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I looks lovely Allison! True, they are more tempermental than nylon/gut but on the other hand no levers or pedals to worry about and what an incredible sound:-) If you haven’t found this yet, here is Cynthia Cathcart’s series of videos on introduction to the wire strung including a section on stringing:
Contrary to what she and some others say, they are not under “tremendous tension” compared to nylon/gut. But…brass or bronze is far less elastic so just a millimeter turn on the peg can change the note by over two steps. Also since changing the tension on one can change all the others one must go very slowly at first.
Hey, can I interest you in a small double strung???? Just kidding:-)
Heh heh I know what you mean about the nails – never before was very interested in manicure!
From the Dark Side,
BiagioCome to think of it….Music Makers may not have been reinforcing with a spline 17 years ago. Jerry has said that some of their older Gothics suffered from cracked necks until they started doing that. If you have not already bought the harp – don’t until talking with MM.
Biagio
I’m sure that Jerry would be happy to help. That neck is reinforced (though not visible to the eye) with a hardwood spline so the crack “may” be cosmetic. But I think better to be safe. There are several ways to fix it, other than a new neck if that does not seem desirable.
Easiest: Epoxy a strip of carbon fiber cloth under the neck (use a good strong epoxy such as System III)
Next easiest: Bend a 3/4″ wide strip of 0.090 brass to shape; screw and epoxy that in place. You can get the brass at most hobby shops or hardware stores (brand name K&S Metals).
Best left to a tech: Construct a special clamping mechanism, inject your epoxy into the crack, and clamp. Possibly dowel or screws as well.
Some of the Clarks were made with a hardwood spline – what begins as a cosmetic crack eventually opens up to a major one. I repaired one Clark with the last method and it is holding up just fine. Rick Kemper (Sligo harps) uses the carbon fiber method as a matter of course on some of his repair jobs; Robert Cunningham goes the brass route.
Good luck, which ever way it goes!
BiasgioNope you are not uniquely inept!! My bad days seem to be more frequent as I age but this is not a big deal. Get plenty of rest, eat well, play as if you mean it – works for me!
Biagio
Heh heh, sometimes I wish I played the flute! On the other hand, I’m sometimes asked “When will you get a real harp?”
I patiently explain that if that means a pedal harp I tried it for a while but found it a bit awkward; and that the one I play (a wire claersach) IS the “real” harp.
Just kidding around a little But at least twice folks have been so interested in the history that they took up the instrument; sometimes pedal, sometimes lever.
Biagio
For the thicker strings you can also help matters along with a very small dab of “Krazy glue” before pulling the knot tight. If those thick strings are greater than 0.040″/1.02mm you don’t really need a spline but if it would make you feel more secure, slip a leather washer onto the string before tying the knot. You can get those also from most string suppliers…or again, make your own from a heavy leather belt.
Sonya, those are pre-cut hardwood dowels, which you can probably find in any hardware store; in the video they appear to be 1 1/2″x 3/8″ birch. That groove in the center is made by gently squeezing the dowel; needle nose pliers work well for this. If expense is no object, ask your string supplier for ready made ones.
I prefer something less fancy (except on my wire harp). For nylon or gut I like a short length of leather boot lace. The knot on thin strings will compress that leather somewhat more than it would a dowel, but up in the treble you don’t have a lot of room for dowels, and in general I consider the latter to be “buzz potential.”
Incidentally if you have to thread the string in from the back it is worth your while to get a pair of long-nose “alligator” forceps. Here is one example:
http://www.sciplus.com/p/ALLIGATOR-FORCEPS_4252
Biagio
Another good fake book: “Tunes to Go” by Cynthia Shelhart, 400 favorite tunes with suggested chords, only a few tunes require accidentals. Indexed by genre, cross indexed by title key and name.
BiagioWell, finally (I did say that design takes the most time – grin)! I did not like size of the thing (about 60″/1.5m) with all bronze strings so changed some of the bass to bronze core with silver wrap; the top three string I changed to steel, since there was not as much finger room as I’d like with bronze. Charts and data are here:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/virtualharpcircle/files/Building%20A%20Wire%20Harp/
in the file “Final String Band.” It will be 48″/1.2m tall in sapele. Whew! Now to wait for better weather….
Biagio
I’m with Tacye, sounds like an old wife’s tale to make you spend more money. I suppose that the “proof is in your ears” but I have a hard time understanding any physical reason that new wire strings will sound any better than 2 year old ones and I definitely do not see why keeping old ones on longer would hurt the harp.
If they have oxidized that might cause less brilliance; cleaning them with light mineral oil will improve the tone. As for hurting the harp: first, the board has become stretched already; changing the string if it has not broken will relax the board somewhat which will in theory hurt it a little when it comes back up to tension. Second, the tension is quite high on a pedal tension harp in the bass and the board is correspondingly thicker. You are not going to damage it!
Biagio
Thank you Allison and Balfour! The design phase always takes the longest LOL. First I get the “numbers to look as I want: T/L to decline smoothly from (in this case) around 3.50 to 1.00, %T from 60% to 30% with decent looking lengths. That’s what is posted over on the virtual harp circle.
Then comes the “interesting” part: transfer it to a drafting table and change things until it actually will look nice. In this case, adjust a few lengths in the upper register and lower the height by about 6 inches. That will make the last two strings wound silver over bronze (nuts). Well, I can live with that.
So now I’ll hang it on the wall and forget about it for awhile, since experience says there will always be more changes – grin.
Biagio
Yes I’m enjoying it much more thanks Balfour. I really do think that the more relaxed we are the better we do the task at hand. As long as we are not comatose, of course.
Which is a funny thing since for most of my life I pretty much ran on adrenalin. Note to self: the world will not come to a screeching halt if you miss that one note.
Besides I have a design for a high head wire strung 32 or 34 in the works….nice way to take a break after the 20th time through a tricky passage.
Biagio
Several harps in question on this thread…
Smartwood and Harpsicle: The strings are quite loose especially in the lower range so unless you play with the nails they do sound twangy. Upgrades are available for both which will not put excessive tension on the boards and definitely improve the tone. But you are not paying for a professional’s concert instrument so don’t expect them to sound like one. I do know pros however who are quite happy with either or both of them for session playing, rentals, practice, travel, etc. MusicMakers offers a trade-up to one of their better instruments; the Smartwood does not require power tools.
Wire strung Limerick: You can either use the steel strings that they supply and keep the bridge pins or drop the range a few steps and use phosphor bronze. In the latter case, ask them to mark but not to drill the bridge pin holes and use #4 tapered pegs where the bridge pins would otherwise be located. Steel has a very different sound from bronze or brass.
My two cents,
BiagioThis question always engenders more questions: what kind of harps? what kind of automobile? do they have soft or hard cases?
Loading options will vary depending on the answers. In general you want to protect the pedals and neck (or levers and neck) as the first priority. I have a van for transporting multiple harps with custom frames and so do most of the makers that I know.
Some touring harpists with lever harps in soft cases load them flat but I shiver when they do that with one on top of the other. What ever the harp(s) and whatever the mobile they should be secured with bungee chords or (preferably) nylon web straps. The touring pedal harpists I’ve known all used a hard case.
I’ve been known to wrap a (large) lever harp in a blanket and flat load it in a Toyota Corolla for a short trip, but I REALLY don’t recommend that!
Biagio
