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The “issue” would be having to use bridge pins to keep the strings at a correct distance from the lever. I know that Glenn Hill has used Lovelands and claims there have been no problems. Cunningham and Caswell have used bridge pins on some of theirs, and so presumably left room for levers, though I don’t know with what success.
Strings are closest to the breaking point in the treble so I’d not advise putting levers or blades up there even if you have them lower down. Often, in fact there is not enough room up there.
Personally I don’t see much use for levers on a wire harp since you will not be flipping them in the middle of a piece (probably!). I do have blades on one of mine, but that is because I tune that one to Cmaj and am too lazy to retune if the piece calls for a different key. Usually I just transpose.
I just sent some blades to a friend who wanted them since she often plays with a group and does not like telling them to “Wait a sec while I retune to this key.”
Still, if you have a wire harp with bridge pins, it would not hurt (much) to try. I think that Universal levers might be a better way to go than Camacs, Truitts or Lovelands. Cheaper too.
Biagio
This is not at all uncommon, and yes, the split is along a glue line. If it disturbs you the fix is easy: either epoxy a strip of thin fiber glass on the inside (inexpensive) or have a repair person glue in a thin shim (much more expensive). It does not look bad but it is never a good idea to diagnose just from a picture, so by all means have a qualified harp tech examine the harp. There may be other defects that you did not notice.
This is probably an older harp as Triplett, along with many others, nowadays cover the SB face with a thin hardwood veneer. While that may possibly prevent such cracks (but probably not), the main reason is because harp makers got tired of explaining that such are to be expected and may actually improve the tone. Don’t panic: there are beautiful harps 50 or more years old with such cracks.
Biagio
Hi Hearpe
I guess I was not entirely clear – to be specific, lowering the Limerick four steps would make the last string a G (when counting steps, we include the first ie a fifth in Cmaj would be C to G, a fourth would be G up to C). If you wanted to do that the Limerick range would be G2 up to D6. That’s a nice range for a lot of Celtic music.
One must be more careful with brass or bronze than with nylon when selecting gauges – they don’t stretch much LOL and rarely can you just put the same as on a different wire harp. Here’s one version that would work with the Limerick:
Yellow Brass or Phosphor Bronze
D6-D5 0.016
C5-G4 0.018
F4,E4 0.020
D4 0.022
C4,B3 0.025
A3,G3 0.028
F3,E3 0.032Red Brass
D3,C3 0.035
B2,A2 0.038
G2 0.040There are others, with higher tension (and some silver in the bass) but if your Limerick has bridge pins the above will be fine and not so “tinkly” as with steel.
Have fun!
BiagioA kit is a good way to get started: the basic design including vibrating lengths is fixed so all you really have to do is put it together and if you wish customize it. Most of the good kits I know of are from Musicmakers; a nice thing about their designs is that they are easy to customize since, although they are meant to be relatively inexpensive and for those who may be “all thumbs”, with a little thought you can upgrade them easily. A few examples:
The Limerick: as designed is fairly heavy (3/4″ thick sides) – with access to a planer and a few little changes you can take off several pounds. You can string it with brass instead of nylon (or steel) by dropping the range four steps. If you really want a “classic” wire harp you can simply place the tuning pegs where the pins would be located and use a hardwood sound board. Or you can make a few modifications and turn it into a double strung.
The Voyageur and Cheyenne: both very nice as is but you can replace the laminate SB with a solid wood board (which you can order from Betty Truitt or Rick Kemper for about $200) after extending the pillar foot. If you prefer a mellower tone than nylon and metal wrapped bass strings, substitute gut and bronze core nylon wrap. And/or drop the range two steps to a bass A rather than C.
To repeat: none of these (and other changes you might like) are difficult if you have spent a little time studying the basic principles. From there it is only a step or two away before you will be designing your harp from scratch (and maybe getting harp builder counseling).
Biagio
Drapes are fine, and so would be a loose cover. But the major issue with direct sunlight in a room is not heat affecting the wood swelling or shrinking – assuming we are not talking about something like 35 C – but uneven bleaching of the wood.
As to where to put the harp when you are not playing it – if at all possible always place a harp in a corner or at least against the wall to obviate being bumped or falling over.
Biaigo
“I’m a little confused on why many harps use a birch laminate or any laminate for the sound board (like the lower quality Dusty Strings). Wouldn’t this produce a poor sound”……
Sound is in the perception of the listener but to answer directly: a harp with a laminate board will cost less than one with solid wood for two reasons.
First, that kind of board just costs less than one of solid wood (spruce, cedar, cypress etc.). The latter takes several days to make and the wood is more expensive.
Second, there remains a (false) perception that the laminate is “just plywood” and indeed some early models did use lower quality ply.
Finally, some (many) use a thin hardwood veneer over solid wood because they got tired of explaining that thin cracks in an unveneered board are to be expected and may actually improve the tone. Those cracks are still there – you just can’t see them.
Some harps with laminate boards are modeled exactly as are their solid wood cousins: same width (vibrating surface) etc. and the maker masy not taper the board. Those who take more care will do it differently: strings in the treble placed lower down, the board will be double tapered, and tension is often higher. As with everything else in harp design, it takes some practice – part art, part science.
