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Haha, I have played several etudes I didn’t care for. My teacher is always amused when I return to a lesson and have rewritten the last few notes of an etude because it didn’t sound ‘finished’. My musical background had only consisted of a month of piano lessons in my early childhood, so I had no idea why they sounded so odd to me. My teacher later explained that the pieces I was rewriting had not finished a series of chords…my being able to hear it entertained her.
I am lucky that she never spends too much time on a piece I do not like. She will have me learn what it is trying to teach…but will look for another piece with the same information that I like to play.
My hermine is a lighter tension then my troubadour, more of a folk tension. I chose it so I had something better to play the celtic pieces on. While you can play them on a pedal tension harp, they are never as easy for the detailed style and speed of the celtic melodies. The bardic has more tension, close to pedal. I had considered this harp for nearly a month, then I was asked to accompany my teacher to a harp event in Florida were she was bringing harps to display in her booth space. For 5 days we prepared nearly 20 harps for the trip. After tuning and playing SOOOOOO many harps, I really started to learn the differences in sound, volume, and tension. I spent
Well, if you have learned some of those simple etude style tunes in lessons…it is amazing how lovely you can make them sound by playing with repeats and moving them around on the harp. One of the very first tunes I learned,” Asian Garden” a very easy pentatonic arrangement, is still part of my repertoire, although played for several repeats, improvised variations and ranging in three octaves instead of the one it is written in. originally a 30 second peice, it now is a full 2 and a half minute melody.
I also sympathize with your desire for a smaller and lighter harp. I started on a Lyon and Healy Troubadour…I love the sound now that I have adjusted the strings. The troubadour are prone to a sound quaility gap from the lowest gut/nylon to the first wire. I had Markwood create some custom wound Nylon to use instead of the original strings and it sounds amazing…enough that my teacher encouraged me to keep it for a while longer before thinking about a gut strung harp. I travel all year making gut strings a major concern with changing temps and humidities.
This year I started a rent to own lease on a Camac Hermine to fill the slightly more portable harp need in my life. While not tons smaller, it is lighter and small enouhght to be easier then the full sized troub. It also has an amazing transport cover that is better suited to weekend festival traveling.
I have looked at all of the harps you were considering. I feel like the zepher is too small and the tone to music box like for me, unless you are on a plane and it is carry on…
The Bardic is a great little harp, especially if you like pedal tension, as it is very close. I found that the extra range of the 27 did me little help as the range did not help with any of the tunes I was playing.
The dusty seems to be a solid little instrument. I actually considered it to fill my small harp need. I think there are so many around because at the price it is a perfect starter harp for a new student and so for the several that never continue…or the ones who move to larger or higher end harps…
Between the bardic and the dusty, I think it is a matter of tension and lever preference. Both sound lovely. Both are well made, using similar cost effective methods.
(My harp teacher is also a harp showroom for Harps International, so I have had the amazing pleasure to play MANY harps)
wow. that is a bit of a request. I have been playing for just over a year with a teacher and while I can play for a hour or more…I don’t think any of the tunes I know are actually 3 minutes long unless I have added repeats in them!
I read your post to my husband, who was equally doubtful when I began my harp journey….even he was shocked by the request. Perhaps focusing on the ability to play for nearly 10 minutes.
Try Pamela Bruners “Play the Harp Beautifully” books, there are several short easy 2 handed peices that combined together would fill the 10 min need. The hands rarely play together, which is how I began, and it will help with the overall skills.
What are you playing now?
Do you have a teacher?I have 2 cats and a Great Dane, neither really seam to have any interest in the harp. However, I also own horses…
2 years ago I did a photo shoot with a friend modeling. The horse (posing as a unicorn) was in an irritated mood and was difficult at best during the shoot, requiring a rider to control him and be carefully cropped out of shots. Near the end of the shoot, we decided to use a harp, the model knew some basic pieces and happily played….suddenly
I am also looking at purchasing a Hermine and have had a chance to play 3, 2 new, one a few years old. The strings are a type of carbon fiber, I was told by my teacher that they have a slightly different feel, are more costly but they rarely break. The previously owned model I played had a developed rich and beautiful voice. The new ones were also lovely, but I always find it helpful to hear one that has had time to mature. It has 34 strings starting 2 octaves below middle C, the same as most 36 string harps minus the top two strings.
