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It’s lovely that people are advising you on which harp to go for at this early stage (Harpers are a great bunch)…but please don’t get too ‘hung up’ on all the technical stuff just yet. Most new (quality) harps are pretty well sorted before you get them and you’d have to play a harp for a very long time before it needed ‘setting up’ again. It’s like asking about buying a new car and then a mechanic starts telling you all about adjusting the timing and carburettor – a bit scary? The point about ‘try before you buy’ is well made though and again a local main dealer will guide you through any ‘teething troubles’. Happy harping…😊
Hi again
Something that came to me after I’d posted my first reply…if you buy a harp from a local store you’ll always have a point of reference for any issues (not so easy if you buy from overseas?). Plus building up a good relationship with a local expert will work well as your daughter progresses.Hi Claire,
I echo wil’s thoughts on Camac harps. I tried several of them at our Northern U.K. shop and although they had some discounted in a sale I knew I wanted a harp that would stay with me beyond learning the basics. I tried Hermine and a couple of other ‘higher end’ models, but the Telenn had a real depth to it.
I may have got a particularly good one (all wooden harps are slightly different as they’re made of a natural product which will have variations) but the one I bought has a wonderful depth and resonance to it. String tension is good for ‘new fingers’ and I’m very happy with it so far. Structurally it is very well made and the levers work perfectly.
Best wishes to your daughter and joy on her journey.Can you get hold of a spray called WD40? I do small scale engineering projects (as well as playing a Camac Telenn harp) and I use it for all kinds of things. It’s a water repellent and lubricant that helps with preserving any metal affected by heat & humidity. Some guitar players use it on their (metal) guitar strings before and after playing. It doesn’t smell too bad either. You spray it on and wipe it off again and after a couple of applications you should start to see an improvement. N.B. I wouldn’t use it an any wooden parts but as your harp is carbon fibre it should be ok.
Do you have a dealer in Camac harps close by? I got a Tellen lever harp and it is wonderful. I looked at lots of different ones but in many cases the import duty on American made harps made them too expensive. (I’m in the U.K.) Try to get a harp with a good after-market support network. And then just try some and buy the one that ‘speaks to you’. Good hunting.
I’m sure we all got into playing the harp because it’s such a wonderful instrument, but a small unobtrusive pickup and a quality ‘acoustic guitar’ amp allows you to get that magnificent ‘playing in a cathedral’ sound. Of course I love playing my harp acoustically but adding a little bit of reverb and chorus gives even the simplest of tunes a bit of a lift. That’s the beauty of the harp…it means something different to all of us. 🙂
There is a slightly more powerful Yamaha THR10C amp which is very portable and has built in reverb and chorus effects which can give depth and a wider sound to your harp. They have a dedicated‘Acoustic’ setting too. They would be plenty loud enough to use in a small group setting and if you were playing in a larger venue you could put a microphone in front of the amp and get a much bigger sound.
If you get a contact pickup (no drilling!) which you fix inside the Harp’s soundboard (you may need to try several different positions to see where you get the best sound) you can plug an acoustic harp into a small guitar amplifier – preferably an ‘acoustic guitar’ amp. The Yamaha THR 10 series are excellent little amps, very portable, have a dedicated ‘acoustic’ setting and have some nice effects built in. Once you have your amp set up you can experiment with various effects pedals and get some amazing sounds.
Thank you Biagio, I’ll check out those other forums. Wow I didn’t realise there was so much going on in the ‘harp world’. It’s very exciting and feels much nicer than some of the forums for my other interest…(say it quietly) playing the guitar! I’m loving playing the harp though and my wife is puzzled as to why I don’t pick up any of my guitars, as I’ve not had a day over the past 30 years when I’ve not played them! But there it is…when people ask me now I say ‘I play the harp’!
There you go…once again my friends come through. No doubt I’ll be asking more elementary questions as we go along, but it’s great to know you’re out there (somewhere). Cheers m’dears.
Thanks everyone. Can I just ask a little more advice? This is I’m sure a typical beginner’s question, but should my harp (and indeed any/every harp) have a slight upward bow on the soundboard. When viewed from the top the soundboard bows up along the strip where the strings go through, about 5mm, obviously due to the tension from the strings from about middle C to the bottom. Anything to worry about?
Well, I have my new harp. A Camac Telenn. I bought it from the Early Music Shop in Bradford U.K. and the folks there were brilliant (even tuning it for me while I went for some lunch!). I tried a number of different Camac harps and this one ‘spoke to me’. So here begins my harp journey…thanks to you all for your kind support…wish me luck!
Thank you Biagio, Balfour-knight and wil-weten. This is an excellent place to have ‘harp conversations’. I’m learning a lot already…and I haven’t even got my harp yet!
I’ll let you know what I do buy and hope to have many more happy conversations in the coming months. Kind regards to you all.Hi again folks. I’m just about to take the plunge & buy a harp. Can you please explain what the difference in spacing & tension is between a ‘Celtic style’ lever harp (Camac Tellen) and a 38 string ‘pedal harp’ spacing & tension (Camac Korrigan). Which would be best for a basic level returner? N.B. I don’t have any intention of moving on to a big pedal harp. Thanks again.
