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I agree with Audrey- my Voyageur has the same sandwiching of cherry in both the neck and pillar, and each piece is at least a 1/2 inch thick. The soundboard plywood is very thin layers of aircraft birch.
Karen
From my experience building three harp kits, the internal rib does taper in width as it goes up in a larger harp, but is straight in both of my smaller(lap) harps. The external rib does not. With both of my Musicmaker harps I do not have an external rib- this may be due to the fact that it is more of an aesthetic rather than structural necessity. The internal rib of my nylon strung harp is 5-ply aircraft birch, while the wire-strung has a solid walnut strip.
You can download pdf files of all the Musicmaker harp
…I was at the skill level to play all the music in The Harp of Brandiswhiere by Sylvia Woods. But I have a feeling when I do get to that level I’ll be wishing to be at an even higher one. Thus my mantra “Onward & Upward!”
I have set a goal for myself though. I plan on learning one song a week, alternating between my three stringed instruments: 33 string folk harp, 26 string wire harp, and 17/18 hammered dulcimer. And praying everyday for constancy…
Well good for you, Michael! I commend anyone who wants to take the plunge and builds their own harp.
I do suggest looking into Musicmaker’s ( http://www.harpkit.com
Hee Hee Hee- do you plan on growing your nails out all curved like theirs too? Imagine the ring you’d get from your strings!
Just found out something interesting I wanted to share. I was listening to Sylvia Woods Harp of Brandiswhiere CD and happened to look in the inside cover. It listed two of her harps as being
“I do believe though music is a constant and a universal language.”
Truer words were never spoken, Liam. I consider music to be my first language, English my second. Someday though I may learn the Irish language, since I have immersed myself in this style of music.
Just goes to show you- you can’t trust the TV! Thank goodness I don’t watch a whole lot of it.
But then that brings up the question: Just how much does media influence the way others think of America? But that may not be appropriate for this forum, which is about harps.
Regarding the Sylvia Woods DVD:
I had a real problem with this DVD- it wouldn’t play at all on my DVD player (it’s a combo player, Samsung). I returned the first one, got a second, and had the SAME problem. It kept skipping forward lessons, wouldn’t go to menu, etc. Maybe your explanation explains why this happened, but it will play on my computer and my kids Xbox 360. But I’m in the U.S., so how does that figure? This has puzzled me for a long time. All my other DVD’s work just fine on this player. Any thoughts?
Pamela Bruner- Play The Harp Beautifully Series. Great starter book, really takes it a step at a time. She is very thorough with her approach. I recommend getting the DVD’s that go with this book as well. Check out http://www.heartlandharps.com
Jennifer is absolutely right- you do not want to get this type of harp! Some people have gotten a decent sounding one, but it seems to be rather the exception than the rule.
If you have any inclination towards trying to build a harp, the cheapest way I can point you is to build one from a kit. Try http://www.harpkit.com
Thanks, Liam! I appreciate your feedback
There’s really not much to envy, as I’m borrowing from my experience with lever harp(5 years now, not subtracting for breaking bad habits, playing with an ensemble, going from lap to floor size, etc.). I actually feel like I am WAY behind compared to other skilled harpers. If I were to change to the nail technique, believe me you, it would be like starting from scratch (pardon the pun)! At least now you know how the Limerick sounds…
I have a question about those Alaska piks. I almost ordered them from Melody’s but I read somewhere that you need a little nail growth to secure them. Is that true or could I just temporarily tape them on somehow? I still haven’t ruled out at least experimenting with the traditional technique.
Thanks Jennifer! It always helps to get positive feedback from a fellow harper/harpist. Wire harp is still pretty new to me and although I play with fingerpads on my steel strings, I don’t recommend this technique for the Kilcoy (and yes, that model is very cute!). Audrey or Liam would be better advisors on this should you decide to get this type of wire-strung harp.
