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Ok- Carl & Audrey-
So why do so many harp companies recommend you change all your strings every 1-2 years? Is it just a ploy to make more money off of the consumer? If that is the case, then I believe I’ll save myself $300 worth of strings that I was planning on ordering. I really thought that 1-2 years was the maximum life expectancy for strings.
How old are your strings? The general rule of thumb is to change strings every one to two years (the complete set). Some change their strings even more often, like every six months. If you feel the tone is sounding thin- and this happens often in the upper range as the strings age- then a re-stringing is in order. The lower wire wound strings can start to sound pretty bad as they age too.
I agree with you wholeheartedly about listening to music as practice, Janna. I have found by listening to other harp recordings that my own playing has improved. This is especially true when dealing with music that has tricky rhythms and several time signatures. Great insight!
Actually, they are called Savarez Alliance KF synthetic gut strings. They have them at Lyra – http://www.lyramusic.com
Audrey,
You might be interested to know that the Voyageur can also be strung with wire strings, in case you want a larger wire-strung in the future. If you want to go with nylon, I recommend getting the performance set. The gut strings in the baritone range have a beautiful warm and mellow sound. You really can’t go wrong with the Voyageur model- it was the first harp Dave & I built from Musicmaker’s kits and it turned out great.
Without listeners and aspiring musicians the world would be full of chickens! LOL
Which leads us to the questions: Can there only be chickens without eggs (or vice -versa)? And which really did come first?
But now I have really gone off the deep end…time to go play with my harp in my little padded room now…
Oh good, a recommendation! Thanks, Audrey! But which one should I get? The low D really appeals to me, but I like the high notes too. Maybe I’ll get two- could you recommend a website/store I can order these from?
Whoops-I forgot to add my percussion instruments. For some reason (and I know this is wrong!) I just don’t think of them as an instrument. Probably because I only dabble in them, and haven’t really applied myself to playing them with any sort of proficiency. But I do have a bohdran, a triangle, a tambourine, and various chimes and bells.
Wow Tony!
So do you still play all these instruments? I have you counted at 8 including your harp. Are you also a Music Major by chance?
I think you are right, Fiona. There is always room for another instrument, just not enough time to play them all!
