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Those are nice easels Biagio.
I was also considering this design before I made my harp stands from a barstool, and may someday use it:
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww206/nancyewilson/Bard_Cherry_3moons_zpsok44saut.jpgI was thinking the bottom pieces could be 8 or 10 inches verticle instead of the low height on thisharp, and the design is simple, with the dowels holding it together horizontally.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww206/nancyewilson/DSCF2024_zpsdu5pknwd.jpg
Yes I still have the Eve22 and often play that in an easy chair, I suppose it will fit on the taller stand if I want.
I may actually sell the Roosebeck 29 if anyone’s interested. I had ordered that when the Mikel Celtics were listed. Brand new but too late to return.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww206/nancyewilson/DSCF2022_zpsi4riqzcd.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww206/nancyewilson/DSCF2023_zps96srvhu5.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww206/nancyewilson/DSCF2024_zpsdu5pknwd.jpgWith both stands, I am not going to secure the harp to the base, because I still lean the harp back when I sit in a chair. They work pretty well!
Mikel Celtic says they have 10″ optional legs (“not always available”) I think I’d have to order from Pakistan, and I think you have to remove the feet already there- My stand is 11″ from floor to the top
the top part of the barstool left for the Roosebeck 29 measures just over 18″ high.Not much of harper here, but I can crudely pluck out stuff that sounds like a tune.
But I can usually pick up a guitar or sit at the piano, and be playing along by the end of most songs by knowing a few basics about song structure-
so “playing by ear” is most easily done with SOME knowledge, consisting of two main components:
1. The knowledge of “Keys” and their scales-
2. the knowledge of the Three Chord TheoryThe first -knowledge of the keys- is most important and best learned on piano I think, by playing the Major Scale (Do-re-mi-so-fa-la=ti=do) off of every key- you get to know the key scales- ie “C” has NO sharps or flats,
G has one sharp “F”, “D” has two sharps- F and C, “A” has three sharps C,F and G, and so on-On a piano or keyboard, the tones and their relationships are all there in front of you to see. But you have to know how the Major Scale sounds so that you can play it- find it if you will- from any note you start on.
You can get a cheap keyboard these days for $50 or less, and it would probably be of value.as the keys get more sharps and flats they are generally used less often. C, G and D are used frequently on harps and some only have those levers t accommodate those three. Violins have four strings GDAE- all the note scales have a progressing ordered number of sharps as you move to the higher strings, and much of their music resolves to those open string notes, or uses those key signatures GDAE. D has one more sharp than G, A has one more sharp still than D and E has even one more than A.
A viola is CDGA and so keeps the same progressive key signature progression- it just starts with C- and NO sharps- at the bottom lowest note, yet the strings have the same relationship as the violin, and so you can “play by ear” or using the same hand position the same music, it will just be a fifth lower.
The second important component of “playing by ear” – The three chord theory- is that most modern music is often built around the I, IV, V progressions and mixtures- The use of the Roman numerals is a relative identification, to describe the relationship based upon the note or major chord one starts with. When C is the I, the IV is F and the V is G. When D is I the IV is G and the V is A. And so on.
There are many places to find better explanations of the I iV , V theory, so you have to have a grasp of that, and then also realize that not all music “moves” that way, but most music uses AT LEAST two chords of the I IV V relationship- Some music only ever even use ONE chord throughout.
So anyway, once you have a grasp of those two things, you can generally find the key by listening to what note a piece RESOLVES to at the end of the main phrases. Pluck the guitar or harp string, play the piano key, and when you get the one that matches the resolving tone-
that is generally the key signature and I chord tone, for most music. The piece changes to another chord center as it goes along- quite often the chords then built on the IV or V of the main resolving tone. If it’s in a minor key, or strays from I IV OR V it gets more complicated.
but using those two pieces of musical knowledge can get you started playing along with most recordings.
Ugh, the trains outside just woke me again. 3:30 am.
Two days with the harp and just settling in to tune- I guess I can get a snap or two up, but a video may take few days.I can’t play much just a few open chord progression. I was playing earlier and thinking the rhythmic result would make a good rhythm track for other instruments over it.
I think this instrument is going to grow on me, and if I can’t sleep at nights, I won’t feel that I’m making a lot of noise as with piano or guitar.
Oh well, I’m now the owner of Mikel Celtic Saffron 34 harp. And very pleased, it’s a whole new experience. The harp is resonant, has good volume and well made, the tuners function smoothly. I have really little else to compare it to, but after having shopped around it seems a lot of harp for the money, and with a nylon case.
