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Jennifer, and other players who use pedal harp and now want something more portable, consider the Dilling, now called Douglas Harp. These are hand made in Port Charlotte, Florida by Arsalaan Douglas Fay, who holds patents on this single-action harp mechanism, built into the harmonic curve of the harp. Mine has 33 strings, but only needs 7 levers, and it is so convenient to take to smaller venues. You may find the newer models might have even more improvements than mine, 25 years old. Anyone who is used to pedal harp will probably feel too limited without such easy access, with either hand, to accidentals gained with just a quick lever change. Performing and recording harpists using this model include Emily Mitchell, Erik Berglund, Paul Hurst, and the late DeWayne Fulton. By clicking Arsalaan Douglas Fay, Florida, you will find these links, and one lists a Douglas Harp reduced in price by $500. At least check it out, or e-mail Mr. Fay at: harps@helbing.net.
Arsalaan Douglas Fay | LinkedIn
Deb, a very good teacher from Australia now teaches in Vancouver B.C., Canada. She still teaches her former students in Australia, using Skype. You could e-mail Tegan at the address below to ask her about Skype and how it is set up, etc.
Deb, if you print Folk Harp Journal in Google or Bing or another search engine, you will see the home page of that popular harp magazine. Under the heading Chapters, keep scrolling down and you will come to Connecticut, but only Eastern Connecticut chapter! However, the contact person is Kate Smith and her e-address is right there. She must certainly know how to refer you to a traditional teacher, and if that one is too far, ask her for another name and contact. If there simply isn’t one to be found, then you may need to go to the next state north or west of you and go back to Folk Harp Journal, Chapters, and try for a teacher nearer to you in another state, than one in eastern Connecticut. Another option is to purchase 1 copy of that Journal, and e-mail the editor because there is a list of all subscribers at the publisher. Perhaps one is near you, and if that person is taking lessons, he/she might recommend that teacher to you.
Do keep trying, and let us know if you succeed! Some people study by use of Skype, even across oceans. It has much improved since it was first invented.It is difficult for me to associate those two adjectives with the gut strings of the Pilgrim Clarsach model. As far as being unpredictable, gut strings show a bit of unravelling before they actually break, so there is a visual clue that it is time to change the string, before the break would happen. In that sense, one can predict a breakage and prevent it. Then use the faulty string elsewhere, as in the garden! Nylon strings give no warning, and would just snap unexpectedly , in my experience. As for being fragile, the gut string may not last as long as a nylon one, but the more resonant tone of the animal matter that has that elasticity to vibrate differently from a nylon string that was manufactured by DuPont company and began its existence in a test tube can not vibrate in that way. Many musicians prefer the natural over the synthetic. The sound is worth the greater cost, in their view. You decide. Perhaps others will comment on the Ashdown and the Skylark models.
I wonder if you have seen another lever harp there in the UK: the Clarsach made by Pilgrim Harps, in South Godstone, Surrey. I owned one for many years and loved the portability, resonant tone, and very good levers. Try to see this 34-string harp at some of the harp gatherings.
Unfortunately, tuition has become so very high at many music schools that it would be impossible for me to attend my old alma mater where I obtained two degrees, today. Back then, I was able to work three summers as a waitress at a resort for affluent New Yorkers in Lake Placid, New York. Tips were generous, almost covering the tuition for the next semester, However, my music major enabled me to be chosen to head the string music department of a four-year college, the month after earning the Master of Music degree, The Italian foreign language helped me with my required thesis on the music of Carlo Tessarini, and also with visiting Italy several times. Be sure to see Venice before it goes under the waves!
