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One reason that has not been mentioned: you may wish to finger damp one or several strings while keeping your hand in the same position. This is much more common on a wire strung harp (fingers 4 3 and 2 remain in one place and 1 moves around) but I can envision applications on the more usual gut or nylon instrument.
Biagio
Yep, you are right Gretchen and well done for bringing me back to the present:-)
I think we all agree that she will not go wrong with the Troubadour – what a wonderful Christmas present that might be!
Biagio
Balfour my friend,
Glad you joined the thread!
This next is probably way off topic and it is certainly not meant to “diss” Musicmakers who I like and admire…but here goes…
One of my very favorite “economy” harps is the MM 33 string Voyageur – with one caveat. It is easy to put together from the kit and sounds good with standard strings and the tension is high for a lever harp (about 30 lbs./string on average).
The caveat? Tension and resistance to pluck take a big dip, then jump way up with standard strings in the transition zone (a few steps below middle C). That can be disconcerting or even physically harmful if you play it a lot, with force.
Here’s the good news: there are alternative designs that solve the problem (one even dropping the range to a bass A instead of a C); without changing overall tension, but just smoothing it out. It is a really terrific bargain even with the additional $200 +/- cost of those upgraded strings.
You are in a good place with Cheri, I know, and want that high C. I still cannot get over seeing her being strung and then you buying her. How cool is that?? It is also way cool to hear from Brook. What a wonderful community we have!
Wire folks don’t gliss much ha ha, which seems to be where I am going -just finished the design for a narrow spaced one. Not commercially available, ever, but I’ll give the design away for free. Who knows?
Maybe Mariah’s daughter will someday become interested in a REAL harp.
Just kidding…. But I digress (as usual).
Honestly, when people ask me, “What would you suggest in a 33-36 string for under $2,000?” that is what I tell them – get the MM Voyageur and upgrade the strings. Add another $250 for a custom spruce SB and they have themselves on heck of a harp!!
Before levers of course – perhaps another $500 full Truitts. Still one heck of a deal:-)
Hugs to you all!
Biagio
Ha ha, yes indeed Allison. Interesting discussion on the Wireharp forum: apparently Jay Witcher made a (wire) double strung version of the Patrick Ball for Ann Heymann. Yikes!
I am not that ambitious but it will still be a substantial 30 string harp, pretty big for wire. Thank goodness there’s all winter to ponder, “Do I really want to do this??”
Cheers,
Biagio
The paint medium should be thin to avoid any dulling of tone or later chipping. You will be OK with just about any SB base provided that it is finished, preferably with lacquer. Unfinished wood will absorb the medium and run unless it is heavy tempura (not a good idea). Be sure to give the artist as many ideas as possible.
One of mine was decorated with Liebtruth glitter watercolor done to a design we came up with together. The base is lacquered birch.
Laurie Riley is the artist – an accomplished wildlife painter as well as harper. We lightly penciled the contours before painting. Afterwards the design was very lightly sprayed with a fixative.
Have fun!
Biagio
Very lovely indeed Allison! You are embarrassing me – time to get back to playing.
I got into a conversation with an early Gaelic wire harp fan – oops, spent all that practice time on designing one (narrow spacing, na comluighe pitch). My bad! But it was fun:-)
Randal, a small double is not difficult to make and would only set you back about $500 at most. I can send you a string design if you like.
Biagio
Hi Mariah,
It does seem like a reasonable price, so if you are tempted here are the things you should look for in evaluating a used lever harp:
Structural
Is the pillar (aka column) straight? Some slight bowing is OK but there should be no more than a maximum 1/4″ deflection from the vertical. Personally I would consider even that much excessive.
Are there any signs of cracking in the neck? Is there any separation from where the neck meets the body or at the pillar joint?
Is there any separation of the soundboard from the body, or any cracks in the box? Look both inside and outside.
Are there any vertical cracks in the soundboard itself? Small horizontal cracks are normal and indeed may improve the tone; vertical ones are a red flag. Look inside and out.
Mechanical etc.
Do the levers all function smoothly and sharp correctly?
Are any of the bridge pins worn or bent?
Do the tuning pegs turn smoothly and hold the pitch?
Are any of the strings broken (they should be replace and tuned by the seller before offering it for sale)?
Is there any buzzing? Check with open strings and with all levers engaged.
Things to ask: When were the strings last changed? when was the harp last regulated? Is there a seller warranty (usually not unless it has been repaired)?
Depending on the harp, most of these are not deal killers to a knowledgeable buyer to a greater or lesser extent, but all may entail some work and expense to fix. Players who have no experience in harp designshould take someone who does along to evaluate it.
Incidentally, it often amazes me how many fine players have very little idea about that design aspect – one would think they would be interested. Oh well:-)
Biagio
Not to hijack the thread Balfour, but it is pertinent to Mariah’s questions…..
Several pros around here combine a pedal harp and a Dusty 36 in their “stables” for the reasons you mention; those who are also instructors often have student rentals which may be other Dustys, Tripletts, Music Makers Voyageur or Jolie, Rubarth Merlins, the Boulding which I mentioned, and a few even Witcher or Ardival wire harps, or Rees doubles. Camacs, Teifis, and other European makes are not so frequent around here but that’s more due to geography. Some or all of those are also their choice for gigging or playing outdoors.
So much out there that I do want to strongly emphasize Carl’s advice – wait a year or so at least, when you will both understand a lot more about the direction she may wish to go. If however you really really wish her to have a secondary one now, consider a Dusty Ravenna for portability, price, and easy resale.
