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A subject very close to my heart! Here is an extract from some workshop notes I have put together for composers:It is a
common misconception that the harp is similar to the piano. However the
two instruments are almost entirely different, with fundamentally different movements required to play them. The
piano has the mechanical advantage of keys which in turn move hammers, and the
harp is a plucked instrument. The basic movement required of the finger on the
harp is a pulling motion ��� unlike on a keyboard instrument, where it is a
pushing motion. With every ���pull,��� the finger must travel a greater
distance to complete the movement than is needed on a keyboard; it is more a
complex movement than a push, and can not be repeated as quickly.
Remember there is no mechanical advantage between the finger and the string.Harpists use only 4 fingers of each
hand ��� this can be thought of as 20% less dexterity available to a harpist than
to a pianist.Harpists��� arms are constantly in
varying degrees of extremity, higher and more forward than almost any other
instrument, and working always against gravity, which places a lot of loading
on back, shoulders, and arms. For this reason, and very importantly, rests or breaks are needed
for both arms in long passages ��� particularly where the arms are
extended either very low or very high in the harp.Carolyn Mills