I wish I had known of this harp a week or two before I became aware of it, and I probably would not have the Roosebeck 29 Minstrel- which is a nice harp, but in a different class, and having all monofilament strings. The 29 I think could use a rounded back and lighter soundbox- mostly the sides- and I talked about trying some wound basses on it in another thread. I’ll probably try to sell it now.
I’m now of the opinion that you have to have some wound basses to get the real experience. Someone was critical above of the Roosebecks, but I think there are decent ones. The Ashley 31 has a rounded back and wound basses and seems fairly nice in quality. The 36 Meghan has a more rounded back and a lot of strings, but dollar for dollar I think this Mikel Celtic is a better harp at less money then.
But my Mikel Celtic has 34 and will probably be the last harp I’ll buy.
I think it’s a good solid first serious harp for anyone not wanting to spend twice as much. I’ll bet the price will be going up eventually.Just a hack for now, but I’ll be practicing!
Here’s another idea I’m having- slightly related to string topic- so let me throw it out here
I’m thinking about replacing most of the nylon monofilament strings on my 29 string Roosebeck harp- range C to C- eventually with a nylon set sold for their 31 string Ashley harp-
at which point I also may drop the range down to F to F-
This would give me 4 wound bass strings of .079 width. My harp at the moment does not have any wound strings and I’m feeling like the bass strings are just a bit too floppy and twangy sounding.
On the other hand, if I drop it down any, this may compensate for the wound basses and cause them to flop just as much- I don’t know.
I could put the 31 Ashley strings on, but they start with a blue string- so I’d either have to live with that as a “C” or find a comparative clear or red wound string individually- then I could also still use the F perhaps and then have 5 wound strings on the bass end. I haven’t researched much the other widths but assume I could work it all out, even using some of the strings already there but perhaps moving them up the scale if I want.I wouldn’t mind dropping them much I don’t think because the top end is very high, but the main drawback is that my 29 Heather harp is 38 inches tall while the 31 Ashley stands a full six inches taller at 44.
When I got into playing smaller scale classical guitars, the rule of thumb is to then use higher tension strings to compensate on the short scale or they are too floppy- I’m guessing the harp may be the same? Will the thicker gauges deliver any decent sound with a shorter length? Will dropping down to F instead of C for the first just make that worse. Is there a minimum length for wound strings.
Biagio, anyone know anything here?
Hey thanks-
I like a lot of resonance- that’s why I like the sound of wire strung harps.
I dunno I’m still kicking the idea around, as I haven’t been able to get $50 for the old one- in fact no response at all. Prbably won’t happen until at least winter if it does at all.
As I was looking around, I found this video interesting:
This is an interesting discussion. I’ve been playing my Roosebeck 29 Heather harp mostly in my living room on a shag carpet or in my lap. After reading this I took it into my kitchen where there is a hardwood floor. What a difference! And I think largely because the harp is a standup harp with no legs otherwise- it rests on the bottom of the sound box when standing, and I was surprised to see when I got it that it has the same sort of carvings that are on the sides (I may have to smooth those out there, because I think I’d like to get or make a stand with some legs on it) Anyway, the volume and resonance of the harp is much improved by direct contact with the hardwood floor. I don’t think I’ll play it in the kitchen out of a course of habit, but I may if I intend to record or videotape because the sound is so much better there.
On another note, I’ve also done just a little bit of sanding on the inside of the sound box- just one small square of sandpaper and about ten minutes- just on the sides of the sound box and a slight bit on the back- There are four sound holes so I can get my hand to most of it- I think I’ve noticed a slight improvement in sound already, and so likely to keep going small amounts at a time in the future.
It’s a curse I got started on with guitars, and I found that I can make almost any guitar sound better by sanding things down inside and letting the sound waves bounce around in a more hollow cavity that offers less mass to dull the vibrations. The harp has no internal bracing much in the way like a guitar- I first got started on a 3/4 sized classical guitar they’d put the same full sized bracing into and that was really closing down the airspace to the sound hole.
Anyway, thanks for the topic. My whole house has become my studio I guess, and I try not to trip over the instruments.
I can’t tell you but I hear Pee Wee Rees!
You’ve probably seen this demo then
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM2Lhpex9h8Beautiful harps!
No, actually it WAS here- and it is still on my personal log, and now I have saved it to my files.
