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When I bought a new harp I was told to expect to break more strings when it was new – and I have experienced worse than 10 in four months, admitedly mostly when hauling the harp around in interesting conditions.
1) You may have a rough grommet where the string comes out of the soundboard if it is always breaking there – are they plastic or metal? Take the broken string and pull it back and forth through the hole over the edge – if it shreds this is your problem.
2) How badly are you kinking the string when you tie the knot?
3) You could just have a duff spare, it happens occasionally.
4) How stable are the temperature and humidity in your harp room? It is winter which can upset some harps.
Have you considered amplification?
On average the modern concert grands tend to be louder than the equivalent semigrand, but you will find harps that defy the average – semigrands with amazing projection and concert grands that won’t. My impression is that you also find more great semigrands among older harps – probably because of the finances of harp manufacture.
Try playing higher, or lower, in the strings. As you move away from the centre the string is moving less so you get less replacement noise. You also get a different tone so may not like this solution for other reasons, but it is worth trying.
I have found a very useful phrase to be ‘I prefer a reputation as a good player to one for being obliging’.
If the person questioning has sufficient musical background you can point out the harp used to be a common continuo instrument.
I don’t try to keep anything permanently in shape – every time I relearn it it comes back faster and sticks better. Work on sightreading – it is a great tool for saving practice time! Work chiefly on avoiding unacceptable mistakes, by which I mean hardly anyone will notice if you drop loads of notes so long as the melody line keeps going. On the same theory simple arrangements are more sightreadable.
How could I forget Pelleas und Melisande by Schoenberg – the only orchestral piece I am adamant I will refuse to play again if asked. I hope it doesn’t come up for whatever you are asking about!
I don’t know if it is safe to assume there is only one pedal harp maker in China at the moment – possibly not. The Chinese harps I have tried seemed to be reasonable students instrument with OK sound. But not rivals for more expensive harps in terms of quality – for instance the edges of the action plates were not smoothed and would shred my knuckles playing the top octaves.
There are loads – but I have never seen them listed. Wagner’s Ring Cycle (+ 3rd-6th or even 7th!), Holst’s Planets, Elgar’s Gerontius, Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, Strauss operas… The imslp website is often good for checking up on individual suspects.
I think harp makers expect you to get in touch and ask if you really need to buy without playing one. I also find some newcomers pay far more attention to measurements and specifications than people who have been playing for longer and know how different two harps of the same weight, height and stringing can be.
Paul Norris asked about this very harp around 6 weeks ago. I pointed out it was strung left handed but noone recognised the maker that time.
You have my sympathies – and I even more feel professional help with harp posture as it relates to your shoulders will be worthwhile. Are there any ranges of your harp you can play without pain if you confine yourself to them? If it is a matter of needing a set up where middle C is in a certain relationship to your body then playing with different stools (and foot rests) and harps may help. However, if there is no part of your current harp you can practice on comfortably then I don’t imagine a different harp would help much – unless lighter tension helps you to relax as you play.
