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I sometimes have pedal harps available to rent and am 45 mins from Plymouth but I don’t have any at the moment and can’t guarantee one would be free when you need it. If one does come up I will certainly let you know just in case you are still looking. You could certainly try Sarah Dere Jones but the Cornwall harp centre is a pretty long way from Plymouth (Cornwall is a big place with slow roads! Plymouth is in Devon.) To avoid travelling further than your final destination I would certainly try Geraldine at affairs of the harp. There is an Aurora listed on her site now but I don’t know if short term rental is available. It’s at the bottom!
http://www.affairsoftheharp.com/forsale.asp
The Totnes shop (teacher) does not have pedal harps. The Dutch harpist does not have any for rental.
Morley harps have lots of harps available for rental and may also deliver (at a fee).
http://www.morleyharps.com
Salvi/Lyon and Healy have a shop just outside cardiff. They don’t have a direct website but you can google for their phone number. The Camac shop in Cardiff itself is called Vining Harps. Elen Vining is very helpful. http://www.camacharps.co.uk/I guess a wheelchair lift might be the sort of thing you are after. Something like this if the picture works!
http://innovativelifts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/home_decklift.gif
I had a google and they’re seriously not cheap! I would definitely look into a winding ramp or perhaps a series of long, shallow steps. No problem for a decent trolley with pneumatic wheels.
Deborah Henson-Conant has some really useful information about the various different makes/types of harps on her website. She explains the differences here:
http://www.hipharp.com/faqs/faqtech.htm
Her book “A Gurls Guide to Amplification” is a must read. I’m just taking my first faltering baby steps into amplifying my harps (simple pick up and small amp). I’m already hooked and I think I may have to leave my credit card at home when I go to the WHC in Sydney next month or I might come home with an electric harp. They are cabin size right?!!
Doing a quick google for stoney end reveals quite a few retailers in the Uk who sell them. I don’t know if any would be prepared to import the kit you are after though.
Or there is this on ebay!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/44-String-Double-Strung-Brittany-Maple-Lap-Harp-C-F-Levers-Padded-Case-7652/131214037389?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D22860%26meid%3D7667305084939655049%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D9840%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D221465272970
I know you have decided on what you really want but I just wondered if you had considered these as an option? http://youtu.be/nGB_RllE0iA
A couple of weeks ago I had a quick go on one in my local harp shop (which incidentally sells the stoney Wee Bonnie so might be worth contacting about the kit?) I was REALLY surprised. They were incredibly light and have a very nice sound given how cheap they are. They come in kit form and I think you can take them apart once finished which might suit your transportation needs. Might be worth a look.Link to my local shop is here. It is in Devon, as is Tim Hampson so if you were visiting him at all you could drop in on the way!
http://www.devonharpcentre.co.uk/harps-for-sale-and-hire/product-h17-Intermediate-29-string-harp-unlevered.htmlMia, I have the style 11 gold. Mine is 38 years old. She sounds beautiful in my opinion. She isn’t as loud as my 23 (which is new) but the tone quality is totally even right up through the top octaves, which isn’t always the case with other Lyon and Healys I’ve played. It is beautifully clear and bell like.
They are heavy though (not as heavy as a Salvi or a Venus but heavier than the 23) and very tall! Certainly not the easiest harp to travel with!Have you considered trying Robin Ward. He makes double harps and is in the UK.
Sherj, I posted a pic of the 17s but the new forum layout doesn’t seem to support them or let you attach them. I’m going to try to post a link but it might not work!
Mia, the 11 is an absolutely beautiful harp. I really really wanted one rather than a 23 when I knew I needed to move up to 47 strings from my lovely 17. They aren’t very common in the UK so I never thought I would get one. Bizarrely, when I decided to sell my 17 one of its previous owner’s pupils contacted me because he really wanted it. He shocked me by saying he had an 11 to sell. We swapped!!!! (I paid a bit extra of course!) But it just goes to show that dreams can come true when you least expect it.
Sid, there is a blue Salzedo model similar to your dream. I think your version would look even more stunning.
I utterly adored my 17 but my dream harp was always a 17 with 47 strings. The re-issued ones seem to be just that, in walnut (?) and bronze. Everything I always wanted!!
Yes, Alexander Technique is taught, usually one to one. The teacher is training your body. It can’t be picked up from reading about it. However, this is a very interesting and useful book to use along side lessons.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/An-Alexander-Technique-Approach-Harp-ebook/dp/B004JKMSXEI second Bonnie’s suggestion. Jack Hayward Insurance is great. Jack sadly passed away quite recently I think. They offer a substantial discount for anyone who is a member of the United Kingdom Harp Association (UKHA) and you can choose to include things like covers, stands, music and public liability insurance.
I saved over £100 a year by changing to them.This thread is interesting as it highlights that there are so many different approaches to playing. I was always taught (and continue to teach) that the harp should NEVER rest on your shoulder regardless if it is pedal or non-pedal! Nor should it’s weight be on your knees, even though it touches them. I was taught that it should balance on it’s own centre of gravity when leant back. Your knees gently stop it falling too far back and your fingers keep it from tipping forward. I make all my pupils lean back away from the harp without it coming back with them to prove that they don’t have the weight on their shoulder. Having the harp lightly touching your knees doesn’t impede pedalling at all. I play Lyon and Healys – style 11 and 23 – and hold both lightly on my knees with absolutely no pedalling trouble at all. I guess it all comes down to what technique you were taught!
If any of my pupils do ever complain of back or shoulder pain I too always check the stool height first and then whether they have started resting the harp on their shoulder. I also take, and recommend, Alexander Technique lessons.You can buy the whole of Sioned’s suite from Holywell music in London. They have a little stash hidden in the cellars!
Sioned’s Suite is BWV 1006a. She did a lot of research on it and included an original facsimile of Bach’s score in the music. It is a joy to play. The prelude is Grandjany’s 12th étude but, as it isn’t doubled in the hands, it is much easier to play. It flows beautifully. It is quite difficult to find the music now as the original publishers sold the rights.
