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tony-morosco
ParticipantI agree with what everyone else has said.
It is one thing for a beginner to rent a harp first, or buy a more reasonably priced, and easier to resell, harp (although never one that is “junk” as nothing will prevent progress more than an instrument that is next to impossible to play).
But once you know that this is what you want to do then you should buy the best instrument that you can afford and love.
A good instrument is much more pleasant to play, and it is an inspiration to work
tony-morosco
ParticipantI think there have been a few changes made at different times, so it is
tony-morosco
Participant+++I agree with Aaron, all should be free to play whatever instruments they like!+++
Sure, but I don’t think anyone is arguing that we shouldn’t. Just the opposite.
If I don’t like the way a harp looks, for any reason, I shouldn’t have to play it. I am glad there are so many options today that I can find harps that suite my style.
I DO what I want regardless of gender associations. I play the harp. I knit. I cook, I garden etc… but at the same time I have a more masculine sense of style. I don’t decorate with lace and flower patterns. I don’t care for pastels. And I don’t care for frilly harps.
There is nothing wrong with any of these things, if they are what you like. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a man wanting a highly ornamented, gold gilded harp with frilly flower decorations on the soundboard. If that is what a man wants then more power to him.
But it’s not what I want, and apparently I am not the only one. So more power to the man who wants that kind of a harp. But also more power to the men who want a different kind of harp. I should have every bit as much of a right to be able to play a harp that suits MY style and sensibilities as the guy who likes something else without having to be called into question for my taste in things.
tony-morosco
Participant+++How old would you like it to be?+++
I’m not certain when the cut off was when they started to make changes. But I have tried one that is about 20 years old and it was noticeably different from one I saw that was only a couple of years old.
But don’t get me wrong, if I had a chance to get a new one at a decent price I wouldn’t hesitate. I like the older one’s best, but I still like the new ones a whole lot.
tony-morosco
Participant+++ how to tape it tilted back in an actual playable position..that’s the rub. +++
tony-morosco
ParticipantJerusha,
Actually I’m glad you mentioned it. I have never seen one in person so I didn’t think of it myself, but from the pictures I have seen it is definitly a masculine looking harp. The picture on his web site of the one with the antique maple stain looks just outsanding.
tony-morosco
Participant“If it is on the knees and not primarily on the shoulder, then you can move your body without moving the harp. “
That is what I was thinking. If the harp is resting correctly on the knees then the harp should only rock at all when you reach for the lower strings (depending on how long
tony-morosco
ParticipantDefinitely the Salzedo. Also some of the Camac harps. An Athena, Atlantide, or Blue, but with plain soundboard. Also the L&H 100.
Nothing makes a harp look more girly than flowers and frilly designs on the soundboard. A Celtic design on a lever harp is fine, and the decoration on the Salzedo I like, but otherwise I tend to not like most soundboard decoration.
I know when I finally make the plunge to buy a new harp I am going to have to special order it. I never see harps I like in the finish I like with no decoration on the soundboard.
tony-morosco
ParticipantKathy Bates.
tony-morosco
ParticipantThere should be plastic grommets lining the holes in the soundboard. First I would check to make sure that the edges of those grommets are smooth.
Since the strings are breaking at the soundboard it most likely isn’t an issue with the levers. Are you sure you are not tuning too high?
Otherwise the most likely issue is environmental changes. Try regulating the environment as much as possible. Keep the heat at a steady level and use humidifiers or dehumidifiers to keep the humidity constant. And if you don’t use an electronic tuner get one just to check the tuning now and then to be sure it isn’t going up too high.
tony-morosco
ParticipantSeems reasonable.
My lessons were always paid in advance, with a slight discount for
tony-morosco
ParticipantI wouldn’t. If anything I would take a small lap harp just to play around on, but vacation is vacation and a time to get away from the normal stuff we do, even things we normally enjoy doing.
When I go someplace I want to focus on the things unique to that place. I would never have time to practice while on vacation anyway, and the thought of lugging around a concert grand alone would make me think twice.
tony-morosco
ParticipantAside from the ones already mentioned, all good choices, a few that come to mind who do original compositions are:
Andres Vollenweider
Verlene Schermer
Alice Coltrane
Lori Anderws
tony-morosco
ParticipantI don’t remember the details, but I have a couple of books on O’Caronlan and indeed if I remember correctly there are comment from his contemporaries stating that he wasn’t the best player.
In fact if I remember correctly it was one of the people who became one of his first patrons who, after hearing him play, said something like, “So… have you ever thought of composing instead?”
He got his patronage for his writing, not his playing. Also keep in mind that Irish harpers had a reputation for being outstanding. To say O’Carolan was not the best is not to say he was horrible. I’m sure he played quite passibly, but just not up to the standards of some of the other well known harpers.
So while he played the harp his fame and the patronage that came with it was for his composing not playing.
tony-morosco
Participant“I lived for ten years overlooking the salty Hudson River and it did nothing to my harp.”
Although I don’t have a pedal harp currently my lever harp has shown no problems with the bridge or tuning pins or rivets on the levers, or any other metal on it and I have lived on a peninsula surrounded by salt water on three sides for almost 14 years. I can see the water from my window. Also I know several pedal harpists in town and none of them seem to have any problems with living near the ocean.
“We must then protect a forest to be used only for harp-making, not give in to synthetics, which usually cost more environmentally in the long run.”
That’s probably one of the best arguments for using wood I have heard. Wood is renewable, and currently the US has more trees than when the country was founded (saw that on Penn and Teller’s show when they did the episodes on environmentalism and recycling).
I’m all for using anything that works so long it doesn’t cause harm. I have no opposition to using any material so long as it actually sounds and looks good. That being said I don’t think I want to be a guinea pig for something. Carbon in the column I can deal with. In the soundboard? I will wait and see, but I wont write it off just yet either.
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