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If your budget extends to lessons (a very good idea), your best bet is to find a teacher first. They often have harps to rent to their students.
This works fine if you are looking at huge square vehicles, but for smaller cars, cars with angled back windows, it’s totally possible for the cover to fit fine but for there not to be enough height clearance for the base of the harp, so don’t rely only on this, although it can be useful for weeding out definite no-goes.
Unlike Saul, I NEVER put anything damp on a gut string, so there are different schools of thought on this. A wipe with a dry soft cloth (you’ll have to do each string separately to get the part where the fingers actually touch) should do it.
Yeah, it’s not always possible, but there’s usually a spot near the turn that would only require memorizing a few measures.
For some pieces, like La Source, for example, there’s just no way, though. Sometimes you have to memorize or have a turner, unfortunately.
I wouldn’t think there’s any way on earth you could get a whole set of nylons to hold pitch in a week’s time, even if you had people tuning in relays 24/7 until then.
And some smart lever harpists charge the same and pocket the difference. I believe Ray Pool said once he does that: charges his standard rate and takes his Dusty in the subway to gigs.
I should add that I play both pedal and lever harp and I charge exactly the same for them. Nobody but other harpists cares how you make your sharps and flats.
Why? It’s your skill they’re hiring, not the particular harp you want to bring. Should I get paid more if my concert grand cost more than your semigrand?
Regardless of the kind of harp you play you have these expenses that the organist/singer do not:
instrument.
strings
insurance
vehicle to haul it around and fuel for that vehicleetc.
>certainly more than an organist or singer, but not too much more.
Harpists generally get MUCH more than an organist or singer, who only has bring himself/herself and not lug a harp.
I love my Anderson stand, but it might be a bit too modern looking for what you want (pricey, too);
http://www.andersonmusicstand.com/index.html
It does go very low, though.
Also check with VA and Atlanta Harp Center. They make several trips to FL during the year for various events and just to deliver instruments and they’re always happy to bring along more instruments for someone to try. They’re very accommodating. I think one of them *may* be in Orlando this weekend for the harp event, but I don’t know:
