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Hi JS,
I don’t make harps anymore – it was fun but alas I’ve downsized and do not have room for a workshop. Yes, I have made doubles, singles and wire strung harps, generally prototypes for myself and then “prettier” models for others.
It’s a familiar story – “crafty” people get interested in the folk harp (or dulcimer, banjo, fiddle, whatever) and make a few. Then the fever takes hold. Some, like yours truly mostly do it for fun, others like Ray Mooers (Dusty Strings) or Dave Thormahlen turn pro.
A smallish double is actually easier to make than a largish single because you don’t have to worry about torque on one string side. And if you use high density laminate for the sound board you often don’t have to beef that up much if at all. A custom made double will have a wider SB than a single but many makers don’t bother (they use the same jigs and fixtures for both).
If at all possible I think one should try out any harp to decide if it is right for you. On the other hand, as Harper Tasche says “Play the harp in front of you.”
If you are looking for an excellent reasonably priced harp (speaking of whom), consider Phil Boulding’s (Magical Strings) Concert Oladion/Oran Mor. This is the harp that Harper uses for his outdoor concerts and Phil for all of his. It has a high grade laminate board – less expensive than spruce – and uses the same strings as the Dusty FH36. Big resonant voice, and convenient size…I really like those Dusty bronze core nylon wound bass strings.
Looking for the perfect harp is a little like looking for the perfect house – there are plenty of good ones out there, all different!
Biagio
Thank you Annie.
Really, it is entirely possible that Muzikkon’s website manager simply does not know very much about harps, and I hope that they will make some corrections after this little snafu.
Pakistani made harps have received a poor reputation but they seem to be improving and I give credit to their consultant, Aine, for agreeing to provide quality control. There is certainly room in the harp world for good inexpensive instruments!
Nevertheless I feel a certain duty to point out where I think somethings seem “off” – I’ve repaired too many harps that were innocently purchased just because they looked nice and the seller over-hyped the product.
Unfortunately, many harp teachers (and other musicians) do not understand harp design and construction beyond the absolute basics and that alone leads to a lot of confusion. That too seems to be changing. There are a number of fine economy harp makers in Europe, one just needs to do a little “digging.” Some US makers also have European distributors.
As a rule of thumb, a well made but “inexpensive” lever harp will cost perhaps 20% more than the cost of materials; in the case of a 33-34 string harp with full levers it will be in the range of 2000-2600 euros. If a new harp of that size is priced significantly less it is probably poorly made.
One US company (Musicmakers) sells excellent harp kits and that might be an option if you feel like trying that. I like the Voyageur model for a good inexpensive 34 string harp. They do have distributors overseas, you could ask them if any are near you.
Best wishes,
BiagioNot following here, I’m afraid. If the score calls for an arpeggio it is played in the direction as written, one hand after the other. If it is a glissando (squiggly line) it should be played from bottom to top, absent any indication otherwise, ending on the beat. Hope that helps.
Biagio
Good luck with this however it turns out!
Yes, just dropping the range without doing anything else probably would not help much (except for the breakage issue). To increase tension in the lower ones you would need to make those strings heavier.
For instance, if they are now nylon wound over nylon, use steel core with fiber bedding and a bronze wrap
Just an example, one can’t make a specific suggestion without knowing the vibrating length. That’s why someone must do an analysis…a professional would charge about $15 US for that, which is reasonable, but the cost of buying new strings might not be.
I went and took a look at the Muzikkon website and what I saw there smacks of deceptive advertising (see my new topic “Muzikkon Harps – Caveat Emptor”). I’m sorry that this happened to you.
Best wishes,
BiagioHi again Harp Duck,
Well, I have not received your email did it get bounced back? I don’t really understand how the Harp Column edits for such things as eamil but here it is (let’s hope they allow it to come through):
bas dot pnw dot harper at gmail dot com
I have a copy of Level 3 which she is welcome to have – just let me know your address.
Levels 2 and 3 cover the same things you would find in any other beginning-intermediate student books: inversions, minor keys, harmonics etc. I’d highly recommend Kondonassis’
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On Playing The Harp
Biagio
I suspect, as did Charles, that the breaking treble strings are too long for the intended note. So if you cannot get a refund the easiest solution would be to just drop the range a step or two and get new strings. Sally could probably do the analysis for you or you could contact a professional string maker. Here in the US I use Vermont Strings or Markwood Strings.
