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I have encountered five of these harps amongst my students.
In the worst case the neck cracked in two after a few months.
Another began to crack along the strings on the soundboard after 3 or 4 years.
One began to crack along the base and back after about two years.
The other two have not had problems with breakage yet.There is a consistency issue with these and some will last longer than others. It is a matter of whether or not you wish to take that chance. Just realize that it will probably not last well over 10 years, while other harps listed in the above posts will last for decades. There is a problem with the tone because of the thickness of the soundboard which eliminates some of the resonance. There is also a harder edge to the tone when initially plucking the string. If it is not appropriate to return it, you do have something to work with, and you can work with this harp as many people do who start with these. Be sure not to buy a larger version of this type later on because there are much better deals for tone and longevity. There are also humanitarian issues surrounding the building of some harps overseas as the rosewood dust is carcinogenic and should require environmental controls, as I understand it.
What I enjoy about my teacher is her ability to find where I was on the path to “great harp playing” and move me forward.
I agree with all the above and want to add in…
A great teacher is also one who remembers what it was like to be a beginner too and all that we beginners go through.
Only thing to add is if you are interesting in playing (or buying) a harp, try to play as many different types as possible, or try out some through a local teacher.
I hate to tell you this, but as soon as you can, get the receipt and return the harp for a FULL refund. These harps are just NOT worth their cost or the effort it takes to play them.
The problems are many fold:1) They don?t stay in tune (they go flat or sharp alarmingly fast).
All harps have to be tuned, but having to constantly tune your harp
cause it goes sharp can be a sign of “warping” of the pillar2)The levers just DON?T WORK at ALL. There is no way to “fix” them either.
3) You will get a very tinny sound out of these harps.
That?s because the soundboard is thick plywood and excessively glued.
The harp will never sound right and your ears wont be trained to recognize “true notes” using those Pakistani harps4)The tension is VERY low on those harps. You will not learn how to pluck correctly due to the low tension and will end up plucking a regular harp too softly.
Here is more information on these harps from this very website:
mid east/Pakistani harps harps
Meagan harps which are the 29 string mid east harps
heather harps which are the same mid east harps but with 22 strings!
and finally the best advice one could get as a harp purchaser:
Do your research. Read the posts in these discussion groups CAREFULLY. You will soon learn what kind of harps are quality and what makes them quality. I can tell you the most important thing is QUALITY IS NEVER CHEAP!!!!!, Don?t even try to look for a bargain, since most QUALITY harp sellers and manufactures have similar price ranges. Anything below the normal price range ~2000- 6000 for a 34 -36 string harp is SUSPICIOUS. There are two WELL KNOWN moderately priced brands: Blevins & Stoney End, but even they are above 1900 for a 34 string harp.
Don?t get ANYTHING off of eBay unless you are completely knowledgeable about harps. I personally have trolled eBay for many years just to look at what people are selling and have found instances where there were “stolen” pictures of harps advertised as real harps for sale by scam artists intent on getting money. I have seen harps that were broken and “unplayable” advertised on eBay as “in playable? condition. I have also seen harps that required EXTENSIVE and EXPENSIVE repairs listed as in ?fine” condition. Many advertisers are so predatory they will WORD their advertisements in such a way where you would not be able to glean the full extent of the damage unless you were a harp connoisseur.
There are many things you have to know in order to buy a harp successfully, that?s why if I were you, I would just buy directly from the following manufacturers:
Blevins
Stoney End
Thormhalen
Dustry strings,
Kortier,
William and Reese
Lyon and Healy,
Salvi,
Camac,
Triplett,
Pilgrim,
Clive Morely,
Timothy,
Fisher,
Steen,
Swanson
or Heartland harps.
These are the ones that are pretty well known for making quality lever harps. Some would argue that there are manufactures among the ones I listed that really gear their lever harps for potential pedal harp students and that may be true. If you are looking for a “folk harp sound” you might do better with a Thormhalen or Dusty Strings rather than a Lyon and Healy or Swanson harp. The thing is its all in what you want so you must RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!!!!
