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Maybe your wooden toggles are the issue. Are you trying to just tie a standard knot around the toggle then string the harp? The maker of my harp originally anchored my strings with little plastic beads. Try as I might I cannot anchor strings in the same way. So I reverted to the method most people use.
Make two loops in the knot end of the string, thread one loop through the other and pull tight until you have just one small loop left. Cut an ” long bit of scrap string (3rd octave thickness is good) fold it in half. Put that through the remaining loop, and pull tight until the knot is tight around the bit of folded string. Now thread your string and tune it.
Thanks so much for your help everyone. I have taken your suggestions and yes Carl I will also have a look at the two harps you mention as well. I’l need to call my local customs office to find out what kind of customs or import duties I might incur with such an instrument.
Thanks Darth Mom,
Yes I am aware of Hugh Jones although I cannot find anyone who has purchased a pedal harp from him. The harps available through the VIC harp society are all 47 string harps. A bit larger than I am looking for.
How I wished in the US, but I don’t. If I did I would be swimming in choice. As it is, I am hard pressed to find any 2nd hand harp let alone one I like. It seems like I will have no choice except to buy sight unseen from a catalogue, and hoping YouTube vids are good enough to get some idea of what I am buying.
The cost of flying somewhere to test one out would add an additional $3,000-$4,000 to the cost of it. It’s just not feasible. Sadly there are some parts of the world where you can’t even try before you buy when spending thousands.
My budget is up to $15k. I’m hoping I can find something in that range.
Sadly, this makers harps are known for their poor base. They are lovely in the upper registers but terrible in the lower strings. I have played one that was brand new and was astounded at how spongey the strings felt in the base and how poor the output was.
Or maybe the posters heard the advice then found something completely different to what the advice on here offered and they are happy with that. They might be afraid to come back and post about it for fear of being told they made the wrong choice.
Harpcolum is very pedal harp centric. Yes I know there are a lot of lever harpists on here, but the majority of discussion centres around pedal harps and music appropriate for that. If you are a straight folk harpist you probably want to hang out with other folk musicians, even if they are not harpists.
This forum is simply one of the few resources available for newbies to the harp world. I’m sure they don’t abandon the forum out of a desire to offend. They probably just don’t relate to the majority of the discussion on here, or feel intimidated by some of the posts.
I bought a lever harp because I basically thought I liked folk music. But like the OP what I actually liked was early music. I still like celtic folk and my lever harp, but I absolutely get drawn to Gothic Harps and their hollow and woody sound. They kind of remind me more of xylophones than harps. Everytime I see an early music group in concert I’m in raptures.
I don’t really know where to go harp-wise next. The baroque harps absolutely ring my bells but the three rows of strings scare the daylights out of me. I have enough trouble with one set and some levers. But baroque and gothic harps absolutely thrill me in terms of sound and aesthetics.
I’m actually quite surprised these harps cost more than a wood harp. Yes I understand the material may be expensive but they are moulded, not handcrafted. So the basic harp (sans holes and hardware) is made in about a days worth of labour. Compared to say weeks of cutting and sanding wood. They should actually be a bit cheaper. I think I can live without a carbon fibre harp for now.
Heartland Harps website now looks a bit soul-less to be honest. And the moniker “handcrafted harps since…’ seems a little out of place with something that is obviously modern and plastic in appearance.
Yes my classical teacher was Salzedo. Drove me bonkers quite frankly with the elbow thing.
Definately folk is my thing. I love the lilting melodies and simple arrangements. It’s easy to find classical teachers in my area but folk teachers are pretty much either unheard of or all self-taught and consequently not that good at imparting technique onto others. I guess I’ll just have to keep searching.
Thanks everyone.
I can’t explain what is that makes me so tense with the harp. No I wasn’t trying to play it with broken strings or untuned. I have a lovely instrument with a beautiful sound. It’s just fallen into disrepair because I haven’t touched it for so long (around 18 months now).
But I get pain in my shoulders where my muscles are like steel, this tension never goes away. One of my teachers was a classical teacher and I always felt highly stupid during lessons. The pieces were boring to me and I hate reading music. I can do it, but it’s hard and I avoid it at all costs. I had lessons with this teacher for 6 months during which time I practised the same piece over and over never moving on from it.
The teacher before that was folk, and while she helped me to move through pieces I always felt she was kind of lax. Once I got the fingers down on one piece she’d just push to the next one, instead of polishing that piece. I never felt like I ever finished anything.
I’m not that interested in classical pieces, yes I like to listen to them but playing them doesn’t inspire me. I have a lever harp and that’s fine with me to stick with it. Maybe I will try the self-learning route for a while. It’s always frustrating to me to try and find a new teacher then end up not liking them much.
Well thank you everyone for your replies. The harp is not my first instrument, my first was french horn. I am a late comer to the harp (almost 40). I first got the harp when I was in love with folk music but my tastes have changed and I’ve discovered I much more enjoy early music. But my skill doesn’t allow me to play either well, or even at all. I started with a folk teacher and now have a classical teacher. I’ve hit the same brickwall with both teachers, so I rather think the issue is with me.
I took a 7 month break about 2 years ago and that’s when I decided to find the current the teacher I have now. There are some aspects I seem to pick up easily, like hand position, fingerings etc, but the damn written music thing blocks me everytime. I’d like to be able to claim that I’m a play by ear person but to be honest I can’t do that either. Picking out a tune isn’t something I can do.
I’ve never thought the harp was particularly difficult just my ineptitude with music….sigh….but you are all right that I’m not inspired and it’s probably a waste of time and money right now to attend lessons so I’ll stop again. I think I need to look into this apparent mental “block” rather than push on through and spend more hours at the harp uselessly.
Jonathan, I thought your comment rather funny actually but there’s no way this side of hell freezing over I’ll part with my instrument. It’s the first one I ever chose and bought for myself so it has a special place in my life.
Actually I was also really amused by Zen’s “baroque” comment since most highly ornate harps are actually Victorian in design. Even the inspiration for those designs don’t come from the baroque period. They are more regency (grecian motifs and acanthus scrolls) or Victorian gothic revival (Erard gothics, Wurlitzer DD style, L&H style 26).
But hey! That’s just the historian coming out in me.
For my taste I do prefer a simply designed harp. I really like a lot of the modern harps with a simple column, zero carving and straight polished finishes. I’m not a big fan of gilding but don’t mind it in moderation. I do like a turned and fluted column though if it doesn’t have a lot of intricate carving on it.
