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Dwight Blevins is a very well regarded harp designer – and he has many different designs. I’m not personally familiar with the ones you mention, but he is well known for very good service and the quality of his work.

Many harp luthiers make some individual changes as requested, once they are satisfied with a particular model. While I don’t know for sure I’d bet that is why Dwight has so many models. In sum, I think you can be confident in his work.

The Marinis first got into the business – as many do – by doing the assembly and finishing of Music Makers’ excellent kits. Also as many have done, they then began to design their own models, often based on the Music Maker harps with the Marinis’ own enhancements. So I’d not be concerned about their quality either, but that is all I can offer. I haven’t seen them since I left Ohio some years ago (the Marinis are in Pennsylvania).

Hope that is helpful!
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Volume depends a good deal on your technique and if you are like me it may be that at first you don’t get the most out of any harp at for a while. I’ll leave that topic to more experienced players and your teacher. More generally…

I think you get the most dynamic range with fairly high tension and a fairly wide sound board. Gut or fluorocarbon strings will be more mellow than nylon and many will say that a walnut box will be mellower than maple with cherry in between. Whether a flat box like the Rees is comfortable or not depends more on you than the harp.

For the ultimate in volume, consider a wire strung harp. I just finished making a little 3 octave wire strung and it blows the doors off compared even to my much larger high tension nylon strung. But that is a different instrument and technique and teachers in most parts of the world are few.

Some may consider this next heresy but I am not convinced that a solid wood board (spruce, cedar, etc.) sounds much better “out of the box” than an aircraft grade laminate (ply) if the maker has tapered that correctly. You will certainly have less tuning to do with the laminate if you often play in different weather conditions.

Truitts, Lovelands, Camacs are all good levers in addition to the Salvi and L&H.

I’d bet that Balfour will jump in on the Ravenna but I’ll get there first lol: consider the Ravenna 34.

Hope that helps!

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Balfour,
Since you mention it my friend…yeah!

One of these days I really should take Ray Pool’s “Clever Levers” course if only to see how inadequate I am – grin.

Best to all,
Biagio

[Biagio]

On the subject of tension versus resistance – this is a common misconception, they are not the same thing. For the sake of clarification here’s a comparison between the Caswell 32 string Gwydion (bronze strung) and my Selchie nylon 34 (with the top two strings dropped off so same range as the Gwydion).

Gwydion: range C2 to F6 total tension 992 lbs. average 31 lbs./string
Selchie “32”: same range. total tension 1076 lbs. average 34

Could I convert that “Selchi 32” to brass or bronze? Nope, the upper octave strings are too long for that. I might substitute steel wire there but – er, yuck. The Selchie is very responsive with nylon as it is; with brass or bronze there would be way to much sustain!

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Apparently Califa you have ruled out lever harps as too limiting for you, so there is no need to discuss those here. All of the pedal harps you have mentioned are by excellent makers with excellent reputations – so it seems to me that the only question is which you personally like best. As Carl has already written, how one sounds in you hands will likely be very different in how it sounds in anothers’.

I have to disagree with you that a lever harp is less challenging than a pedal harp. It is in many ways an entirely different instrument and at the advanced level capable of things that a pedal harp is not. And vice versa of course. A double strung for that matter is capable of music than neither a pedal nor a single course lever harp can achieve.

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Hi Hearpe,

Some harps designed for nylon or gut can be converted to brass or bronze with excellent results; usually the smaller ones. Some I’ve either seen or done include the Triplett Zephyr, Music Makers’ Limerick and Shepherd.

Due to the different physical characteristics you have to drop the range as you have noticed; how much depends on the harmonic curve – usually about 4-5 steps. Your Pixie looks like a good candidate but before doing that you would be wise to run an analysis. Either have a professional string maker do that or download the free spreadsheet from Music Makers.

Bronze and yellow brass are interchangeable; for some bass strings you sometimes need red brass or even wound strings – probably neither for the Pixie. You mentioned steel: that can usually be substituted for nylon without altering the range (but of course at smaller diameters). Steel has a very different sound from brass/bronze and most dedicated clarsairs don’t like it. But don’t let that stop you, it’s your harp!

It is NOT true that wire strung harps are always at much higher tension than nylon or gut. It IS true that the strings are much stiffer, ring much longer, and that a board designed for nylon/gut might ring so long that you spend more time damping than playing. So the answer to your question is “no, you probably don’t need to reinforce anything.”

There are different ways to “tie” the string end; several are described on the Wirestrung Harp website

http://www.wirestrungharp.com/

Others use a guitar ball end plus a nylon washer followed by a leather washer in that order. We think that wastes less of that expensive wire.

There are only limited sources for brass or bronze music wire in reasonable lengths: two are Malcolm Rose in the UK and The Instrument Workshop in the US.

Yes, one uses a different technique to play these but not terribly different unless you want to get really fancy. So don’t let that stop you either.

Have fun!
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The harps mentioned cover a pretty wide range of tone tension and physical sizes so I can only suggest which I’d choose for myself and my personal preferences. Staying within a pedal harp’s characteristics – the Niamh, hands down.

All of the others are lower tension. If that’s ok, I LOVE the Harps of Lorien Raphael – although designed as a “therapy” harp it still has plenty of volume.

I don’t like, personally, the Allegro and would buy a Ravenna instead. Why pay for looks over performance? Some will quibble over that view but again, this is just me.

They also cover a fairly wide range of cost, and don’t neglect the used harp market. For instance I have a Clark model A which would be perfect as a small second harp -except for the fact that it has blades instead of levers!

