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Hello Gregg!
So nice to hear from you! And you remembered me…
I’m still very pleased with my Dusty FH34S. It’s so light, the string tension is perfect, and I LOVE the sound of it. Actually even more now than when I got it.
Right now isn’t the right time for me to get another harp. But thank you SO much for letting me know! It’s so interesting to look at what’s out there, I never get tired of looking at harps. The Jolie has 33 strings, I like that. I’m very pleased with my 34 strings, only a couple of times I would have needed 36 of them… And the white Jolie has Camac levers – my favourite ones – I’ve got them on my FH34S too. It would be lovely to try the Jolie, but I’m in Europe…Â
You really made me dream of having a white harp again! My black FH34S in cherry wood would love to have a white baby sister. If I were to get a second harp, that one would definitely have to be white!
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I hope everything is fine with you and your harps. I bet your collection keeps growing…Thank you once more for remembering,
Warmly,
Lily
What a delicious story! 😀
It’s exactly that rich and warm sparkle I love so much too. I couldn’t have put it into words like you did though. Spot on!
Thank you for your yummy story, Balfour!
– Lily
I have never had this problem before, sending pictures in forums and similar. So I don’t understand this. At least I have tried my best! 🙂
– Lily
I’m trying again on another device and with another picture. Fingers crossed – here comes Lily-White! (Dusty Strings FH34S in cherry wood).
Hi Carl,
Thank you, I already have your book! I ordered it from your website a while ago. It felt a little difficult at the time, so now I have both books, yours and the Grossi. 🙂
There’s a big difference in approach from what I can see. Your book looks more fun to play, while Grossi might be a little bit boring. On the other hand, Grossi is for all levels. And I love to play arpeggios and stuff, so maybe I’m a little boring too! 😀
I will try both of them and see which one I prefer. I will also have a chat with my harp teacher about which one she recommends for me right now. And one doesn’t exclude the other, at least in the long run…
Kindly,
Lily
I don’t understand why it didn’t work. “File exceeds allowed file size”. Strange, it’s just a photo…
Hello Balfour!
So nice to hear from you, thank you for your kind words!
Because of health issues, I wasn’t able to travel to the Netherlands, where I could have tried the FH34S and loads of other harps – in order to be sure I’m making the right decision. However, the harps came to me! We had a 4-day harp festival in my home town! I tried all the harps on display, and there really were a lot of them. I met a lot of interesting people, kind souls who shared their harp experiences with me. It was impossible for me to attend all the concerts, but I did what I could, everything from baroque harps to Park Stickney… What an experience!
After the festival I was sure about my choice. In the end I chose between buying my rental Ravenna34 or the FH34S in cherry wood. Both wonderful harps in their respective price ranges. My beloved husband supported me to choose the one my heart desired. And he loves to listen when I play – how lucky am I! 😀
Another thing that is quite interesting: since I started to play the harp my health has improved hugely. Even my doctors have started encouraging me to continue playing…
My username in this group (Lily-White) is the name I originally wanted to give my white dream harp. When I ordered my FH-model and couldn’t get her in white, I came up with another name. But when I finally got her and played her, she definitely deserved the name of my dream harp. So even though she isn’t white, her name is Lily-White. A white lily symbolizes something that is much deeper than the colour of the surface.
Thank you if you have read this far, I’m such a chatterbox! Sorry about that…
Lily-White sends a special harp hug to her big sister Cherie! <3
Huge harp hugs to you and Carol Lynn,
– Lily
I asked the editor, and the book doesn’t exist spiral bound (in case anyone else is interested).
Thank you Ann Lobotzke for your kind reply. I have ordered the book and will have it spiral bound for me. And a couple of other books as well, while I’m at it! 🙂
– Lily
Hi Gregg,
Thank you! Somehow I had missed that page of the Dusty Strings website, so the link was very useful. It confused me even more… 😀 But that’s actually a good thing, I need to learn more about different harps, preferably try as many harps as possible, and learn more about what I really want/need. When I started to play in February, I was convinced I wanted to play only opera and classical music. That is what I prefer to play on the piano. When it comes to the harp, I have now discovered for example Ailie Robertson’s Slow Airs, and I’m very much drawn to that kind of music. I obviously do play different kinds of pieces, I want to learn different kinds of techniques and discover what’s out there.