Lastly take my advice:
No offense to any small time luthier but there is a certain reason why some luthiers have better reputations than others. Dave Thormhalen basically makes the haprs he sells. He has an excellent reputation. So does Howard Byran who also restores harps. You should be wary of the ?Joe little guy” luthiers who are not that well known. I would only go to an unknown luthier if I was an expert harp buyer. I am not denigrating small time luthiers. Many are fabulous, but you must remember that the harp making industry is VERY UNEVEN in terms of talent. There are many great relatively unkown luthiers, BUT there are JUST AS MANY relatively unkown luthiers making CRAP HARPS. If you are not sure where to buy a harp from or how good the local harp maker is in your area, just go with the major manufacturers. I made the mistake of going to a unknown luthier a year ago and bought a piece of junk based on some scant reviews from people who turned out to be his own personal friends and associates. For the most part: A GOOD LUTHIER WILL BE WIDELY KNOWN, JUST AS A GOOD SINGER OR PAINTER OR ACTOR WILL BE WIDELY KNOWN
That is because one satisfied customer tells 100 other people who in turn buy and tell 100 more people. If you don?t believe me, just ask people what they think of Howard Byran?s harp restoration or Thormhalen harps as a manufacturer or Marcel Grandjany as a harpist and see what they say. Trust me, the best and the brightest usually rise to the top based on their excellence and that goes for harp making too.I believe that what makes a good or bad teacher depends almost entirely on the student.
However, there are a few aspects that I believe everyone can agree on. When you are
young, you must have a teacher that makes you enjoy harp, if lessons are dreaded then
practicing will be dreaded. I think that it is vital to make sure that the student is exposed
to other harpists their age so that they have someone to relate to. It is also important to
bring beginner students to concerts of professional harpists and (if possible) concerts of
the teacher playing. This allows the student to see an “end product” and to understand
what they are working for.
A brief response would go something like this:
Inspiration, leadership, setting goals and the highest standards, and giving you the tools, knowledge and patient guidance to get there. A not great teacher tells you you’re not good enough or not playing right and doesn’t show you how to do better. A great teacher works with you, appreciates your interests but focusses your attention on what you need to accomplish. The greatest teacher teaches you to harness your mind and HOW TO THINK. The greatest teacher is not afraid to hold your hands the way they should be, and listen to you do exercises for an hour, if need be. The greatest teacher will teach you how to practice, improve your tone, and send you to concerts. A good teacher helps you get work and connections. The great teacher knows all musical styles and how to evoke them with the harp, can look at any excerpt and know how the piece goes, can teach you how to hear the harp and what it can do, what you could be doing with it, all of its potentials.
I have found the most difficult student to teach is one who seems unable to recognize their need to learn. Confidence is necessary for growth, but arrogance halts the learning process. Some research has indicated that a high degree of incompetence robs the individual of the ability to evaluate skill in themselves or others, leaving them unable to judge their own inadequacies. This can occur at different stages of learning. When a student is able to produce music on the same level they are able to perceive music, they can conclude that they have learned everything, knowing as much or more than the teacher. I have been working to devise strategies to help such students perceive themselves more accurately which is necessary for their continued growth. It requires humility to recognize our shortcomings and confidence to believe we can overcome them.
As a student I try to get the greatest benefit from each teacher I encounter. Diverse personalities and teaching styles are beneficial to overall growth, so I value the unique qualities of each of my teachers. I appreciate teachers who have clear, accurate, deep understanding of their art, who understand the big picture as well as details. Individual communication style is not significant to me, whether it is more gentle or abrupt, just as long as the teacher sincerely desires my growth as an artist. Technique is the foundation for creating art, and the process of teaching these tools is most successful when adaptable to the needs of each student. The teachers that I have found most deeply rewarding value the unique strengths of their students encouraging creativity and individuality. They help the student to ?breathe deeply? and find themselves as artists. Each student?s path is as unique as they are and it takes great empathy and wisdom to discover each path and guide the student through it.
Some teachers approach the learning process as an intricately sculpted garden, with clearly set paths through which they guide each student to a certain goal, with beauties guaranteed. Others approach learning like a field of wildflowers to run through wildly picking flowers, falling down to look at the clouds, discovering a new path, defining a unique experience. I don?t conclude that one approach is better than the other, but personally, my great joy and meaning is found in the field of wildflowers.
NO SOY ARPISTA NI SIQUIERA SE ALGO DE MUSICA.EN REALIDAD SOY BAILARINA, TENGO 24 A?OS VIVO EN MERIDA YUC PERO SOY DE XALAPA, HACE ALGUNOS A?OS ESTUVE TOMANDO CLASES DE ARPA PERO CREO QUE SOLO FUERON UNAS SEMANAS PORQUE ME FUI A VIVIR A MERIDA. LA DANZA SIEMPRE HASIDO MI PASION, PERO SIEMPRE HE QUERIDO TOCAR EL ARPA, DE HECHO CUANDO LA OIGO SIENTO QUE HASTA SE ME ENCHINA LA PIEL, ES COMO SI ME HICIERA SENTIR MUY BIEN, MI FAMILIA SE RIE DE MI CUANDO DIGO QUE QUIERO APRENDER PORQUE ME DICEN QUE SI VOY AL BAILAR A MISMO TIEMPO QUE VOY A TOCAR, PERO ESO NO ME IMPORTA.