Getting specifically to tone:
Wood fibers under tension stretch over time and there are chemical changes to the cells; most would agree that the solid wood board’s tone will deepen and develop more color after several years. The laminate does not react much that way so how it sounds at first will be pretty much how it will sound 5+ years later. So if you want to save some money and like the sound of a new harp with a laminate board, that’s a good choice. If you expect to keep the harp for a long time and can afford the solid wood board, go for that.
I certainly would not say that the laminates sound “poor” : two of the most beautiful harps I’ve heard are the Harps of Lorien Raphael (26 strings) and the Boulding Concert Oran Mor with 36. On the other hand, and speaking of Dusty Strings, so does the FH36.
Both an Oran Mor and an FH36 are owned by Harper Tasche and I’ve heard (and played) both side by side. He uses the first mostly for outdoor concerts because it has more volume and the board does not react as much to changes in climate. The Raphael is a favorite of Laurie Riley for therapy playing.
So I’d say it pretty much comes down to how much you can afford and how long you expect to keep it. Try as many harps as you can if you are not convinced of your teacher’s preferences – how they sound in your hands will be very different from how they sound in another’s.
Hope that helps!
BiagioHarp sightings are fun and it’s almost as much fun to try identifying them! An L&H appears in “Sleepless in Seattle” and in the movie made of John Le Carres “Smiley’s People”; there’s another harp I can’t identify in one of the Lovejoy mysteries.
Thank you Tacye; I’ve wondered but never got around to researching it. Sometimes it is easier to just ask those who know LOL.
That’s wonderful Carl, thank you so much for sharing – not only the picture but the story and implicit advice about harp care on set. It’s also great that the prop master wanted a period harp…
In The Winter King, a TV series about Henry VII, there is what appears to be a Clark or Morley in one scene. Would that have been similar to the Welsh harps of the period (late 1400s)?
Biagio
Well, if you have access to a workshop they are, as I said, not hard to make. There is plenty of information out there. Check out the resources on http://www.wirestrungharp.com/ and the Harpmakers Yahoo forum.
Deciding on the strings is the most time consuming but I have several designs saved; my own and those of Chris Caswell, and Karen Loomis’ Flockhart Lamont. You would have to determine whether you want it tuned na cawlee, if so in what key and what the 30th string would be – often D if tuned to Gmaj. Karen’s is for Cmaj. Both James and I use 11mm spacing but it is really up to you and your drafting table LOL.
Biagio
I just use Cottonelle(r) wipes on nylon strings – about $6 in most grocery stores and they come in a box. Flushable too.
Hi Jennifer,
If you can find yellow heat shrink tape that would work. A hair dryer is sufficient to shrink it; just mask the neck with a hot pad. Alternatively buy the liquid rubber that electricians use to coat tool handles.
Biagio
Sorry Randal, afraid not; probably “awhile'” If you want it fairly soon I’d suggest the Ardival Kinnellan:
http://www.ardival.com/index.asp?pageid=200846
James’ narrow spaced 26 is a very nice harp (we collaborated on the design, so I know something about it) and a friend recently got one. Ann Heymann gave it a thumbs up – my friend is studying with her. James keeps his templates and might be persuaded to make a 30 string version.
Once in a blue moon a Caswell Gwydion turns up on the used market. That’s “modified spacing” (Chris’ description) – about 12-13mm. Gorgeous harp but BIG and some of the bass are wound. They can be replaced with red brass and half hard silver however.
Good luck!
BiagioHi Randal,
You are welcome. As I recall, the articles do not provide any specific guidance on specific harps or how to make them; just the history and principles. There are a limited number of people whom I know currently making them professionally:
In the US – Jay Witcher, James Skeen (Folcharps), Triplett, Argent Fox, Phil Boulding (Magical Strings) and in the past David Kortier
In Europe – William MacDonald, Ardival Harps, Eriu Harps, Tim DesRoches; more are listed at the historical harp society: http://www.irishharp.org/links.htm
Possibly a few others. Some of these are made in the traditional way, others use modern glues and 4-part box construction. Some are narrow spaced, some actually meant for steel strings.
More design information can be found in the Yahoo Harpmakers forum archives. In truth any experienced harp maker could design and build one and in some ways they are to make easier than larger nylon or gut harps: the board is often not tapered, no bridge pins (usually).
The main “issues” I encountered were sourcing metal strings especially silver and locating custom string shoes (if one is not content with home made wire ones and wants the back closed). The latter are expensive, so at least one person used 1/4″ ID bronze bushings.
One easy way would be to buy the Musicmakers Limerick kit but place tuning pegs where bridge pins would normally go, lower the range four steps to a bass G and use brass or bronze instead of steel strings. You could also use a hardwood board instead of the supplied laminate one, after modifying the box and pillar foot a little.
Best wishes,
BiagioLet’s keep this discussion to the zither (and actually a harp is a member of the zither family). You/she could of course just tune diatonically and “follow the bouncing notes” for the included tunes. More interesting to my way of thinking:
Tune it to a major/minor key eg C E G A C E G A. Then strum some chords, pick out any made up tune at random,
Explore and experiment! Children learn a lot at that age just by trying different things.
Playing by ear with a few tunes. These are all on Youtube…Farewell to Tarwaithe, Baloo Balleree, Connemara Cradle Song. These are often played as a duet with flute and harp – so YOU can get involved.
Experiment with major and minor chords; learn how the major chords differ from minor ones, play a tune with accompanying root chords – 4ths and fifths eg.
Have her use her finger tips rather than the pick for all of these.