Ailie Robertson recently made a harp comparison on YouTube: Fisher Eireann vs Killarney Muckross. Very interesting! These harps were completely new to me, but they sounded beautiful! This widened my horizons a little as well…
Another thing that has changed is that I dreamed about a pedal harp before. Now I know I want a lever harp. So a lot has changed since February, and I’m sure there’s a lot more to discover…
About the Salvi harps, I looked through them earlier and I couldn’t find a model high enough with light or medium string tension and nylon strings (I need to educate myself about different kinds of strings, I know, nylon strings just feel so safe and light to me… 😀 ). In addition, the sound of the Salvi models I have played doesn’t compare to the Dusty sound I’m so much in love with… I have also ruled out the Camac harps – at least for now – for the same reason. Ironically, Salvi and Camac are the ones who would make me a white harp…
Back to Dusty Strings, I still think I’m a Dusty girl. With a good pair of head phones I can hear quite a clear difference between the Dusty FH34 in walnut and cherry, on the Dusty website. The one in cherry wood sounds more beautiful to me. And about the levers, my Ravenna 34 has full Camac levers. If I buy a Dusty harp, I definitely want the Camac levers on that harp as well. But thanks for pointing it out, it’s a big thing!
About the two Dusty models I have been thinking about: I got the quotes for both. The quote for buying my rental Ravenna 34 was good, but I would so much like to try the FH34S in cherry wood first. Even though the quote for that one surprised me a lot, it’s very expensive…
All this said, I think a visit to the harp store De Zingende Snaar in Rhenen (the Netherlands), is what I need. It’s the nearest harp store to my country, it’s huge, they have all kinds of harps. Dusty Strings included – right now they even have a FH34S in cherry wood! And even a Killarney, if I have understood correctly. Trying different kinds of harps, forgetting about all the labels, just seeing what feels and sounds good to me, could be very enlightening – and so much fun! Wil-Weten suggested this to me above, and I cannot let go of that idea (thank you @WIL-WETEN !). It’s practically impossible for me to go there in the near future, but as they say: “nothing is impossible”… Work in progress, the chances are small, but I’ll see what I can do.
Thank you again Gregg for taking the time to help me and accompany me on this wonderful journey! And thank you for supporting my dream about a white harp…
– Lily
Hi Wil-Weten,
The FH34 in walnut that I have played was nylon strung. I actually got to borrow it from a beautiful soul for a whole week! I’m interested in the FH34S in cherrywood, because I have heard so much about its beautiful sound (less dark than walnut!). What I have heard really resonates with me…
All the harps I have tried, I have got through this same beautiful soul, who is in the center of the the harp community of my country. I am extremely grateful for all the help and support he has given me!
I have some issues with the joints of my hands, so a harp with heavy string tension is not for me. The Ravenna 34 is almost perfect in this regard, only the upper treble is a little heavy for me. In the FH34S it’s a little lighter (Dusty Strings have confirmed this to me, and I felt it when I played the FH34 in walnut). The other ranges of the FH are exactly like in the Ravenna. So the FH34S would be perfect for my problematic hands, this is a thing I have to consider too.
So nylon strings are for me, they sound brighter and are less heavy to play.
This said, you are once again so right! I have very little experience and I’m not famous for my patience… 😂
I thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience with a novice like me, in such a kind and honest way. It makes me reflect more objectively on my situation. Thank you!Right now I can’t see what else I could do, but I will give it a little more time and reflection. I have asked for a quote for both of the models, the outcome of this might have an impact on how I proceed as well.
This isn’t an easy journey, but I have completely fallen under the “harp spell”, and it’s so exciting and rewarding. Learning to play the harp has been a long-time dream of mine. Whatever decision I make about buying a harp, I know I will be SO happy I found the courage to pursue my dream… 🤩
Warmly,
Lily
Hi Wil-Weten,
You are so right. It would be SO enlightening and fun to pay a visit to the Zingende Snaar in Rhenen! But, unfortunately, it’s not possible.
I have been lucky enough to try some Camac, Salvi and Dusty harps though. And the only ones that have made me feel at home are the Dusty harps. The sparkling sound, the touch, the overall feeling.
I love my rental Ravenna 34. If I buy another harp, it will be hard to let go of her. On the other hand, I’m looking for a forever harp, and the FH34S in cherrywood is very tempting…
Thank you for your answer Wil-Weten, it made me think. So I continue to go back and forth… 😂
Any other comments on the two models above – especially on their differences sound-wise – would be highly appreciated 🙂🎵🎶
– Lily
I thought I should have tagged @wil-weten ! 👍
What’s the lifespan of an old harp like that? For playing?
I find it beautiful just to look at…
Congratulations, Mel! 🙂
