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Thank you for all the suggestions – I will look into these. As for “Masque” – I think perhaps I’ll leave it for now. I suspect it would take a long time and hours of intensive practice to be comfortable playing this, and sadly time is limited. Sigh!
Thank you Carl and Paul – I’ll have a look at the IMSLP link and see if think I could handle it – or whether I would just be traumatised by it.
Me too! My eyesight is not wonderful, and I need strong contrast for easy reading. Could the text be made a bit darker as well as larger?
I have a 39 string Andrew Thom harp custom build, loosely based on the Olwen model. My opinion may be somewhat biased, but I think the sound is fantastic, especially the bass. I actually bought it for its sound, not its looks.
It’s about 10 years old now, has a few dents from regular gigging, but still a brilliant harp.
My sole reservation is the size. These 39 string models are seriously big, and transport might be a problem if you are used to being able to fit your current harp on the back seat of your car. And you will need a trolley. This isn’t a lever harp you can carry on your shoulder.
Elsewise, excellent harps, and I found Andrew lovely to deal with.Susan Enochson might be able to give you some advice. She can be contacted via her web site http://www.harpbysusan.info/index.php
I can’t help you with the longer run-in, but to change the tempo, check out speedshifter from ABRSM – http://gb.abrsm.org/en/exam-support/practice-tools-and-applications/speedshifter/#
I find it really useful.Tim Hampson in Devon will make you any type of harp you like. At the Edinburgh Harp Festival he was showing me a small triple harp he had built and was in the process of stringing. Have you considered him?
Have you read this?
http://www.thestrad.com/latest/editorschoice/faking-it-the-great-unmentionable-of-orchestral-playing
Hmmmm…….
How about…
Pad it with a bit of…
http://www.diy.com/nav/build/insulation/pipe-wrap-radiator-foil/pipe_wrap/Climaflex-Pipe-Insulation-15mm-x-13mm-x-1m-9273770?skuId=9283470And secure the harp with a couple of bungees.
It works for me.
Have you heard of the book by Barry Green called “The Inner Game Of Music” ?
Amongst other topics covered, he discusses tensions caused by the unconscious mind and how to deal with them.
The gist of it is, select a passage, or phrase you know well, but you also know is affected by the unwanted tension. Then play it through several times with the tension consciously ramped up to as tense as you can get. Repeat with the tension as low and as relaxed as you can. Do this every time you practice for several weeks and hopefully the tension will change from being unconscious to conscious. Then you can switch it off at will.
The book explains it much better than this, and it will probably be much easier for an outsider such as your teacher to spot the tension than you yourself as your conscious mind will be mostly involved with playing.Hi Brian,
Welcome to the world of harping!The first two links show harps which would come under the umbrella of “Modern lever harp” either gut, nylon or carbon fibre (Kevlar) strung. The third shows a wire strung harp.
Confusingly, both types are liable to be called a “Clarsach”, but require different styles of playing.
Wire strung is usually played with the nails and usually used for medieval and older celtic style music – I say usually as harpists are an innovative bunch and bend the rules to suit themselves ;-).
Lever harps are usually played with the pads of the fingers and suit all styles of music, although highly chromatic tunes can be difficult.If you already play piano, you may have high expectations of the music you want to play so I would recommend getting as many strings as you can afford – or else you may find the lack of bass frustrating. If you decide to go down the lever harp route, I would recommend you don’t choose anything with less than 34 strings.
Harps are not cheap, so I would also advise renting before you buy – that way you will have a better idea of what you like before committing yourself.
Good luck!
Lyn – there are harp sight reading books by Fiona Clifton-Whelker and also Stewart Green. I bought mine from Pencerdd Music, but any U.K. harp music stockist will probably have them.
Hi Heather,
The older teardrop Camac levers had a tendency to bend at the neck if they got bashed – the new ones are much stronger, but not quite so aesthetically pleasing in my opinion. Apart from that, they were good levers. You might like to email Camac and check that replacement levers are still available.
Hi Lili,
I don’t own a Mark Norris, but I have tried them out and can vouch that they are good harps. I have two friends who own them and can only find good things to say about them.
Teifi harps are also good. Yet again, I don’t own one, but know someone who does – he loves it.
The problem with choosing a harp is that once you have got past the stage of “Is it well made” etc, much of what makes it “Good” is very personal. Whilst videos and recordings are better than nothing, they say as much about the recording equipment, sound engineer and player as they do about the instrument.
The only way to choose between two good harps is to try them out in person. And that is not always possible.
So both makes are good – nothing wrong with either, and a lot very right with both.
