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I would highly recommend the H2 Zoom. You can get one for around $100 if you look carefully (I know several people who bought them off eBay with no trouble). That might be a bit more expensive than what you’re thinking, but the recording quality is excellent, and it’s very easy to use. Plus, you can listen back to what you just recorded from the device, and it’s also easy to upload the recordings to a computer. I know many other musicians who use them for everything from band rehearsals to practicing to live recitals. It’s really an investment, and can be used for a lot of things. If you can spare the extra $, it’s totally worth it.
Vince
The Element will fit a concert grand (I’ve tried it with a Salvi Diana and a LH 23), but it’s a very tight squeeze for the driver because you have to push the seat so far up. And I’m not sure about the new CRV, but the older models are definitely too small for a CG harp. Good luck!
Vince
Congrats, Laura! I just bought my first harp this summer. It’s a really nice feeling. I love the Troubadour,
Rod, I just got my bench from BBR Woodworks on Saturday, too! The bench is gorgeous and the quality of his craftsmanship is wonderful. I love the storage area as well. I couldn’t be happier with it, and it was well worth the price. Plus, Ron is great to work with and very accommodating. I would also recommend his benches to any harpist.
Vince
Am I the only harpist who hates playing in bare feet? I do not like the way the pedals feel against my feet. It seems like I would need hobbit feet for it to work. I love a close-fitting, thin sole shoe without a huge clunky toe like most men’s shoes. Finding the perfect shoe is infinitely harder for men.
Gotta go, my harp strings just arrived!!!
Kay,
If you can tell me how to move pedals too quickly, I would love to know! But actually, Briggsie is right in that you can move it too soon after playing a lower string and get a buzz that way, so I guess that is probably what you meant (as opposed to a pedal ‘buzz’ that happens when you play a string and move the corresponding pedal at the same time but don’t quite line them up right). I have this problem with my harp a lot, because it gets a lot of sympathetic vibrations in the lower octaves (I think that’s what makes a Salzedo so LOUD). So it happens when I’ve played low strings and haven’t muffled, or sometimes even when I haven’t played them at all! I’m really ok with that, though, because the sympathetic vibrations are what give the harp its carrying power and sustain. Anyhow, I would say that the quicker pedal movements are, the better. Usually most pieces have specific instructions as to when to dampen certain strings, so otherwise you should be ok and manage to avoid that ‘zing’ if the pedal movements are swift and done in one motion. I hope I make some sense. Have fun with your new pedals and the rest of your harp!Vince
Congrats, Kay! I’m glad you’re harp arrived safely and that you can enjoy the wonderful experience of getting your first harp! It’s a really special feeling knowing that your harp is your own. I’m still pinching myself to make sure I really own the Salzedo I just got last month so I know the feeling! I just can’t wait to have a big performance on it, and to show it to my family when I go home for Christmas 🙂 Very happy for you!
Vince
I would buy:
– Thurau Bauhaus model
– Salvi Apollo
– Lyon and Healy Style 23 in Walnut
– Camac Big Blue electric harp
– an original Erard Gothic
– Victor Salvi 50th Anniversary Edition harp
and…an acoustically perfect, climate controlled room for all the harps 🙂Not a short list, but I already have my dream harp (a Lyon & Healy Salzedo model), so I’m off to a good start!
Vince
Kreig,
I have seen it both ways, but I think maybe the best way is to use the original French title (it seems people forget Salzedo was French), and perhaps include an appropriate translation in parentheses. I have always done that on my recital programs, because I like to use the original title of a piece whenever possible, but I also want my audience to know what that title means. And as for the ‘style ancien’, in French that means ‘old style’, not ‘ancient style’ as so many English translations put it. The word ‘ancien’ in French is the common word for old, so it would make more sense to translate it as ‘Variations on a theme in the old(olden?) style’. That’s just my two cents worth, since I am so fond of the French language and I am picky about translation. And I agree that ‘ancient’ makes it sound well, ancient, and it’s in the style more of a classical theme and variations than an ancient Greek song or something.
VinceI have a recording of Petrouchka by London Symphony/Eugene Goossens in which the harp is very clear and audible. It’s a fantastic recording. Also, any of the US Air Force Band recordings that include harp are excellent. And just because it’s a ‘band’ doesn’t mean they don’t play good music and play it well. Their recording of the wind transcription of La Mer is one of the best recordings of that piece I have ever heard, and the harp cuts through amazingly. The harpist in that group is Eric Sabatino. And I do have a recording of Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra where the harp sounds like it’s in the bathroom playing the cadenza. It’s very nice, but I can only hear it with headphones on.
Hi Tim,
I can’t speak for Aoyamas, but since you are in Europe I would recommend looking at either Lyon and Healy, Salvi or Camac. I own a Lyon and Healy harp, and their harps are always of the highest quality. You can’t go wrong with their harps. They have a European dealer in Remagen, so I would highly recommend that you visit if possible. They should have a lot of harps in stock there:
http://www.lyonhealy.com/europe.htmSalvi is based out of Italy and their harps are very good. They have several dealers in Germany: http://www.salviharps.it/index.pl?pos=01.03&lang=en
Camac harps are based in Paris, and have a showroom in Röttenbach: http://www.camac-harps.com/camac-harps-eng/allemagne.html
I hope this information helps. I don’t know how far Remagen or Röttenbach are from where you live, but making the drive would be well worth it if you are making such an important and large investment. That way you can see a variety of harp makes and models and make the best choice for you. I drove almost 3,000 miles (about 4,000 km) to pick up my harp, and it was definitely worth the trip! Good luck!
Vince
Congrats! Those are challenging pieces. It’s also nice to see another male harpist show them how it’s done!
Thanks!!!
My harp is four years old. I bought it from a harpist in Wisconsin who took very good care of it. It has a huge ringing sound that I absolutely love. It sort of ‘sings’ in a way, because it is so resonant. I also love the wide spacing. The harp has even darkened just a bit in its four years, so it is really in its prime. The Salzedo is really a striking harp (and very manly – surely you remember that post!). It suits me quite well, and several people have told me that already. Another great thing is that it fits in my car with extra space. I really couldn’t believe it fit so easily when I first picked it up in Wisconsin (I actually drove because it was too hot to ship). That was definitely a long trip, but well worth it! I’m currently ressurecting my blog so I’ll post more about that trip soon. I also ordered a custom bench from BBR Woodworks, which will be very nice to have. It should be able to fit on the dolly with the harp so I don’t have to make an extra trip for it, and I’ll be able to sit at the right height for my harp, which is quite tall. I’m only 5’4″ (apparently so was Salzedo), so I have to sit pretty high to play most concert grands.
I’m so happy to finally have a harp of my own, and especially to have the harp I’ve always wanted. It’s actually taking a while to sink in…but I know once I get to perform on it that will be the real reward. I guess I better go practice!!!
🙂
“Serve the music.”
Tony – I completely agree. If a composer wrote for more than one harp, he intended for the piece to be performed that way. Maybe not with 17 harps, as some composers are wont to ask for, but more than one. I don’t understand why orchestras and conductors alike seem to think of the harp as expendable, especially in areas where they are readily available. Pieces like Firebird, La Mer, Mahler Symphonies, and Rhapsodie Espagnole should always be performed with more than one harp. Unfortunately, it seems like most orchestras have only one harpist on a regular basis, and the principal harpist has no choice but to combine parts per the conductor or music director’s request. I think it would be an impressive (and brave) gesture of a principal harpist to play only the 1st part when they are asked to play both. I have to admit, though, that in my experience playing orchestral clarinet, that I have been required to play as many as four instruments (C, B-flat, A and Bass clarinet for Mahler 2) in a concert or piece, or combine parts (like when I did Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi and had to play the separate Clarinet/Bass clarinet parts). That’s not to mention my musical theater experiences, but that’s a different situation altogether. I guess it’s not an issue that only harpists have to deal with. Certainly the other members of the string section have it the easiest…
