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And has ANYONE had any experience with the Salvi Hermes gut/silkgut?
I’d really like to know. I’m beginning to despair finding the right ‘folk/celtic’ harp, at the prices they seem to be going for. I’m more inclined to go with a known maker, and the ability to ‘test drive’ rather than just buy/commission sight/sound unseen…
“….little 23 string doubles (46 total) have sat around for months, very reasonably priced, waiting for buyers to show up.”
Biagio- I don’t know you well, but your comments always enlighten. Are you a harp maker? Do you make Double Strung harps?
I’d like a URL please. More info!“I would’ve bought one except that I needed something taller. (I’m 5’10”).” – Jane
I know this is an old thread, but as I am now looking for a lever harp for song accompanying (I am a singer first, harper next) this discussion (especially about the Thormahlen Serenade) is where I am at, these days.
Jodi’s last comment (did you ever decide on a harp, Jodi?) “I’m very interested in the Thormahlens, the Serenade in particular, but I assume I’d need to order the taller feet on it to fit me better. I like that it is only 20 lbs! And I think its tone and looks are beautiful. I just don’t want to feel like I’m hunching over to play.”
– is of concern to me.I am going to sell my Troubadour (because I have a new/used pedal harp, which I love— but cannot sing and play that for Folk/Celtic gigs!) and am looking for something lever-harp wise, akin to that size/sound envelope, and ‘concert tension’ does not bother me.
As I am 6’3″ with 35″ inseams on my arms (yes, not quite a gorilla…) I want a harp I can get some sound out of. I’ve tried the DS Boulevard, and it’s ‘ok’ but not quite there…. I’ve heard the Rees Aberdeen Meadows, and it’s rather nice. I’ve only played someone else’s Thorm at the BITM conference, but the sound on a lot of videos convinces me this is ‘the’ choice. I’ve talked with Sharon @ TH, and we agreed that the ‘tall legs’ would be best. But as the Serenade does not permit Concert Gut, should I go with Nylon or this ubiquitous ‘Folk Gut’? I really, REALLY hate nylon ‘wound’ strings in the 2nd octave below middle C- it’s like playing loose rubber bands, and so, think the ‘Folk Gut’ would be the way to go…either that, or get a Cygnet, and bite the bullet..
Advice? Suggestions? Thanks, John
Gretchen- I won’t see my teacher until mid-week, so this was a one-time, ‘do it on your own’ sort of thing. Believe me, my teacher is amused by my wanting to learn the harp ‘at my age’ (my words, not hers) on many levels. We have great lessons, and it’s been a lot of fun- for both of us, as we explore my ‘harptitude.’ TYVM. – John
As a basso with a doctorate in Voice, may I jump in? You say you are an ‘alto.’ Lucky you – true altos are even rarer than good basses!
I, too, took up the harp… in my dotage, because I had always wanted to sing Celtic songs and play the harp. While I am very new (only a year, plus) on the harp, I’ve been singing for over forty years, professionally (and bel canto). There are (at least) two widely varying ‘schools’ of voice production (with their detractors and devotees- but I’m sure harpists don’t have those problems, right? lol), and one seems far more suited to the harp; that is – a position with a relatively stable rib cage & high sternum, and having the rib cage expanding outwards, under the arms, rather than ‘breathing down and out with the belly.’ (The latter, actually is impossible, because the viscera (your guts) are the only things that move with the belly breathers!) This approach takes time, both for the high sternum (resting the harp on the pectoralis muscle, rather than your collarbone is an added benefit, in this approach) as well as learning to breath ‘out,’ and not down (what I jokingly call ‘bathroom pressure’).
Secondly, the manner of attack (Glottal onset, rather than ‘blowing air’ through the cords) is of utmost importance, and is tied to the widely differing vocal ‘schools.’ Of course, I’m sorry to say this, but, after four decades in choirs, I can honestly say that a choral teacher often is the least qualified individual to teach singing, with only a bachelor’s and about six semester’s of singing instruction total, rather than those who study voice specifically) …but all of this, is probably more germane for an article – or a master class – at the next AHS conference! (2020?)
I would say,though, that learning each element (RH, LH, then hands together; Voice apart, singing melody on ‘oo’ and only later adding vowels, then words, and then, the whole ‘ensemble’) with each component learned separately, and only then (finally) putting them together, a phrase at a time, is the best approach.
It’s how my college students learn an aria, or an Art song, as they learn how to use their voices. ‘Centimeterarbeit,’ my teacher used to call it.
Hope that helps.
Wow! I just got my used Salvi (too) – a Walnut Diana,(first pedal, been doing Troubadour lever) and just assumed I’d tune it ‘normally’ – i.e., with the pedals in ‘middle’ position, so pitch was “as it is written.” I was blown away by this response- I never knew harpists tuned in any other way. I looked it up on the web, and sure enough, got this second definition/confirmation:
“First let’s look at tuning a pedal harp. Begin by deciding where to start, if tuning in C major, begin with C4 or middle C which is usually around the middle area on a full sized harp and is often color coded in red. Next, disengage all pedals. The reason for this is to allow the string to be tuned in its full length, without the friction of the discs in the action and to avoid tension being retained between the nut and the discs and between the discs themselves.