So as you may see if you missed it in the hours it was up from last night until sometime today- it is not slanderous libelous or obscene in any way- I studied these things in Journalism school- then I hope no one here will have any objections to it when I repost it, if it’s just a glitch then.
hmmmm, Also, the hosting platform here has now gotten like others I’ve seen lately on the net, and keeps leaving out letters I’ve type, and making this post laborious indeed. Let’s hope that this improves too, because I’ve never had this happen o me here, and the timing IS strange ad paranoia inducing.
The Outer Limits ! ooh , scary, cotrolling (SIC)
Now today- 8/9- I can’t get anything to post- My icon is there, I click on the post link, I even finally get a screen that tells me “You’ve said that” But I HAVEN’T said that. It does not post now
suspicious- and I have had such things happen to ne at other sitesThe host is not dropping letters off my typing though- just not putting anything at all- so I’m trying this edit.
Heres a pretty good price on a used Dusty strings 26 with c & F levers-if you’re in he New York area- local pick-up only:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dusty-Strings-Ravenna-26-C-F-Levers-Als-Music-Shop-NY/171735377666?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D32237%26meid%3D382891c768c94a51a65722c7ee6dd621%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D221838041999There’s been a Salvi harp on Craigslist here for $2000 but that’s way outta my price range:
http://staugustine.craigslist.org/msg/5100654091.htmlMy costliest instrument at the moment would be my Baldwin Hamilton studio upright piano I got last summer for $400 delivered. I’ve got a whole bunch of guitars, ukes violins and violas but they are all fairly low end inexpensive items. That allows me to get my feet wet on a bunch of instruments. I’m mostly into Celtic and Pop.
Here’s a sample of a Mikel Celtic 34
Well, I was just relating the experiences of my latest harp search after spending the past couple of weeks looking for both used harps and pricing them on ebay. I think you are wrong about your used harp comment , wil. Except in cases of very very much patience, where time is not an issue, the prices of used harps is very high. It seems a lot of players want to get nearly back what they paid originally, considering many of them were probably bought at a lower rate some time ago. I don’t fault them for that, but there’s really not floating around out there with more than 22 strings that you can get for under $500. And that’s why I finally went with the Roosebeck 29 Heather harp myself. I’ve thought about financing a harp in the past, but on a fixed income, that isn’t an attractive prospect, but that may still work best for some people- even a credit card purchase with a lowrate. You can generally get a lower rate with a “balance transfer offer” of no interest for another year or so once you have a balance to transfer, and if you’re not going belly-up bankrupt already!
But anyway, that’s what I like about these Mikel Celtic harps- there’s a lot of harp there for the money it seems. On the other hand, it has to come all the way from Pakistan, and customer service or a return seems difficult. They have a site with a line of other harps:
There are some vendors in the UK but their prices are higher on these harps, and they often call them something other. I just saw this listed on ebay, where the same harp has appeared in another ad from Dublin- exact same pictures- slightly different case and color- and called a Hunky Bunky 34. I think they wanted $900 and another $250 to ship. Sounds like the remains of a wild night of sex I think, and better off to get these harps from the maker, if they aren’t already nearby.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-Hunky-Bunky-HB-34-string-best-Lever-Harp-Ash-and-Beech-wood-/181817728713?hash=item2a552e5ec9
Anyway, the youtube sample above is rather short and doesn’t go to all the strings, but sounds pretty darn good to megood luck to all!
Just a note on the rising prices of the Paki Roosebeck harps- There’s just one 29 string harp listing left at the “old” price-
The seller had several last week- three different styles. I thought I’d see if I could get some money off with the “make offer” link, and offered them $400.
The seller not only turned my offer down but put that model immediately up about $50. I ended up paying his original price for another one- the similar designs didn’t matter much to me.
Now all the 29’s are up to $499 or more on ebay, new that is. 27’s are annoyingly mostly priced HIGHER then, leaving a big gap up to anything else with 31 or 36 strings. I’m happy with my 29 for now- the sound is decent for a hack like me, as I mentioned the sound boards seem much improved. And the instrument is pleasing in appearance to be sure. I thought the low “C” was buzzing and was tuning it to C with the lever slightly engaged, because it wasn’t clearing the lever. It turned out the string had come out of the groove on the pin above it. I slipped that back in the notch and the buzzing problem went away.
anyway this may be the last chance to get a 29 Roosebeck new for under about $500- $434 in fact- or just as a price marker in time.
Here’s an older video with an older 29 Minstrel harp with the older style soundboard:
