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Order a full set from Dusty. Their quality control is superb on their wound strings.
Let us know how it works out
Stephen
Disclaimer I sell Dusty products in Canada
http//www.westcoastharps.com
At around 4-5 years you may notice that you are pulling a little harder to get volume. Your strings are due for a change. It will sound like a new harp with the increased string elasticity.
You will find many musicians reticent to “talk fees”. I recommend you phone around to all your local harpists and ask for their suggestion as to what you should charge. Takes courage but it is worth it.
Once you figure out who is the highest peg your rates there and let the rest know your new rates. The other harpists may raise their rates to match. Brings everybody up a bit.
We have one client who asks for this info yearly.
We are smaller resort style destination.http://www.alisonvardy.ca/rates/fees-calculator-complete-package.htm
Stephen
Get the Dusty Strings pickup.
We sell them in Canada, they are very very good for sound and relatively easy to install with very detailed instructions.
The problem with most pickups is they come loose and buzz/rattle. The Dusty pickup is designed so that will not happen.
If you want something cheap Alfredo Ortiz has a good Barcus Berry pickup for sale. The sound is not as balanced as the Dusty though.
Stephen
“Last final word of thought: make sure it’s your dream you’re chasing and not someone else’s.”
We see that a lot
SWorking in the creative arts sector is very rewarding in the intangibles but is not well recognised with hard cash. It is the best of all “jobs” though.
S
Okay – let the uproar begin, I am going to go where angels fear. Follow the dollars to see what the pros do.
To be a full time professional there are essentially 3 streams to follow.
Stream One – Harpist with competitive training & performance experiences through a conservatory and possibly with a music degree leading eventually to an orchestral position. Core income comes from the orchestra with additional income from teaching and some gigging. Essentially the harpist is a contracted out employee of an orchestra with sideline income streams supplementing that income. Harpists who “make it” as orchestra pros are usually superb individuals in almost every respect. Many fall by the wayside along the way.
Stream Two – Harpist with an entrepreneurial bent who operates more like a small business person rather than as an contract employee. To make it as a pro the entrepreneurial harpist will have many streams of income and will avoid becoming too dependent on any single stream. Lessons, gigs, weddings, concerts, online sales etc etc. All good gigs will be lost – just a matter of when. Harping skills and qualifications will vary in this bunch but to survive long term they will need good business and networking skills. They will also need to be collaborative in outlook and have excellent decision making skills.
Stream Three – The star stream – somehow one creates an aura that makes them a media darling. This kind of like winning the lottery – a lot of hard work, chutzpah and self belief. Only a handful go this route.
+++
We have made a quiet living in a town of 350k as an entrepreneurial couple doing all things “harp” as our sole source of income for 13 years now. Every year is different as there is no set formula.
Your daughter needs to know how to run a business, network, handle technology as well as play the harp.
She also needs to know how to have fun because all three streams are a tough road.
Get her into a safe busking situation as an eleven year old in an outdoor market. The tips should be great and she will tell you if she wants more.
S
The ultimate multipurpose instrument mic is the Shure SM57 and can be had for $50 used.
Has surprisingly good tone and fits any mic input. It can be used for gigging. It has its own sound though. Can be used for vocals with a foam screen – suits male better than female voices overall.
It is an industry standard and a very good starting point to compare and audition other mics.
Relatively good mics start at about $200 eBay, $300 retail.
Like harp-porn there is such a thing as mic-porn – I have way too many. Every mic has an ideal use but very few are multi-purpose with exceptional results every time. Those mics are super expensive.
S
There are serious dragons when you deal with these professional programs – you will spend serious $ on recording hardware before you are done.
Stephen
Bose is like Microsoft they are primarily a marketing company with a lot of hype around what are often fairly low spec’ed products. They do innovate but they hype it to death. The compact does not have the versatility of the Limo being without the battery. The Compact is entry level which tells me it will significantly under perform the higher Bose models for volume etc.
A Model2 would be very versatile for larger gigs, it is upgradeable, it has excellent features. No feedback. It folds down into a very transportable unit compared to Model1. You tend to overpay with Bose but the Model1&2 is a ground breaking model which allows you to have large volumes without a sound tech helper. This is fairly unique for sound systems.
So for solo harpist without a tech I recommend the limo and a higher end Bose Model. This allows maximum versatility for the least outlay compared to other options. I have $15k invested in sound gear but effectively can do any gig available without issue and with very high quality outcomes.
People spend thousands of harps but baulk with sound gear for a few thousand. if you can double your gigs with sound then it is money well spent.
S
Hi Barb
Do not bother with the Bose compact it will disapoint.
I was thinking more of the Model I or Model II Bose. Different cat completely. the compact will be inferior to the Limo in many ways.
S
The Limo battery lasts for about 4 years until charge capacity drops to about 3 hours. I can get 8 hours on a new battery with relatively heavy harp use. Replacement cost $30.
If you are going to gig professionally having both the Limo and the Bose are the way to go if you are solo. If you have a helper you have more options.
Good sound systems pay for themselves quickly as they attract gigs that you normally do not do (larger, noisier) and larger charges.
We build an amplification charge into our quotes. We actually have 7 different amplification systems that we use ranging from small outdoor gigs, large outdoor gigs, small medium and large indoor background, DJ at the reception and large multi-player concert hall.
There truly is not one size fits all in the amplification of harps but the Bose comes closer than most.
Stephen
Thanks Jessica
We have a sales studio in Victoria BC, sell harps across Canada and ship/deliver to over 60 locations including into the Vancouver market.
Vancouver harp teachers can be found here:
Alison Vardy teaches out of our studio in Victoria.
We offer rentals to her students.
Hope that helps.
Stephen Vardy
West Coast Harps
We do commission sales out of Victoria BC Canada.
This should give you somewhat of an idea of what to ask with your chosen dealer.
Commissions and terms will vary greatly.
http://www.westcoastharps.com/celtic-harps-for-sale/consignment-terms.htm
If you live in Canada this is an alternative
Hope this helps
Stephen
West Coast Harps
Check with Triplett they may have other customer’s amplification success stories.
The SM57 needs to be closer to the soundboard SB to function well.
Possibly a mid level condenser mic will give you a greater distance so you cam move more.See what your sound guy has.
Always rent audition before you buy if you can.
after a little experience you will probably rebuy something more suitable.
Make haste slowly.
You will end up spending more than you expect to get good sound so experiment first if you can.S
