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Thank you, Emma! I’ll ask the bride to contact the venue and ask about that, that was a great idea! I’ll also check out that link you gave me.
Tacye, I’m looking for a large lever harp or a pedal harp with a nice warm, clear tone. I would prefer a lever harp because that’s the string tension I’m used to, but adjusting to pedal harp tension shouldn’t be too hard for me even though it’s been a couple of years since I last played one.
Thanks, I’ll try to find someone who knows about such things and ask them to look at the harp. The varnish is so thick I can’t see the grain of the wood. The cracks don’t seem to widen, though.
Thank you, you’ve given me a bit of hope.
Thank you for answering. The cracks may just be in the varnish, as you say. My father was visiting me today, and he said he thought it was. How do I know for sure?
Yes, the shoulder is just dented. I think it’s purely cosmetic, at least I hope so.
Try at http://www.harpdecals.com
Thanks, Deb! Yeah, I’ve seen the Laurels on the Harp Studio Website, but I really want mahogany finish 🙂 I’m sure it’ll look stunning with the gold leaves. So I’m prepared to wait for that (plus it’ll give me a bit of extra time to save up). I also think I’ll want truitt levers, because I’ve heard a lot of good things about them. And they match the gold leaves, too.
Thanks, Kay! I’ll be sure to post some picures when I finally get it, but that may take a while, since it’s going to have to be made for me first. I hope it’s not going to be too long.
Wow, this discussion has certainly deviated from its original purpose…
As it happens, I won’t be getting either harp at the moment… Because I’ll be getting a Webster harp instead! My husband announced to me that he’s willing to give up our holiday trip this year so that I can get a new harp. I’m almost 100 % certain I want a Laurel Leaf, because to me they’re the most beautiful harps in the world. I just wanted to share the good news 🙂
Thanks, Adam. I have more or less decided on the Limerick now, because it is really a portable harp that I want, and the Ravenna seems too big, even if it sounds wonderful. I already have a wonderful-sounding harp, after all, and what I need now is a harp I can take with me everywhere I go.
Thanks for the tip on the lap bar, too. I think I’ll definitely need one.
Thank you so much, both of you. I have really decided against the Fullsicle now. From what I can see and hear, the Ravenna sounds like a good choice, but I’m afraid it won’t be as portable as I want. As I said, I want to be able to carry it around comfortably by myself.
Anyone out there with exerience with the Limerick? I really adore the looks of that little harp.
I’m also afraid that the tension of the Fullsicle will be too light for me, since I’m accustomed to a pedal harp. Does the Limerick have higher string tension?
And what about the Ravenna 26? Is that easily portable for its size? I would need to be able to carry it around with ease, preferably on the back, and I’m quite a small woman (only 158 cm tall). But as far as I can tell, it sounds great.
By the way, if you’d like, I could send you a sound clip of the Hempson that I have recorded myself soon after I got it.
Hi
I’m Norwegian, too, and I own a Morley Hempson 34. It is indeed beautiful, and all in all an adequate harp for learning. This may just be my harp, but it has always had a big problem with buzzing strings. This is mainly due to the levers, because they make some of the strings buzz when they are engaged. I believe the problem may be that they are made of plastic, and therefore tend to bend a bit away from the string (if you see what I mean, I’m not too good at explaining things) and not engage the string as much as they should.
Another thing is the sound. It is not as good as I would like. I like a deep, mellow and warm sound in a harp, and my Hempson has more of a bright tone, but kind of flat and not very resonant.
If I could go back and choose again, I would not choose it, even though it is very affordable compared to other harps. How about looking at the Ravenna 34, which has a lovely sound from what I hear (although I haven’t heard one in person) or a Lyon & Healy Trubadour. I’ve played several of those, and most of them sound lovely. These harps are a bit more expensive, but it’s worth a few months of extra saving, in my opinion.
Or, if you really want great sound and still have a folk harp, not pedal, look at this one and listen to the sound samples: The Teifi Eos Celtic Harp. It costs a lot for a folk harp, at £ 2999 (almost 30 000 kr), but I think it would definitely be worth it. I’ve had two harp teachers comment on the absolute loveliness of the sound of this harp. Right now I’m saving up for my own pedal harp (am currently renting one, so the Hempson is not in use), but later I hope to be able to buy one to use for Celtic/Irish and early music.
Where in Norway do you live? If you live near Oslo I strongly recommend that you join the School of Music (Oslo musikk- og kulturskole) to get a harp teacher. You would then be studying with one of the best harpists in Norway. Even if you only play for your own enjoyment, getting the right technique in will help you avoid developing bad habits that can ultimately result in injuries (worst case scenario). Also, you will learn a lot faster. I started out as self-taught, but have never regretted finding a teacher.I love Passacaglia, too, even though I’ve struggled with it for many months. I expect to spend much more time learning La Source, though.
Philippa – Good luck with the garden concert. At first I didn’t realise you live in Australia, so I was like: She’s going to play her harp outside in December?!
But of course, it’s summer where you live.
Here in Norway, we’ve already had the first snowfall.Right now it is Passacaglia (Händel), Canon in D (Pachelbel, arr. by Robin Arioto Fickle), and La Source (Hasselmans), which I’m just starting to learn veeeeery slowly.
I’ve promised myself to wait until November before I start practising Christmas music. I don’t want to play my favourite carols too long before Christmas for fear that I might tire of them.
