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Sherri,
What are wonderful way to express that. David, Sherri took my thoughts right out of my head. Christmas Blessings to you all! SherjI prefer the Truitt’s, but haven’t tried some of the others. I have had the L&H on a Prelude, and they moved very smoothly and sounded great, but in general, I haven’t seen them on most lever harp makers outside of L&H. I have 2 with Lovelands and they work fine and give me no issue. I like the sound and operation of the Camacs, but I have two friends who have had Camacs broken off, generally more than one broken at a time, so I stick to Truitts as a first choice. Maybe the Camac levers require more delicate transportation(?) but neither of my girlfriends is careless with their instrument. I would like to try the Delacours and the Teifi’s. I was in a workshop with Maeve Gilchrist once several years ago, and she showed her technique of flipping levers quickly, but several of us after the workshop agreed the technique worked best on the Camacs, especially if flipping 2 at the same time…..I would love to know about the Teifi’s and Delacours if anyone out there has tried them. Tacye, haven’t you used the Teifi’s? Thanks! Sherj
Hi Christie, The first thing I told my saleswoman when I was looking for my harp, was I didn’t want a “painted’ harp. I like natural wood. Then we found out that the Style 17 had been discontinued, and the only one available in Chicago was Ebony and Bronze. I held my breath and ordered it, because I couldn’t see it prior to purchase. While I waited, I went to my harp tech’s home, and he had several antique restored harps, and one at least, seemed to have a similar ebony and bronze finish. I loved the look of his. I am not an overly modern person in tastes. I have fallen in love with the finish on mine, and if you go to the Lyon and Healy site, you can click on the Style 23, and get a general idea of what they look like in that finish. Clearly, it is not a lever harp, but you can see the ebony and bronze look. My tech’s harp has a saying of something like..”Once I was a tree in the forest, then I was cut down by the ax. In death, I sweetly sing”. I believe it is written in Latin maybe? It’s a beautiful sentiment and matches the style and elegance of his antique harp. It was featured in our chapter’s newsletter.
I’m with Kreig. Nothing!!!!! My teacher’s recital for her students was this weekend, so I am done. Now I play for my own pleasure, and it will be simple things and standard Christmas classics. I also get to spend time with my new puppy Gracie and remind her she is mine, not my husband’s dog. However, the spring recital is only 5 months away and for that, I need to conquer “The Swan”, from Carnivale of the Animals.
I actually would have loved the BMW Kreig!!!! But no, no flute salesmen. She was playing on an upgraded sterling flute, but you are correct, they were platinum and gold, and custom built, and it was about 11 years ago. We talked to numerous professional players, and teachers, and most of them had paid more for their flutes, than their cars. She decided to study biology instead.
You might also find that a lever harp strung in gut gives a bit more of the pedal harp sound that you like. I own a Steen lever harp strung in gut, but you can also get many other gut strung lever harps from numerous reputable makers.
I saw Pamela Bruner one year at Southeastern Harp Conference, and she played, in her words, the most difficult classical piece she could find, on her Heartland Dragonheart, and her performance was amazing! I’ve never seen so many lever flips in one piece. How she even memorized it is beyond me, but she did it, did it well, and the result was breathtaking. I also agree with Jennifer’s comment about Barbara Brundage and her arrangements, which make classical repertoire available to those of us who desire that type of music.
I have posted this on another thread somewhere else, but just a recap. When my daughter wanted to go to Julliard for flute, we looked at the cost of a mid range “professional” level flute, and at that time, it was 44,000.00, which was more than the cost of tuition at that time. You can purchase a concert level pedal harp for less than that. (I do not track the price of precious metals anymore and do not know the cost of flutes, as she is now an adult). As to playing for patients, I have a medical background, and a flute in general, does not give the same, low key, warm sound that many string instruments do. I am not saying flutes shouldn’t be in hospitals, just to consider which instruments are better suited to the hospital/hospice environment. I am sure that any professional can gear any instrument appropriately to various situations. However, for many of us, harp is an addiction, and no other instrument can outperform it! Best of luck to you.
One of the other things about my Forrester is that you don’t have to bend low like you do with a van to load the harp. It’s a bit higher off the ground so there is no back strain.
You are supposed to be able to fit a 23 into the Forrester, but since I don’t own one, I haven’t tried. We own 2 Forresters, and the older one is 2″ longer than the newer Subaru. I can carry my Style 17 in the newer, smaller Subaru, along with someone sitting in the passenger seat. I don’t think I could carry a 23 with a passenger.
Hi Donna,
I LOVE my Subaru Forrester. I can fit my L&H Style 17 in with no problem, and for snow and ice, it can’t be beat. I also get 29 miles to the gallon, which is better than estimated miles per gallon. One of my closest friends drives the Equinox and can fit her L&H 85 and a lever harp at the same time with no problem. Good Luck in you search.Daniele, assuming you are in the U.S. these prices can be found at Virginia harp Center online, under prices. You can also try the Atlanta Harp center as well. They both maintain a close relationship with Camac. I’m not sure who you would contact in a different country. Best of luck. Sherj
Camac Electric Lever Harps
Camac Electro 30 30 Strings $4,650
Camac Electro 36 36 Strings $5,300
Camac Blue Lite 32 32 Strings $5,500
Camac Blue Lite 32 “True Fire Finish” 32 Strings $6,500I need breaks as well. Sometimes my body needs a break, more often, my mind. I find that when I come back to it, I am twice as strong than when I left it. Sometimes we are trying to play too many difficult things and can’t see any advancement, and that’s very disappointing. Sometimes I find it fun to play with friends who play different instruments as well. I wouldn’t worry about it.