As for the levers – since you are new to the harp you probably won’t really need them for a while; just remove the shoddy ones play in the key to which you tune (typically Cmaj in most beginner books). There are decent levers ranging from about $5 US up to really good ones at about $16 each; you can add as many as you want later. A frequent choice is Cs and Fs.
Most people get a harp with levers on every string but that’s not really necessary, it’s just what many makers provide. Frankly I would just leave them off for the time being, learn proper technique, and plan on getting a better harp later. Sally has probably told you about the Musicmakers kits – they are easy to put together -I like the Voyageur model very much – if economy is an issue.
Good wishes,
BiagioAs you say, proper height, angle and posture are a major problem with these or any other lap” harp. The best solution would be a stand of some sort that in effect raises the harp to floor height and keeps it stable. There are several like that either on the market or easily made.
I’ve used “lap sticks” aka “leg bones” and do not think them stable enough for a student; Blevin’s “LeStik” was much better while he still made them (and they are not hard to make yourself). Search for Le Stik to get an idea of the design.
I designed a rather fancy folding stand which is being used by several teachers; details were published in the Folk Harp Journal, which you can read if you are a member. The editor, Beth Stockdell, ordered two expressly for her harpsicle playing students so you might ask her about it. I no longer make them since it is so easy to do and need not even fold. It amounts to an inclined artist’s table easel with an adjustable lip and a clamp. Here’s a link to it on Yahoo group The Virtual Harp Circle; see “A Folding Lap Harp Stand” (pdf):
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/virtualharpcircle/files
Another type is (or was) made by Timothy Habinski (Timothy Harps), and a somewhat simpler version is marketed by Laurie Riley. See:
BEST PLAYING STAND and CART FOR SMALL HARPS!
This is simple and effective. With all respect and liking for Laurie and Timothy I think the $300 price tag is a bit steep for what amounts to a simple inclined board with rear foot and some sort of clamping device. Hardwood and inlays are nice of course, but one can make a perfectly good stand from ply or pine.
Biagio
Hi Tess,
A fully restored Clark in excellent condition is worth about $4,000 +/- so that’s one thing to think about: you would have to strip the black paint (perhaps discovering a problem or three), remove and polish all the hardware (possibly breaking a blade or two in the process), refinish and reapply the stencils, and of course restring.
Personal opinion: they are cute little harps but if it were me I would not go through all that trouble – you are looking at up to $1000 or more for the restoration by a luthier. Not to mention recreating the table for which somw of the hardware is very hard to find.
If it were me, I’d just clean it up, replace those old blades with Camac or Truitt levers, and both pegs (#4s) and pins (use threaded hex heads from Dusty) and a really good string set. I would then have an excellent 31 string…but not a genuine Clark of course.
Best wishes,
BiagioAs others have said, one cannot do typical large harp harmonization with only 12 strings but you CAN do some – for instance if the melody calls for G maj tuning (which is how I would tune this one) you could harmonize with a third or fifth for a G note: G+B or G+D. This assumes that you understand some basic music theory, of course. So any scores that have the melody range restricted to 1 1/2 octaves would be OK. Lead sheet books would probably be your best bet; one of my favorites is by Cynthia Shelhart, “Tunes to Go, 400 tunes in lead sheet format.”
You might also consider a good introductory instruction book/DVD to learn technique. All assume at least 3.5 octaves but right now you need to practice hand position and possibly music theory. There are several very popular ones: “Play the Harp Beautifully” by Pamela Bruner, “Teach Yourself the Folk Harp” by Laurie Riley, “Teach Yourself to Play the Folk Harp” and “Music Theory and Arranging Techniques for Folk Harp” by Sylvia Woods. Bruner’s comes with a DVD which is extremely helpful.
If or when you consider getting a larger harp you might look into the harps and kits offered by Musicmakers. I consider these to be among the best if you or a friend has some experience with basic woodworking.
Best wishes,
BiagioHi Hearpe,
Happy to help. About levers…metal really does not like being kinked so most don’t use those but some people have. I have no experience there, just tune to Gmaj or Cmaj depending on what the lowest string might be and transpose if necessary.
As for sizes: you should match the Lovelands to the string diameters. I’m pretty sure that MM lists that on their website. It might be easier and cheaper to use Universals instead….one size fits all and easier to install, especially if you will not change keys often.
