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I completely agree. I used to have a 17 gold which I chose because I just found the gold 23 too much! I wish I still had it. I traded it in for a style 11 which is a fabulous harp but I miss the portability and the simple elegance of the 17. Funnily enough I now also have a 23 but in ebony and bronze. It seems I’m a sucker for a stripy pillar!
R.I.P. 17.
After seeing this mornings news I am just horrified at the situation and praying that he and his family are as safe as it is possible to be. If anyone gets to speak to him please let him know there are many strangers out here sending love and prayers to him and his family.
I use rescue remedy all the time as I suffer really dreadful nerves. Beta blockers just left me feeling empty headed and unable to focus my mind properly. I never feel sleepy taking rescue remedy because you only need a few drops. There is also a version called Recovery Plus which I found to be fantastic. Other things to try are eating bananas (seriously!) and the homeopathic remedy gelsemium. I also saw a hypnotherapist and have a self help CD of the session we had. Its great for helping me relax if I am getting myself wound up before a performance. Top tip though – don’t put hypnosis on your iPod and then put the iPod on shuffle if you are driving with it playing!!!!
You might need to compromise on the size by taking out the seat part of the rear seats. When they fold forward they can take up loads of room. As a student I had a series of old bangers which my concert Salvi fitted. They were: Peugeot 305 (rare now but they went forever) Mazda 323 (tiny but fitted everything and never went wrong) fiat stilo estate (dirt cheap!) Your best bet might be the old style vauxhall astra. I think there were loads produced. Some had 3 doors so are cheaper. There’s always thd old Ford Mondeo too but they are HUGE. The VW Passat fits well and so does the mitsubishi Lancer – old style one is better than new one. Skoda Octavias are very good with a good reputation. We are lucky here because the driver side is opposite the pillar of the harp so even a car that looks short might surprise you. Spend an afternoon looking round a big dealers yard and take the harp cover with you as a rough guide. Go back with the harp if you find something that might do. I ALWAYS take the harp to check it fits when buying a car. Dealers love it!! It’s Really hard now because people carriers have meant the death of the trusty family estate. Hope you find something.
I don’t know where you are geographically but as she is very small have you considered a pilgrim progress if it is available near you? They have a very good even tone and are the perfect size for little children learning pedal harp.
http://www.pilgrimharps.co.uk/progress.htm
The other thing to consider would be upgrading to a better lever harp which has an even tone that you are happier with. That might be easier to trade in when she is big enough to have a wider choice when making the decision on which pedal harp to go for. There is a smaller Salvi Daphne avaiable with 40 strings. http://www.harpconnection.com/storepages/Daphne-40.html
Also the Aoyama etude 42 is small and Aoyamas tend to be light.
http://www.morleyharps.co.uk/acatalog/Etude_42.html
All are worth comparing with the Clio. As others have said the extended versus straight soundboard wouldn’t affect her studies – just the way the harp projects. Hope you manage to find what you and your daughter are looking for. Best of luck to you both.I agree with bypassing the Clio. I have a pupil who moved up to pedals from levers in the spring. She tried and fell in love with a fabulous used Camac Athena but she couldn’t reach the low strings and had to have a 1 inch board under her feet so she could sit properly with her feet firmly on the ground. It didn’t affect pedalling. It was a bargain and I advised her parents to buy it. 6 months later and she can already reach everything and the foot board is gone. She is 11 and growing really fast. Don’t know how old your daughter is. On another note Sioned Williams who is principal harp with the BBC symphony Orchestra is tiny. She plays a Horngacher which is a very wide harp. She can’t reach very low with her R. hand and has been known to bring it round to the left side so both hands are on the same side of the harp! She knows a smaller harp would be easier but she just LOVES her horngachers!! Where there’s a will there’s a way.
Oooh there’s a cheeky reply begging to be posted involving the words “expendable” and “conductors”!!
I’m just not brave enough to do it 😉http://www.musicroom.com
They have loads of printable sheet music including Florence and the Machine. Make sure you have installed the software properly before clicking print or you will pay for a blank page! (Mac users beware. I have never got it to work and have to resort to an old Windows laptop.)Volvo XC70 is the best harp car I’ve ever had. The load space is huge and nice and high so it’s a doddle to load. My styles 23 and 11 both fit with masses of room to spare. Plus it has automatic boot opening from the key remote! I have the 2 wheel drive version because it’s cheaper to run and we have snow once in a blue moon. The 4 wheel drive version would be perfect if you need it.
I had a similar bizarre moment when a wedding guest came up and said how much they love the harp. They said they had been to a brilliant harp recital by Jaqueline Du Pre!! I didn’t know what to say.
This one!
Love the playing and the way it’s shot. Just wish it was the whole piece.
I started the harp at 18 after playing piano and flute since childhood. I was mainly a flautist and, post grade 8, decided to add another string to my bow. I passed grade 5 and then grade 8 harp in a year and a half. Harp was just my “thing” I guess. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. One thing I would say though. Passing an exam at a certain level doesn’t necessarily mean you are totally proficient. The only repertoire I had was my exam music. I learned everything from memory and couldn’t sight read or learn anything quickly on the harp for at least another 3 years. I got the qualifications that quickly so I could get into a music course at university. Once I was there, that’s when I really started getting to grips with the harp.
I’ve had several go over the years. The first one went at 3am. The harp was at the foot of my bed and it was pitch dark. Scared the bejeesus out of me! The most embarrassing was at a wedding. The registrar said “please be upstanding for the entrance of the bride” and bang. Everyone jumped a mile and I just had to carry on and play the Wedding March with the broken string rattling away like crazy.
