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Just to meander a bit more, Adolfo – though only a bit….you might enjoy some of Catrin Finch’s recording (also on Youtube); among them the Goldberg Variations and her documentary on the History of the Harp.
As long as I’m sharing videos and being off topic I just have to share this one: Jonathan Fanganello playing heavy metal on the South American harp. Sorry for the ad that Youtube insists on inserting!
Biagio
Sorry, no idea though it looks rather as if it were a “home built”. Which does not necessarily mean it’s not a good harp – there have been many talented builders who did not actually go into business full time. Often they signed and dated the soundboard (inside) – ask the seller to look there. I don’t see any cracks in the neck, can’t make out the SB material and it’s condition. Other possible “issues” to check: is the pillar (column) straight, are there any levers, what condition are the strings and is there a string chart.
Good fortune,
Biagio
Yep Balfour, there are not as many videos of either the modern double or the modern cross as of others – although neither is a new concept. Earlier approaches include the Welsh and Italian triples, the arpa doppia in Spain. The modern ones though have only been on the scene a dozen years or so – takes time to catch on and until there’s demand most harp makers will not do spec instruments. Naturally enough!
Anyhow, here is Harper playing Bach’s Prelude in C on a cross:
And Laurie with Are You Sleeping Maggie on the double:
Enjoy!
Biagio
Carl, ha ha, true though I should have written “almost entirely”. The overture, certainly entirely, and Turridu’s first solo is the only vocal in Sicilian found in opera as far as I know. The overture is pretty good on a concert harp, too. The origin is on mandolin.
B
Thank you for that Carl! We sometimes forget in this age of instant-everything that music moves… and composers in earlier times had no inhibitions about borrowing ideas. Consider Mascagni’s score for “Cavgalieria Rusticana” – that is entirely based on “primitive” Sicilian folk music!
BiagioThis is a very interesting thread and I have enjoyed reading it – thank you all for contributing and Adolfo for originating it. I just can’t resist meandering off topic in response to a couple of items, so excuse me please:-)
Multiple string rows: Adolfo this may have been a double strung (two parallel rows tuned diatonically) with sharping levers on each string. Or it might have been a cross-strung – naturals one side and chromatics t’other, crossing in the middle. Laurie Riley is the “Queen of the Double”, Harper Tasche “King of the Cross.”
Popularity: well what can I say? A good pedal harp costs a great deal (and weighs a great deal) so it may not be as popular as the piano! On the other hand there has been a huge explosion of interest in the smaller harps over the last 3 decades and a great deal of music for them. And you are right, quite a bit has been transcribed from piano – and also cello, violin and guitar. Or the other way around: ancient Celtic music transcribed for piano, Spanish guitar for the Latin American harp.
Maybe we will “see” you buying a harp someday!
Best to all,
BiagoThat’s wonderful – both Davy’s playing and that you two play together! To follow up on Balfour’s comment – true indeed and there are a number of excellent lever harpers who were outstanding pedal harpists but changed for one reason or another. A good friend is one of those – professional harpist and teacher who switched to lever harp when she inherited a Rydecki. Then her husband made her a wire strung and she fell in love with that. Now they play wire strung and French horn together in concert. Quite a combination!
As Davy gets older you may find that the harp collection increases!
Kind regards,
BiagioWell, my friend I don’t “do” pedal but I used to dance; so I’d suggest flamenco shoes. Capezio makes several models that you might consider They are also very comfortable. As it happens, here’s one on sale:
Best wishes,
BiagioBe of good cheer – two of the most admired artists I know both say that they may work on a piece for over a year before they are ready to play in performance. What we see and hear on Youtube is inspiring, but here’s the first tip: leave it at that. Be inspired, then study what they are doing and simplify it to your level. Other tips (ones that apply to me anyway):
Slow the piece way down to a speed that is manageable for the trouble spots. You will enjoy it more and be less likely to end up with erratic rhythm.
Become friends with your metronome and use it especially on those trouble spots.