These days Italian is still helpful because some harp books, like the Grossi Intermediate exercises, are written with Italian text and my students usually benefit if I can translate for them. There is an Italian Society in many large cities like mine, and reading and speaking that language has led to new friendships, for which I am so grateful.You don’t have to stop with one foreign language; learn one or two more!I also have one. It is a very good resource for troubleshooting problems that may come up on your pedal or lever harp. Samuel O. Pratt, author,played pedal harp, flute, conducted, composed, and manufactured a lever harp floor model he called the Dauphine. His insights and helpful tips come from long musical experience and are told, as Sylvia said above, with humor. Well worth having. There is nothing online that can replace a real printed book you can hold, bookmark at pages you especially like, and know that the author comes from wide experience. Find Affairs of the Harp at either
http://www.loiscolin.com or http://www.colinharpmusic.com.0la, If you aim for a lever harp of 34 strings or a couple more, you ought to try out some of those makes. at a store, or a friend’s house, or a harp gathering. Most of those will have a string tension less than that of a pedal harp, since the smaller frames and ranges cannot support thicker gauges of strings, Since people are so unique in their size and also their tastes, you must try out several models, keeping a list and perhaps even a recorded sound of you playing several measures of the same piece, or even a scale. You will be forming your own opinion of the sound and size: it represents YOU, so do not be so hasty in a decision. A lot of us like to hang our fingers on a rather taut string, instead of a more limp one; it gives us more ability to “place” well, and also to produce more resonance with a bit less effort. Go to any harp concert and make notes on the size and make of the harp, and how you liked the sound. It is such a good idea to start early, and also to start early saving regularly for a harp in your future. Try to rent one for a while if possible, and seek out a good teacher soon, who very likely went through such a choosing process at least once and could help. If you find a harp model you seem to prefer, perhaps there is used one for sale or rent and those may have a richer tone than one brand new; the wood has improved, we often find, because so many sound vibrations have already passed through it. Please post again if you would like to share your journey!
Tonie, I only have second hand information about harps in Hawaii: First, if harps are used at a great distance from the area (latitude, longitude) from where they were built, their tone will not be the best. Something in the wood changed. Can an expert harp maker clarify that for us? Second: I have read that when a pedal harpist moved to the North American continent from her former Hawaiian residence, after playing for some years in hotels, and tried to sell her harp, an inspection revealed that years of high humidity in Hawaii had damaged the metals inside her harp beyond repair, and she could not sell it. I think we’d all appreciate more first-hand information on this subject.
Paula, since the conductor mentioned that easier version, please talk to him, reminding him his performance date with your student harpist will shine if he will only find it for you.
Sid, a harp performance in a summer orchestra I had to do, is one I wish I could forget. The conductor had programmed an Heroic March by Edvard Grieg, and I really don’t think Grieg had any harpist help him write the harp part- the pedaling demanded too many changes too quickly, and the brass and winds covered a lot anyway. Two weeks to practice the part was not enough for me. Has anyone else here played a harp part or work by Grieg? To quote you, Bleh!
Eddie,
Having taught harp, violin, etc. for over 50 years, I would have a few suggestions. First, please try to find a teacher first of all. He or she would have contacts with other people who play harp. When I was in Copenhagen at the big World Harp Congress in 1993, several good teachers took charge of that event and would know of someone near your area who could help you. In your search engine you could certainly come across information about harp teachers, One of the exhibitors at that World Harp Congress was: Engstrom & Sodring, Palaegade 6, DK-1261 Kobenhavn K, Denmark. Very likely there is a Danish harp Association, that would probably be found on the Internet.
My other suggestion is to try to rent a harp first, before you purchase one. Your tastes may change over time and also some harps have advantages over others which you would only find out over time. The kind of harp you mention above, for instance, of 30 to 38 strings, could have a variety of different levers; partial, full, or even the latest technology: Douglas Harps (Florida, USA) that have only 7 levers but each one of these changes the pitch of all strings of the same name, This means a greatly expanded repertoire for you. Visit http://www.harpspectrum.org for free information about harps.Elizabeth,
In Sibelius, find an arrangement you have saved, where there is a chord of two notes where you could experiment, but not save, putting two circles, one above the other, indicating harmonics, above or below that chord. Select one of the notes . Click on Create. Click on Symbols. In Symbols scroll down to the section on Articulation. Choose the small circle, and send it to the chord on your screen, placing it correctly. Repeat these actions after selecting the other chord- note on the page, and send that circle to the chord also. You will find you can add two or even more of these harmonic indications. 🙂