If you plan on keeping whatever you buy for a long time and getting into the higher end, take a look at David Kortier’s electro-acoustic Irish 32.

Best wishes,
Biagio

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Linika, in most of this thread we have centered discussion on specific harp models and passed over some other things – sorry about that!

Teachers – There are number of excellent harp teachers who give lessons over the Internet using Skype or similar technology. You would of course need fairly high speed internet access and the necessary hardware, but that is not expensive. Most charge less for internet lessons than for in-person. Even if you do not have a harp – and in some cases especially – a good teacher will guide you in what to get.

Harp size – most would recommend a minimum of 26 strings (3 1/2 octaves), although you could probably get going with only 3 octaves. These are usually “lap” harps which means you have to find some way to balance them (some 3 12/ octave harps are large but they are also expensive). This is very awkward until you have gained some proficiency… or unless it comes with a stable stand that effectively turns it into a “floor” harp.

Cost – why does a decent harp cost “so much”? In terms of materials alone from highest to least in USD: levers ($15 to $25 each if installed by the maker – includes time); hardware and strings ($150-$200 depending on specifics); sound board $100 for the least expensive; frame including box $75 minimum. So excluding labor a fully levered 3 1/2 octave costs the maker about $850 of which 60% are the levers. Conclusion: consider starting without levers but be sure that levers can be added later.

Weight – you mentioned the Limerick and that is a nice instrument but it is also rather heavy for it’s size.

More sources for information – Consider joining the International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen; and the Yahoo! group Virtual Harp Circle. This group was begun specifically for beginners although we now have quite a few professionals as well (I’m one of the owners/moderators).

When I look over the above, of the models that have been mentioned I’m thinking that the Rees Sharpsicle would probably be the wisest choice for you. If you can afford to wait and spend a little more, consider the Dusty Strings Ravenna – both are available in several countries in Europe.

Best wishes,
Biagio

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I would urge you not to judge primarily on how a harp model looks. There are some that look really beautiful but are only useful as decorations. Stay with established makers and you will be a lot happier.

Just saying…

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What a blessing it would be to have one room dedicated to music! Oh how I wish….there are a few practical matters to consider aside from acoustics: lighting (track is good); stable storage areas especially in earth quake country; a rolling book case next to the harp when practicing with a top holding pencils, white out, wrench and water etc.

Harper Tasche BTW recommends practicing in different places, not just one. I draw the line at the bathroom but see his point:-)

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C to C is most common for lever harps. I don’t know why though there may be several reasons including habit. I love having that low A and dropped my 34 two steps, and so have some others I know. I had to change most of the strings of course to preserve similar tension to the C version. I’d say the choice is largely dictated by your repetoire. I rarely if ever go above G in the treble so that low A was a natural choice.

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I think that Terry has given you excellent advice. To expand on that a little – and hopefully not sound disparaging:

If you ever hope to go beyond the very basics, lessons and a good harp will be necessities. So for now, buy a good harp at the lowest price you can afford, and that you can easily sell later if you decide to go beyond the basics. That emphatically excludes any of these mid-eastern things, even though once in a while you might find a good one.

Harpsicles, the Music Maker kits, Waring…those will get you started. You would be wise to also buy a good self teaching instruction – Laurie Riley, Pam Bruner, Sylvia Wood are several possibilities.

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This is a side note to the thread, but may be interesting to all harpists so I’ll go ahead. Briefly….

Pedal harps were dominant in most of Europe and entirely in the US during the 19th century – what we now call lever or Irish harps were pretty much relegated to being parlor instruments. One exception was the Egan harp. Around 1908 Melville Clark discovered it while studying harp making at the Erard factory. He returned to the US and began making the Clark harp – the first non-pedal harp made in the US. It was such a success that the company could not fill all its orders and contracted with Lyon and Healy to produce them as well.

These little harps are beautifully designed; the model A has 31 strings, originally strung at concert harp tension, but it is only about 39 inches tall. I have one and so do many other makers and dedicated harpists. It has been the model for a number of modern harps – including Kim Robertson’s electric acoustic and (here it’s getting relevant) Arsalaan’s Douglas/Dilling harp. You can read about that harp’s history on the Harp Spectrum:

http://www.harpspectrum.org/historical/The%20Long%20History%20of%20the%20Single%20Action%20Irish%20Harp.shtml

Arsalaan now calls his model the “Joy” after Jocelyn Chang, a great promoter of the instrument (and also as it happens my first teacher). I’ve heard that he is working on a double action version. A wonderful and talented person and he really does deserve a lot of respect as Patricia has written.

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Hi Aria,

Timothy (last name Habinski) is in Nova Scotia, his harps are offered through several studios and outlets such as the Virginia Harp Center – probably easiest to ask him. Or search “Timothy harps for sale” – I got one hit on a studio in New York and I’d bet Denise Grupp-Verbun (Ohio) would also know – they’re colleagues and friends. He was at Somerset last month (I think) and may be at the SE harp weekend in October.

I guess it depends on where you live. I rarely see any for sale by individuals, though I have a friend in British Columbia who is thinking of selling her Niamh.

Best wishes,
Biagio

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General consensus among those who study such things is that there were two instruments both of which are translated (inaccurately) as “harp” in the King James Bible. There is “nebel” or “nevel” which we would today call a lyre and the “kinnor” – somewhat closer to what we think of today in shape but very different otherwise.

People who make distinctions might say “harpist” means one who plays the pedal harp, “harper” one who plays a Celtic style but – oh my – what does that mean? Wire people who are into that stuff call themselves “clarsairs.”

Maybe we should go with “harperist” – grin.

Biagio

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