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I have found that gut strings can last and still sound good for many years. They also stretch and hold their pitch faster than nylons. The upper ones are indeed the ones that break occasionally, but the replacement string sets usually will have enough length so that one string can actually make two replacements, if carefully put on the harp without much waste. (Do NOT use one string to make two different notes, however! Put on only the gage specified by the harp maker.) I buy them in octave sets so that they are cheaper, and please do remember to check out Burgundy gut. It sounds just as good as the regular Bow brand, with slight visual imperfections which certainly makes no difference to me.
I have not had the pleasure of playing the Dusty Boulevard, but I LOVE my Ravenna 34! I do not have gut strings on the Ravenna, but my other two harps have them and to me, there is nothing else that equals the sound of gut–it is much superior! The Ravenna can be strung with gut–check Dusty’s website. Of course, it would be Lever Gut, slightly thinner and lower tension than Pedal Gut. Hope this helps!
My best to you,
BalfourVery nice, Allison! I love to hear anything you post, and you are learning the wire-strung technique very well (coming from someone who does not play the wire-strung, ha, ha!)
Have a great day!
BalfourHi, Brian!
I’m glad you did “hijack” this thread! (You really did not hijack it, all comments are welcome!) I somehow missed your first post of the carbon fiber harp (Obsidia). I, for one, would love for you to start a thread about how you built this beautiful little harp. It is so sweet that you made it for your wife–I do similar things for my sweet wife of 39 years. The lights are real nice, too!
My best to you,
BalfourI have been reading Sam Pratt’s book “Affairs of the Harp.” It is a very informative book, but bear in mind that it was published in 1964 and is “dated.” The cartoons are great, however. For clarity, organization and expert instructions, I still prefer Carl Swanson’s!
That is great, Sonya! I tried to convince Tom and Scot to come to Asheville, NC on their way to Atlanta, but I don’t think they had enough interest to make it worth stopping in Asheville. My wife and I enjoyed the three-hour trip (one way) to Atlanta and celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary “along the way!”
Hello, Allison!
That was absolutely beautiful! (What Biagio said, too!) Thanks so much for letting us see and hear you play this gorgeous harp. My sweet wife said “it sounds so Medieval and wonderful!” Now if we can get Mae to do the same thing!!!????
All the best to you,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)Hi, Wil and Allison!
Wil, you were so good to remember that Allison’s harp was due! I have been so busy, I forgot. I love cherry wood–in high school, I designed and built a harpsichord out of cherry. My dad and I had cut down a cherry tree which grew too near our house, so, we were able to dry and use some of that actual tree in the harpsichord, along with other cherry lumber I bought. One of my dear younger cousins in Texas has the harpsichord, now, and really enjoys playing it!
Best to all of you,
BalfourHappiness is a well-regulated pedal harp! I just wanted to say that Tom Bell and Scot Baker did an outstanding job on my “Eglantine” harp in Atlanta. I heartily recommend them to anyone needing a perfect regulation–my harp has never sounded better, and I am very particular!
Best to all of you,
BalfourHi Mae, and all,
I think all of us would just be happy to see/hear a video of you playing arpeggios/chords, etc. on that beautiful new harp. We are not expecting Yolanda K. or anybody like that, ha, ha! You have nothing to fear–we love you!
Sincerely,
BalfourHow exciting, Allison! I know you are going to do an outstanding job like Mae did, and I too want to see/hear some videos!
Best wishes to all of you,
BalfourThanks, Biagio, for what you wrote. Going along with that, I once had a friend who wanted to trade in her 44-string Camac pedal harp for a new harp. I went along to help her play and listen to her possibilities in a new harp. She played all the pedal harps at the Atlanta Harp Center, about 14, I think, and picked out three “semi-finalists.” Unable to make up her mind, I suggested a “blind” test. I also included her old harp in the tests. Guess which one she picked! You’re correct, she picked her old harp every time! So to make a long story short, she kept the harp she had and was very happy with it after that. Age does make a huge difference!
Best wishes,
BalfourWell, the May/June print edition of the HC magazine just arrived! It is a great one! I really enjoyed the Strange But True wedding story. I hope the editors keep the wedding stories coming, since I play for so many of them myself. You never know what is going to happen at a wedding!
I got a bit side-tracked, but I wanted to tell you all about the most recent “harp-comment” that I heard at a last week concert I did for the local county arts council. A man I have known for some years came up to me after the program and said, “my, you have really improved!” Now, I have only been performing professionally since I was about eight years old, so how does one respond to that?!!! I guess that I just had to take it as a compliment, since I am 60 now, and it is nice to know that one can improve at this age, ha, ha!
Hope you all have a great evening!
Best thoughts,
BalfourThanks, Carl—very soon I will have my harp professionally regulated in Atlanta, and I know Tom will use the piano bushing cloth. I just wondered if leather was an alternative, but I have always liked the bushing cloth. My pedals move very smoothly with very little sound as long as I pedal carefully, of course!
Good day to everyone!
Balfour
