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Carl Swanson discusses types of cracks in his book. You can also see some remarks in this thread on the types of cracks to worry about:
http://www.harpcolumn.com/forum/message-view?message_id=12625908
I’ll try to find a link later when I’m on my home computer, but there is a paper or book (it’s now available on Google books, presumably/hopefully via a license agreement or public release) showing sound analysis of various musical instruments, and extended soundboard harps did have a more significant response in the lower notes, and the top couple octaves were not affected. However, this was comparing extended and straight concert grands, and the Clio doesn’t go as low as they do.
But anyway, I’ve played straight soundboard Clios that sound wonderful and some extended that didn’t sound as good. I’d suggest trying to make your way someplace that a) has a few different ones in your budget and b) offers a trade-up program if you later want a concert grand. Be firm about what you can realistically afford, then pick the harp that sounds best from those options.
The trade-in will give you flexibility later if you get a smaller harp and decide a larger one is needed. One consideration is if you get a concert grand now and later wish you had a more easily transported harp for playing I’m church, school, or chamber music, not many places let you trade in a concert grand for credit towards a semi grand or petite harp.
I’d also throw in consideration of Venus chamber and concert harps. They are quite affordable, sound nice, and my concert grand built in the 70s has held up very well.
I might use a harp knot on my strings without anchors, to make the knot thick enough. I really don’t remember. I’ll look inside my harp tonight.
I make an extra loop or two over my knots in all octaves. I don’t tie a harper’s knot, however, but use a regular knot. My teacher advised me once that it holds just as well, and I’ve been doing it since and have never had a knot slip.
Your email should have a button saying “attach file” or it might look like a picture of a paperclip. Click that, then you’ll have to find the file in your folder and select it.
Some stringmakers make their Fs black, and some blue. Most blue F strings are blue on purpose. I think I see see black Fs more on pedal harp strings and blue Fs on lever harp strings.
Practical consideration: especially if you keep pencils etc. handy, white will show a lot of smudges and require more cleaning. Black mostly dusting.
My last post was a joking reference to the complaints of harpists when others ask them to play for free for the publicity. Of course composers are in a similar boat. One has written a great blog post about it here. Some composers, when asked, give permission for performances of their music, and one I know of even mailed a photocopy of his handwritten charts to a friend who asked to play one of his pieces in her recital, though this likely depends on the nature of the performance (student recital versus paid performance).
