[mary-dicken]

I will second Maya’s recommendation for the Dusty Strings pedal harp pickup. It sounds fantastic, and sound engineers love it for mic-ing the harp. The bass is a little loud on mine, but I run through a pre-amp as well, so I just cut down the bass. To address Katie’s question, I did drill a hole in the base for the jack, and I haven’t regretted it at all! The pickup looks so professional, and the jack is readily available. I also use the jack to connect to my tuner before orchestra rehearsal, and it works better than a standard tuning pickup.

[mary-dicken]

Thanks to all who responded with ideas! As an update: I did use the Brock books…very nice arrangements, but still easy to read. We also played some music from a book called Christmas Meditations by Gail Salvatori. Those arrangements were really interesting, with some unusual (in a good way) harmonies and arranging. The Salvatori arrangements come with solo instrument parts for viola, violin (or flute), and cello.

[mary-dicken]

I own a Stoney End Rebecca and love it. Mine was actually their prototype model, and I know they’ve made a few adjustments/improvements since. I also own a Blevins lever harp (not a cross-strung), and think highly of their harps. Are you on the Harpers Crossing email list (yahoo groups)? If not, you should join and put your inquiry out to them…it’s a knowledgeable group of cross-strung players that could give you more insight into these two models.

[mary-dicken]

I played “Niagara Falls” about ten or so years ago but, unfortunately, I didn’t keep a copy of the part. I don’t recall it being too complicated, though, so hopefully you’ll be able to mark up the part easily….have fun, and good luck!

[mary-dicken]

Thanks, Kim! That is a great suggestion, and I wouldn’t have looked at those books otherwise. They look like nice arrangements (from the previews on Melody’s website), so I will order them!

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