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Don’t mark strings. As you have found, it can ruin them. You can learn to find the right strings with a little time and patience. The easier you make it for yourself, the less you learn.
The Chicago harps I saw and played at the factory were all good. But if you want a harp to keep, get one that has 47 strings and an extended sounding board, which one of the Chicago models has. You will outgrow a 40-string harp quickly, musically speaking, and the way the economy is, don’t assume your parents will be able to buy you more than one harp. Get the best one you can if you are going to stick with it. If it’s possible, get a 23, or a Salzedo. If not, then a 30 or 100. If those are too much, then an 85 or Chicago.
Semi-finalists:
Noel Wan, USA
Remy van Kesteren, the Netherlands
Gwenllian Llyr, Wales
Ina Zdorovetchi, Moldova
Valérie Milot, Canada
Emily Levin, USAI don’t see any connection there. Whether one steps up or not has little to do with the levers. Maybe you are thinking of the Prelude, which is close in size and style to a small pedal harp.
I think you need to make a trip to Chicago with this one, if only to show it off. I never heard of a harp made by Wild. I think maybe he only signed it and didn’t make it? You might post pictures of it for us to see.
What would be mixing with the dust to make it like putty? I would check with the manufacturer, because maybe they added glue or made a mistake.
I noticed that Lyon & Healy is now selling the old-style canvas harp covers as dust covers. These are the kind that supposedly encourage string breakage, so I would not use them as they really close it up. They are good for harp moving, though. One can buy bolts of cheesecloth from art supply stores, I think, which could work.
It was performed at the 2004 AHS conference. It is for harp and string quartet. The music is available, and not difficult.
My guess is that it is soft and gummy from moisture, not acid. My skin is quite acid, and I’ve never had that happen. I do get dirty grime, which I wipe off with a soft cloth dampened with a tiny bit of water and tiny bit of dishwashing detergent. However, my expert on finishes advised me to use mineral spirits to clean the finish. I think it is your sweat and humid weather, perhaps, that is making it gummy, unless you have an incredible build-up of grime. Before doing anything, I would use a blow-dryer on it for quite a while. You want the finish to be dry. Finish is absorbent. You don’t want to remove it, only the dirt. If you have someone in your area who is an expert on restoration, they can probably take care of it for you. After drying it thoroughly, then try the soft, damp cloth and rub gently. Any polish you apply will also be absorbed and dampen the finish. It takes weeks or months for finish to give off moisture and volatile chemicals. I also had trouble when I re-polished the harp too frequently. I was advised not to use any commercial polishes or waxes. The Renaissance may be the only one suitable. But he did not advise any waxes.
The other solution is to not let your arm or wrist rest on or touch the harp, but you might not like that idea. Ask your teacher.
Margarita Montanaro. I am more familiar with the players of the past: Zighera, Costello, Druzinsky, Chalifoux, Mainzer, and others. I haven’t heard many of the orchestras since the positions turned over. Margarita has a remarkable sense of tone color and ability to be in sync with the orchestra. She plays extremely musically, very artistically, and many concertgoers have remarked on that to me.