Have fun!
Biagio
Hearpe, is that the harp in the pictures the one you are acquiring? If so, it is the Musicmakers Limerick which is usually strung with steel if they are wire.
If so MM can supply the steel set or individual strings. If you wish to go with brass or bronze you should lower the range (from C3 to G2). There are a few configurations that you might consider. The best would be bronze with red brass in the lowest octave.
The likely UK source would be Malcolm Rose:
Biagio
The harp should have been tuned and the levers regulated before it is sold, and the strings new. It is not usual for those strings to break so early.
No. It is not “usual” for Celtic harps to be “unbranded” if by that Aine means that the actual maker is unwilling to be known by name. There have been several scams – one reported here quite recently – where a seller claimed the harp to be something it was not.
It may happen once in a while that some will be licensed by the original maker to a third party manufacturer – for example Marini Harps sells Musicmaker designs with their own “brand” (Marini is licensed by MM); L&H was licensed to make the Clark Irish harp by the Clark company. The licensee is sometimes free to sell them at any price they choose. Sometimes within limits.
But I would not call that “common”. At least not yet.
Some have predicted that the market would evolve the way guitars did 40-50 years ago: low end beginner instruments, middle quality student types, and higher end named brands.
Those of us getting long in the tooth will remember those Beatle-mania days. Some of the those guitars were OK,some were excellent and some were really junk. Perhaps that is what is going on here.
Biagio
Hi Jennifer,
OK, here’s my tale and a few others whom I know.
I was a finance manager and, earlier, Intelligence officer. Retired early and while rebuilding a cabin in the mountains started making musical instruments during the winter to pass the time. Just a hobby as many do around there; one day I decided to make a harp, did tons of research, and got hooked. Same sort of story of many I know from many backgrounds. For instance:
David Thoramahlen (geology student), Ray Mooers (densitry I think), Marco Paganni (Italy, mathmatician and teacher), Mark Blessley (doctor), Rick Kemper (engineer)James Skeen (statistician)…what we all have in common is that we were curious and fell in love with the harp, and decided to make one rather than buy it.
In some cases back in the 1970s making it was about the only option at least in the US.
I can only think of a handful who were both professional harp makers AND harpists: Alan Stivell, Chris Caswell, Melville Clark, Timothy Habinski, Carl Swanson (on this list).
A small simple harp is not difficult to make, but just like learning to play one must do some study and research to understand the theory and then practice the craft: theory will only take you so far! Some players have the idea that it is all very mathematical.
Well, yes, you do have to understand string vibration under different conditions, be able to make informed choices about different woods species, and have a good idea about how vibrating length affects tone. None of this is complicated though, there is lots of literature that address these subjects, and thanks to computers you will rarely have to grab your calculator.
After all, harps have perhaps the oldest history of any stringed instrument. They certainly did not have computers in ancient Egypt, nor the 14th century Gaelic cultures for that matter! I’m sure that many earlier harp makers just copied the ideas of others and made several changes – just as most harp makers do today.
Several people today still prefer to just use antique hand tools, particularly for wire harps. Others are more impatient which is perhaps not entirely a good thing all the time ha ha.
We joke that it is an addiction; you make one and it’s OK but then you think you could do some things better, want a larger one or different kind and so it goes.
There are plenty of folks who make pretty good harps but just do it for themselves and/or a few friends. Others don’t have a large shop so they customize kits; at first at least. I know a number of professionals who got started that way.
Harp makers are among the most generous people around and we share ideas all the time. It is one of the things that keeps the field alive and growing. That is especially true of folk harps, which can vary a great deal, but it is also true about the concert harp.
There’s my little homily and like most homilies it has a moral: “You Too Can Build a Harp.”
Best wishes,
BiagioI’d say that’s in the ball park Charles. For a simple lap harp that I’ve made before many times perhaps two weeks elapsed start to finish. Of course a lot of that is just sitting around waiting for glue and varnish to dry, strings to stretch in etc.
On the other hand, a full week or more just to draft a new design so, yeah, 100 man hours at least.
Of course a professional will get discounts on most of the materials; or the individual crafts person may have access to logs he/she can mill and dry.
There are also economies of scale. If you ever drop in on Dusty Strings’ shop you might see a half dozen or more harps in different stages of manufacture, with only one-three people working.
That said, I too am often amazed that good harps cost as little as they do!
Biagio