I am not sure where you are located but I know Sue Carole DeVale, a Harps International Rep, carries them…maybe she could play one for you on the phone or skype?
From their website: The St. Petersburg showroom
is managed by professional harpist, harp teacher, musicologist,
and published author on the subject of harps, Sue Carole De Vale.
Sue’s showroom now carries Venus harps, in addition to all our other
lines. You can email Sue at SCDV@aol.com
or call her at 1-727-577-HARP (4277).While this does not apply directly, i think it may have some helpful information. I travel throughout the year between PA, MI and FL. My most recent travel was PA to FL. My troub IV travels with me, by truck. This trip was a concern because of the temp change and the fact that the harp would not be inside the truck, but loaded into the bed. Temp in PA was around 38 when I left and near 68 in FL. My preparations included tuning the harp down a day ahead of time, once it was adjusted…I placed the normal canvas cover on then used a basic sleeping bag over that. (A trick I learned from a local harp maker), once this was done, the harp ws packed into the original shipping box and filled with packing foam and peanuts. (I also pack all the garbage bags that I store the packing stuff into the box). Once filled, the box is secured closed and I place it into our partially heated garage to reduce the temp slowly. The garage is about 45- 55 degrees, depending on outside temps. the next day the box is fully wrapped into a sheet of plastic and securely taped to prevent any water from rain (it will also be tarped..but, better safe then sorry). It and all of our other items are packed into the bed of our large pickup and off we go. Because of the nature of the drive, the upward temp change is fairly slow as we travel south, on arrival, I leave the harp in the box for at least 12 hours. I unpack it and allow 24 hours before I begin the process of tuning. the tuning is done over up to two days.
At this point, the harp has done this trip from north to south and back north again, now south. There are no cracks, grazing and the only strings I have ever lost were ones due for replacement…I always hold off if I know the harp will be traveling unless it is absolutely necessary.
Hope there is some helpful info from my experience.
I had the opportunity to play both at a conference. I found that the larger had better overall tone, but the size of the 36 string made it very appealing. In regards to the drop down leg…I found it too unstable, as the light harp would wobble some while being played, I play floor harp and have never used a strap however the strap was very comfortable.
While I AM a beginner, and I apologize if what information I can share is of no interest for that reason alone…
I play a L&H troubadour IV, Nylon strung. I had seriously considered a Harpsicle because of the amount of travel I do and my desire not to be without my harp. The sound was richer then I had expected and had a fair projection. It was very light and portable and very reasonable priced, however, I disliked the Robinson levers, they were not comfortable. The tension was so light it reminded me of a Pakistani harp.
I am an adult beginner that started lever harp just a few months ago. My teacher would often play a new piece for me or show hand position or technique. It was all very helpful. For the technique, it was easier to understand a correction if I could see it in her hands first. For the music, it was also invaluable, not because I would learn it by ear, I don’t think I would remember it enough, but for many of these pieces, I would have no idea what it was or what it sounded like….hearing the finished piece would inspire me to unlock all the notes and tempo so I could play it. It was more of getting a preview of your destination.
You could also try talking to Markwood Strings, Laurie might be able to do a string analysis and figure out what arrangement of strings would keep the tension while dropping the notes. Just down tuning the strings may not be the best plan, you harp is designed to have a certain amount of tension on it. Strings need to match the available vibrating length, the diameter of string that will produce that note desired while fitting the length and soundboard hole as well as provide the correct tension. It is a science.
There are also a few harps around your budget listed here in the classifieds, even a troubadour I at $1100.
I looked at the harp from L&H too. My concern is that the base end of the neck seems to be pulling over or separating from the column. It would need to be fixed, and may be why the levers were removed, with the odd angle I am not sure levers would engage properly. It is being sold as is, a rarity from L&H’s cpo.
You can probably find most of the supplies you need form a good sewing store. Most carry D rings, strap webbing, heavy needles and upholstery thread. Just a note, Leather needles are actually sharpened like a 3 sided knife and would not be what you need unless there is leather or pleather in the area you need to stitch. A heavy gauge sharp needle will do fine. You could also bring the case to a shop and have them use an industrial machine to do the stitching. I know mine would go through anything except hard plastic.