Disengaging the pedals means that the strings are in their “Flat” position, this means that the open strings will be tuned in C Flat major, tuning an octave starting with B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#. If this is too complicated for you, you can make this easier and pretty foolproof by adjusting the “Transpose” feature on your tuner to a value of -1 (minus one) and tuning to C, D, E, F, G, A, B, just remember to reverse the transposition to a zero value after tuning in order to use the tuner normally.” – https://www.petersontuners.com/myinstrument/harpLuckily, I didn’t have to torque it too much on Friday when the harp came; so, today, I put pedals in ‘neutral’ (flat) and revised my tuner to have it a half-step flat, and almost all of the strings were right on. Whew. Live and learn. Thanks. (P.S. Don’t tell my teacher I did such a stupid thing….)
LOL -Yes, I’m naming my harp. I’m getting a used pedal harp that has been delayed in arriving for months (I saw/played/chose it in MAY) due to moving, summer, heat, Hurricane Florence, etc. But it arrives soon…..
It’s a Salvi ‘Diana’- and, as our daughter is also so named, the harp already had her name chosen… Now, whether it’s named for/after the Princess of Wales, or the Goddess of the Hunt, it’s still a lovely name, with rich musical and harpistic allusions.
I’m a happy man, in any event. Now,’all’ I have to do, is add pedals to the mix…. umm, yeah.
FYI, I started almost a year ago studying lever (Troubadour) harp, after a decades-long absence from my first attempts, back in the day. I started then with “Fun From the First” with my teacher, and picked it up (because I had it already) but the book soon left me cold. It seemed so haphazard, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to be learning (students like to know scope and sequence, especially adults who are College Music Professors!) even as I stumbled through my first recital last December. I soldiered on, but felt I needed more- and while I really appreciate the incremental approach I learned from doing Suzuki piano with my kids, back in the day- I truly, desperately wanted to do something other than music from Book 1, AGAIN – especially as an adult!
I already had “Friou’s Harp Exercises for Agility and Speed” from before and so, over the past (2018) summer, I began to look at all the various skill sets needed, working diligently (read, REAL slowly) on these various exercises both as warm-ups as well as skill builders. I also started watching YT videos (Josh Layne rocks) that explained what it was I was trying to DO- because I was away from my regular teacher, and had both the time and desire to ‘explore.’ I found two Harp teachers in my ‘summer place’ also, and it was they who helped me SEE what I was aiming for; and, for the first time, I ‘got it’.
I find I LIKE doing ‘technique’ studies, but realized I needed to do ‘real music’ if I was going to progress. I liked the philosophy of Bruner’s ‘Play the Harp beautifully’ (Level 2) and having DVD’s of how to play, was very helpful. However, once I bought the DVD and the books, after the initial lessons in the Level 2 book, the pieces seemed to start jumping around -presuming ability on things that were never covered in the lessons- and (while helpful with placing and crossovers/unders) PtHB had music that just jumped too fast, too soon with difficult fingering and LH/RH independence.. for me.
So again, I felt I needed something that both: a) took into consideration that I already know a great deal about music ‘theory’ but b) that I don’t know a great deal about HARP. Most pedagogy books are geared for children and/or total beginners; but I’m an adult who has been doing music most of my life. I wanted something that assumed I could read music, count, know key signatures, etc., but gave me nice,’meaty’ works to think about, as I learned these pieces while working on my HARP technique.
I found myself leaning towards Rabens’ “Classics at your fingertips,” and, after finding her playing her books (up to Book 3, only at this point) on YT, I FINALLY could ‘hear’ what it was those pieces were attempting to do, as well as ‘see’ what needed to happen, FINGER WISE.
As of last week, I am working through Rabens'[CAYF] Book 2 (with my teacher) along with JR’s ‘Technique at Your Fingertips’ [TAYF] -doing about 1-2 music pieces a week- which, coupled with the technique in Friou I already was doing, I believe is giving me both sides of the equation: 1.) independent fingering for both LH and RH in the execution of ‘real music’ (even if they are JR’s arrangements- but she at least has her Master’s in Harp, and composition, so she DEALS with the ‘incremental’ construct, and I like her rep choices!) and the offering of more than one interesting musical piece, to reinforce each technical point; while 2.) continuing technical studies that will eventually lead to something more substantial.
As an adult avocational student, I am in a specific niche, I know. But before Bochsa or Grossi is even on the horizon, one has to gain a measure of confidence doing REP, as well as technique. So far, Friou and Rabens are working well for me. My two cents.
I am a college music professor, but not in harp[!] I found (during the summer, when we blessedly have time off) I could get in practice time soon after I woke up, for about .5 hour or so six days a week. During the school year, I catch a practice on all my ‘non-major’ instruments, at different times during the day mostly during my less busy days. But it usually is in the afternoon, before my late p.m. rehearsals, and before I go home. If I have extra energy (and free time) in the evenings, I may practice a second ‘set’ in my studio, but no more than 20-30 minutes each time. I am building up stamina, and want to prevent injury. But my teacher says I am making progress, and I can see it, as well. So, it’s all good.
