylon seems to be the most durable in changing climates. We have high humidity in the summer and low humidity in the winter, so I am constantly dealing with that when I take a harp out.
Another point to consider is the individual harp. All Ravennas are not equal! I found that out on my recent trip to the Atlanta Harp Center. Mine is superior to all the other Ravennas that I have played. Did I just get lucky or something? Tacye, maybe that is the problem–the Ravennas you have played are not as special as mine! The day I found Ravenna, the harpist for the Atlanta Symphony was in the shop. I got her to play my Ravenna so that I could hear someone else play her before the final purchase. The Atlanta pedal harpist was so impressed with my harp that she told the store manager that she would buy this harp herself if I decided not to!
So, drkatt, I hope you can actually pick out your future harp and really “test drive” it a while before you decide. All harps are very individual!
My best to everyone,
Balfour