Don’t neglect exercises – make 10 minutes of arpeggios, scales etc. part of your practice routine. If some passages are giving you trouble that is often due to fingering. Work just on that part and supplement with an appropriate exercise.
Any amount of playing can be good and make it playing, not drudgery. So keep the harp in an accessible place and when the spirit moves outside “practice time” just sit down for a few minutes.
Visualize! Maybe before bed, at work when it’s boring, whatever. A famous wire harper broke her wrist and her entire practice for weeks consisted of visualizing how she might play some things. When her wrist healed she was astonished to find that not only did she play it well right off the bat, but that her fingerings had changed as well!
Make the practice time fun! Start with something you know well and like and end the same way. Give yourself a reward at the end – perhaps compose a little tune, improvise, or just gliss all over the place.
Hope that is useful!
BiagioA few of the early Ravennas did have an “issue” but that was corrected a long time ago. For my money those are the best of the lower cost harps.
Biagio
Well said Tacye! To hijack a just leetle bitty more: a player of Harper’s calibre can make a harp sound however he or she wants – even a piece of junk. The trick is to fall in love with it.
So be of good cheer, and best wishes in finding whatever speaks to you!
Biagio
PS to Balfour: I think that Tasche’s Bubinga 36 is one of the older ones; they had longer bass strings and a longer sustain, richer voice than some more recent – and of course it has aged in. Me, if I ever cast my eyes on an ad for a used Caswell Gwydion wire 34 I’ll be on that like a cat on a wool sock.
Yup lot’s of gorgeous harps out there!!Balfour, yep bronze core nylon wrap has a wonderful depth and warmth compared to the typical steel core – unless that is rather thin with a lot of fiber bedding. That can sound great too, but it is a bit softer IMO. I like the almost indistinguishable transition from fiber core silver wrap to gut. But damme that is expensive and won’t work on all harps.
I know you love your fh36 Cherie – I’ve heard it and love it too, pretty cool that you got it a year later.
Harper Tasche has one in Bubinga and boy, it’s to die for!
Slight thread hijack – sorry:-)
BiagioMaking comparisons among strings I find is a good deal like comparing apples: some are good for baking, some for eating in salads, some try to be all things to all people. We can generalize about them of course, but so much also depends on the rest of the harp and your individual technique.
WRT “Silkgut” my informants tell me that it is the same as Aquilla Nylgut; if so the it has the same mass as gut but higher tensile strength, which may mean different overtones.
Personally for mid t0 high tension lever harps I favor nylon in treble, Savarez Alliance fluorocarbon or Nylgut in the mid and composites in the bass – preferably artificial silk with silver or bronze winding. This is entirely due to my tonal preference. “Why not gut?” you may ask. Because I don’t want to deal with humidity issues and the greater expense, that’s all.
Others my just love gut and for the bass bronze core nylon wrap.
Thank you Balfour!
Different harps for different situations, methinks. Some may be satisfied with just their concert grand, many others will have two or more harps for different situations, one of which will be a lap harp. Not having a nice stable, portable base is the most common complaint that I hear about these.
I am not making the bases that my friend refers to nowadays (not making any more harps either) but they are quite easy to do. I published a detailed description in the Spring 2015 Folk Harp Journal just to get out of doing any more. Honestly.
You can find the article and lots of other good stuff on the searchable FHJ website: FolkHarpSociety.org/pages/journal.html
Not to blow my own horn (well, OK maybe): the nice thing about these stands from my perspective is that they fold and can accommodate oddly shaped harps. Two styles I often get asked about: harps with rounded bottoms and those with an extended pillar.
A very nice stand is made by Timothy Habinski (Timothy Harps) – kinda pricey, but worth it if you do a lot of gigging with a small harp and want matching wood.
Best wishes to all and keep on pluckin’,
Biagio
Dani, I don’t know if this is what you have in mind but may I suggest Ray Pool’s “Three’s a chord” for theory? Add his melodic training book “1-2-3 Play” and you have a nice progressive and intensive set. Steffie Curcio’s “Student Harpist” series is also great and very sparse – what we need to know and nothing else!
Biagio