Biagio
Many professional harpists have both a lever and a pedal instrument (at least!) so I do not think that is of much concern at this point in your daughter’s learning. If you should decide to buy her a lever harp here are a few options and ideas:
-If possible, buy a floor size one – 4 to five octaves and if your budget can afford it, fully levered.
-Have both her and her teacher try any out. There is a very wide variety out there, from a high tension “pre-pedal” like that Troubadour to medium tension ones like the Dusty Strings, to light tension ones designed for rapid Celtic style. Size and shape also have a great deal to do with ease of playing.
-Whatever you may consider, include in your thoughts how easy it might be to sell later. You will be amazed as you follow this community how often players sell their harps: maybe they are moving up or down sizing, or see one they just have to have.
-Sometimes excellent harps show up in the used market, so I would not rule that out if her teacher is willing and able to evaluate one.
-Levers are probably the largest expense of harp – about $15-$25 each – followed by the type of soundboard. There is a feeling in some circles that only a solid spruce board will do – but one of the most powerful harps I’ve heard is the Boulding Oranmore with an aircraft laminate board.
That seems a long way around of saying, “If you have no need to hurry, then best not to.” Look around, go to harp gatherings, vendor shows and the like, get involved in the community.
Best wishes,
Biagio
Two respected harp makers nearby are Carl Swanson (on this list) and Rick Kemper in Maryland.
Biagio
Contact the Virginia Harp Center, which has a showroom in New Jersey. I’m sure they can examine it for you and/or direct you to a local harp maker.
https://www.vaharpcenter.com/about-us/
It is difficult to tell without examining the harp in person. Two appear to be minor separations of the veneer, the internal may be more serious. When people speak of a “harp technician” the often are referring to someone certified to work on pedal harps which are far more complex than your Aoyama lever harp. Any good lever harp maker is competent to deal with this.
Biagio
I have not been a member very long, so lacking perhaps in some perspective. With that out of the way, I love the forum arrangement which makes it quite easy to browse older posts by general topic as compared to the hit-or-miss-search-by-keyword regime elsewhere. The HC seems to be somewhat dominated by the concert harp – no problem there but of late I have noticed quite a bit of interest in lever harps, wire strungs and other more “folkie” instruments. Perhaps a forum or two for these other types?
We have also had interesting discussions on technical subjects such as regulation, string design and varieties, maintenance, etc. – conceivably another category. A “Professionals” forum as Elisabeth suggested would also be welcome, I’m sure. All in all, though it is a wonderful place and I have made large number of long distance friends!
If I had one criticism to offer it is that I have not figured out how to upload pictures or charts directly to a discussion. There’s probably some way I’ve missed:-)
Biagio
Carl, I have to agree that most if not all levers are a pain. We go to great lengths to design and build a beautiful instrument and then have to fuss around with 30 or forty of these things. Lovelands do have a pretty long groove for the screws but they are also time consuming to mount and easily knocked out of alignment. Those designed as this one is – with two frets – at least keep the string in the same plane when engaged.
I have not had difficulty regulating levers if the instrument is otherwise well designed and the technician mounted them correctly, but I do agree that longer grooves would be a blessing. Peter Brough’s levers were great for that but alas, Peter has retired. I really wish that someone would buy the patent from him.
Biagio
OK let’s talk about what affects a harp’s tone, aside from strings and technique.
-Sound board material and how it is tapered (assuming that it is). Folk harp makers commonly use a number of different woods – Sitka spruce, Engelmann spruce, cedar, redwood, Spanish pine, Honduras mahogany, Eastern basswood just to name a few, and some use two kinds in the same harp. All have different resonances and different strengths. Some prefer aircraft grade 5-ply birch laminate which is stronger gram for gram than any of the above but will be shaped and tuned differently from any of these solid wood materials. Some people sneer at a/c ply as “cheap.” That is foolish IMHO. It does cost less to buy the material and costs less to make into a board – but some excellent harpers love it. Unlike strings though, this is not something that is easily quantified.
-Hardwood veneer or external rib? Some put a thin veneer on top of a solid wood board and forgo the rib (the veneer will keep the softer wood from splitting). Intuitively that will sound different unless the underlying wood is shaped differently and even then somewhat. With a rib but no veneer small cracks will be visible in a solid wood board. That is not bad but makers got tired of explaining this.
-Vibrating surface; it should be intuitively obviously that greater vibrating surface will give more volume and richer tone but there is a practical limit to how wide you can make it.
-Sound box depth and shape: there is a good argument to be made acoustically for a square shape but that can be awkward to play. If the box is too deep it will echo annoyingly; too shallow and sound is muffled.
-Wood for the box: does not make much difference if it is thick. Most make it fairly thin in which case denser woods will (usually) produce a brighter tone.
-Angle at which the strings meet the board. We can hypothesize that a 90 degree angle will drive the board the most but that will also rip the board off! Makers usually choose an angle between 45 and 25 degrees, 30-35 being pretty common. The angle will also dictate the height of the harp and therefore the string length.
-How heavy is that neck and pillar? A heavier neck will absorb fewer vibrations than a lighter one.
All of these and more can only be judged by trying the individual harp – even two of the same model and wood may sound different depending on the tree.
A conscientious builder will dry the wood thoroughly before putting the parts together: typically to 8% moisture content or lower. That allows the wood to expand safely if the harp is moved to a humid climate and shrink safely in a more drier one. Sudden changes of course are anathema.
Isn’t it fun?
Biagio
