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The crack is up and down, and I’m pretty sure it’s not just the veneer
(which is the shiny kind and now crackled all over). It’s currently just
a hairline. The harp does have a good sound though, even with ancient
strings. But no regulator around here, or at least one that’s easy to
get a hold of. So after I replace all the strings, I need to move the
levers myself to solve the tuning problem…scary.I do feel like a change, though, sometimes, and am considering a new
harp –Very interesting.
Mine is twenty years old and has a slight hairline crack in the soundboard aligned with the string holes. Also I can see a crack of daylight on one side at the top of the pillar where it joins the neck: so I’m really not sure how much to put into it.
Yes, some of the levers result in sharp notes when engaged. I do suspect it’s an age related thing.
How long do harps live, anyway – even with the best of care? I guess it’s not like other stringed instruments where they can improve with age. Too much tension. How old is too old?
More follow-up from Salvi when I asked them whether pedal and lever nylon (as opposed to gut) strings were interchangeable, and sent a more detailed description of the levers:
Nylon is about the same tension either
way, and it is much less tension than gut so it is fine. Although it may not
have been called lever gut, the early lever harps had lighter tension strings
on them originating with the wrap strings and then nylon. When lever gut came
out it was to replace the nylon on the harps to get a fuller sound. You may use
pedal gut on the harp, but over time, the lever gut will keep the harp’s
structure intact.A postscript: now I’m confused again. This is what Salvi says:
“The harp should be strung with lever gut.
The structure was not reinforced to take pedal gut strings. It is probably okay
if it is just a few strings, but eventually the tension could hurt the
structure of the harp.”Thanks Tony for your thorough reply – very helpful as always. Where do
you buy your strings – over the internet or from a shop? Yeah, the
Heather has 34 strings.Thanks, Tacye, you make some good points. All to be taken into consideration.
If it were just me, I’d stick with all nylon I think, as I live in an area that can get very humid at times.
Thanks Tony for your thorough reply – very helpful as always. Where do you buy your strings – over the internet or from a shop? Yeah, the Heather has 34 strings.
Thanks – that’s my sense. I have had years and years of intense classical training on another instrument and in voice. I have to admit I’m enjoying messing around on the harp by myself, rather than in the context of formal lessons. I’m thinking that there are many stellar folk musicians – including some very famous ones! – who have never taken a lesson in their lives, and they do things “wrong.” (In some cases the wrongness becomes a part of their style!) Of course, this means that they can’t play absolutely anything; they’re quite circumscribed in what they can do.
I’m thinking primarily of guitarists and singers here, I suppose. I guess it all depends on what I want to get out of the harp. I think avoiding injury and promoting tension-free playing is always important though.
I do run into questions I simply can’t answer without going to someone else and in that case fellow musicians such as yourselves are invaluable. I think that’s how folk musicians learn too, from hanging out with other musicians. That is a kind of teaching, I guess.
Apparently we used to have a folk harp society in my area which would have meetings where advanced players would help out beginners. But it disbanded a while ago. Too bad.
Thanks to the folk folks who replied. So now my question has morphed into this: what is the difference between folk harp technique and classical harp technique (as far as basic things like hand position etc. go)? Or is there a difference? Clearly with a wire strung harp things are going to be a bit different, but say you’re playing folk music on a small lever harp with pedal tension: is there any real difference in technique?
On the other hand, how does a lighter tension affect playing?
I’ve found bits and pieces on the differences on this forum, but a summary would be useful. Perhaps these questions should be in a new thread?
I believe it, and thanks very much for your input. I am actually finding traditional exercises very helpful. I was just wondering if I’m obsessing about placing the fingers “properly” at all times a little too much. And it some bits, it’s actually easier (and sounds better, at least to me) not to place – I find it particularly awkward sounding when you’re rapidly alternating between the same two notes, for instance, or doing some of the Irish ornamentation.
I wanted to make sure that you don’t have to be placing sets of fingers 100% of the time. But for sure, I can see that exercises lead your fingers to recognize and fall into fluid patterns easily. Thanks!
Just wanted to thank you all for the great advice and information: every reply was extremely helpful in a slightly different way.
I sort of expected that exercises would be the way to go, and am glad to have confirmation of my sense that finger placement is closely connected to musical phrasing in an analogous way to articulation in wind playing.
It’s very kind of all of you to take the time to answer what must be a very basic question for you.
If any “folkies” want to chime in at some point with their views on placement, that would be great – I am wondering if folk musicians worry less about it than classical musicians, or whether it’s just good technique whatever kind of music you play.
