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Good point Maria! I am strong believer in obtaining harp advise from TRUE professionals, not amateurs! One of those TRUE professionals is Christina Tourin, founder of IHTP, who is an expert in small harps and owns just about every
I am sorry to hear about the difficulty you are having in regulating your Truitts. I have never had any problems like that
You might want to call Mike Lewis (c/o Lewis Creek Instruments) and see if he can match you up with somebody in your area who purchased a Nightingale, so you can go and check it out yourself. It is defintely more challenging test-driving a harp made by one of the smaller, independent luthiers, as they don’t sell through retailers like Triplett and some of the other large harp manufacturers. However, the effort is well worth it, especially since you will end up with a truly unique instrument rather than one that is produced in the masses. He also should be able to send you sound samples to listen too…, most luthiers do! Mike Lewis is a pleasure to deal with!
I really advise against Camac levers, especially on a small harp. They are much heavier, can make it difficult to balance your harp, especially a lap harp, and they are so big and metally looking that, in my opinion, completely distort the beauty of the harp. I have Truitts on both of my harps (lap harp and floor harp) and I LOVE them!
Michaela
Hi Nat,
I too own a cherry Nightingale and LOVE it! It has all you are looking for in a small harp: a beautiful rich tone, light weight and it is a beautifully crafted harp!
I too looked at the Triplett Christina. My experience has been that the Nightingale has a better tone quality, is more resonant, has more strings and aesthetically, looks much, much nice than the Christina harp. In fact, my harp teacher owns a Christina and she too felt that after hearing and playing my harp, that the Nightingale sounds a lot better.
I highly suggest going with the Truitt levers, which a light weight and will not alter the tone. Also, make sure you get a knee bone, which I believe is available directly from Lewis Creek Instruments.
Michaela
RE: “Jennifer was simply trying to ensure that Jeffrey was getting the information that he had requested.”
Well, and so was Cynthy! BTW, if you google “small harps” Christina’s website, amongst many others,
Oops, sorry Jeffrey. I misread your latest message and wrote my response assuming you ARE interested in harp therapy. My goof….
Since you are not, the Lorien may just be the perfect harp for you and I cetainly see your point regarding the 30 strings. The more strings the better and 30 strings will give you a nice range for playing in addition to having a small, portable harp.
Hi Jeffrey,
If you are looking for a lightweight harp that is suited for harp therapy, with a warm, rich tone and maximum number of strings, I’d suggest you consider the “Nightingale” by Lewis Creek Instruments (http://lewiscreek.net/lc_nightingale.htm).
It’s an absolutely
Hi Renate,
I checked out your website/blog and reading your profile reminded me a lot of Wendy Gillissen (http://www.wendygillissen.com/). Do you know her?
You guys seem to have very similar interests (harp, writing, blogging, websites etc.), so if you haven’t already, you may want to get in touch with Wendy. She lives in the Netherlands and has produced tons of harp videos, which are available on YouTube. Personally, I find her a great inspiration. She has only played for a couple of years (mostly self-taught) and has come along ways.
Michaela
Unlike Cynthy, I am not a harp therapist nor I am an experienced harpist. However, when I started to look into buying a small harp, I came across Christina Tourin’s website (http://www.harprealm.com/Therapyharps.htm) which has a wealth of information about therapy harps and other small harps. At the time I was looking for a small, quality instrument that could also be used as a therapy harp, in the event I ever decide to pursue certification. Christina was tremendously helpful in explaining the pros and cons of each harp…, she really knows all of them first hand and will give you great advice!
My advice is to get advice from true professionals like Christina and Cynthy. Personally, I decided on the “Nightingale” by Lewis Creek Instruments (http://lewiscreek.net/lc_nightingale.htm). It is a beautifully crafted, lightweight 27 string harp with a lovely and warm tone. I have since added a full size harp to my collection, but I still enjoy playing my Nightingale and love the portability of it.
Michaela
Hi Loan,
You won’t be sorry…, the Nightingale is a wonderful therapy harp with a lovely warm tone.
Jeff Lewis is great to deal with also.
Hi Jeffrey,
I too was looking at this harp when I was shopping for a small harp a while back. I’d suggest that you contact Christina Tourin from the International Harp Therapy program in San Diego. She is the expert on therapy harps and will give you great advice. If I remember correctly, Christina had some concerns about the Lorien 30, having to do with the overall size and weight, which is important for therapy harps.
However, if you are just looking for a small harp (not therapy harp), this may not be an
Hi Loan,
I own a Lewis Creek Nightingale and am LOVING it! Had it for almost 2 years now…, the sound is AMAZING (for a little harp), it
Did you see the Crescendo on the Harp Connection site: http://www.harpconnection.com/harpstore/harp-Crescendo.html
Hi Dennis,
I can understand and relate to wanting a harp that not only sounds great, but is aesthetically pleasing as well, an I encourage you to not settle for a harp unless you find that both of your requirements are met (chances are too great that you won’t be happy with your purchase afterwards).
I can’t speak for the two specific harp models you are considering. But I would encourage you to check out the Triplett Signature that was mentioned in another posting, because that is in EXCELLENT price for a full size, professional quality harp. Also, you might want to check out the Used Harps for Sale on this site. I just looked and found a used Thormahlen Cygnet for $3000. The Cygnets are very beautiful harps in both sound and looks, and again, that’s an excellent price.
In my opinion, if you end up having to wait 8 months for harp which you don’t seem that excited about in the first place, why even go there? There is nothing wrong with buying a used harp, as long as it is in good condition and you like it. And with your budget, you may end up getting a lot more bang for your buck in the long run.
Michaela
