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This is part of what I wrote in another thread on this forum on 9 May.
“Gordon Johnston, a pedal harpist wrote two years on this forum at https://harpcolumn.com/forums/topic/mikel-celtic-harps/page/3/ about his experience with Mikel Celtic Harps (see for more information his blog on https://mymikelharpexperience.wordpress.com/ about his, after all, rather positive experience with Mikel Celtic harps. These harps are built in Pakistan and the builder has been actively working to improve the quality of the harps he builds.”Mr. Johnston was enthousiastic enough to be willing to appear in a video of Mikel Celtic Harps and praise these budget harps.
I don’t know whether he still reads this forum (three years have passed since his first and only reply to this forum), but maybe he reads follow-up messages, so you could try to post in this thread: https://harpcolumn.com/forums/topic/mikel-celtic-harps/page/3/
Hi Duke Max, I understand it must be hard to struggle against the generally negative reviews of the pakistani harps.
Gordon Johnston, a pedal harpist wrote two years on this forum at https://harpcolumn.com/forums/topic/mikel-celtic-harps/page/3/ about his experience with Mikel Celtic Harps (see for more information his blog on https://mymikelharpexperience.wordpress.com/ about his, after all, rather positive experience with Mikel Celtic harps. These harps are built in Pakistan and the builder has been actively working to improve the quality of the harps he builds.
The builder has an informative website (now at: http://www.mikelceltic.com/ and a contact person in the US. And he offers to wholesalers, distributors and educational institutions to travel to their location in the United States to provide them with ‘superior customer support and quality products’. As someone from Europe, I wouldn’t benefit from that, but at least it sounds like the builder is really willing to go the extra mile to keep customers happy.
There are many pictures of each harp model and even a string chart of each harp is provided. He’s even providing pictures with a lot of information on his sharping levers.
I haven’t got a clue about the quality and sound of these harps or about their prices, but these harps look way better than ordinary pakistani harps.
So, Duke Max, when you provide the same kind of information on your site, you may help to overcome the generally negative image of pakistani harps. Good luck with working towards better quality harps.
Edit: This is not meant as a kind of advertisement, as I don’t know these harps or their builder(s) at all…
Hi Elspeth, I am a fan of Camac harps as they are sturdy harps with a nice, balanced sound, great levers and they are not too pricey.
Harps & Harps in Australia sells Camac harps. I don’t know if his site is up to date, but as the Camac Hermine is the most popular of all Camac harps, you may find a second hand one for a nice price. Also, when later on you would like to sell it, it would be rather easy to find a buyer for it.
If you manage to buy a second hand Camac Hermine, it will hardly lose any value if you would decide to sell it later on. And also the purchase of a new Camac Hermines may be considered as a nice investment, though it will lose some of its value in let’s say the first few years.Another advantage is, that you wouldn’t have to pay extremely high shipping prices, as you can buy it in Australia en preferably try before you buy.
The Camac Hermines come with medium light fluorocarbon strings. I love the sound of these strings. They will keep sounding nice, even when they get rather old (nylon strings gradually lose their nice sound). And of all the different strings on the market they react the least to changes in humidity.
Building one’s own harp may be tempting is one is rather handy. Still, if you don’t like its sound (every harp, even the same model and price sounds different), it would be a pity as you may not resell it easily on the Australian market as people tend to buy more or less popular harps.
You may also find out whether renting a Camac Hermine with an option of buying it later on, may be interesting to you.
Yes, I am probably a bit positively biased about Camacs (I own a Camac harp and a Salvi harp).
Edit: there may be more fine harps shops in Australia selling Camac harps than only Harps & Harps.
As to celtic style music, you do realize that a lot of books with celtic music are written for a 34 string harp? Yes, there are several books particularly suited for smaller harps, but you may miss the sound of the bass strings. Sometimes you can play a tune an octave higher, but this doesn’t always sound as good.
For travel or for wanting to keep the harp in a small closet, a lap harp may be a more logical choice.
By the way Camac had a 27 string Bardic, now sadly discontinued, but you may still find one in stock or a second hand one (as people after some time wish to have 34 (or more) instead of 27 strings. This Bardic harp has a firm string tension and a great sound for such a small harp. It still weighs around 6 kg, so it is a bit heavier than some of your other potential choices. Harps & Harps in Australia does sell Camac harps.
Good luck with your harp hunting.
Hi Elspeth,you are looking for your first lap harp as a beginner, but really, lap harps are way more difficult to play than floor harps. This is because mostly are too large to sit comfortably on your lap and besides, you will need all kinds of tricks to play music that is meant for a larger harp.
So, the main question is, why would you want a lap harp? If the main factor is its price, it may me worth while to discuss the possibilities of an affordable floor harp… Like renting one while you save for a floor harp (some harp shops give you a very nice price when you decide to buy a harp after having rented it for let’s say half a year). Or building one from a kit. Etc.
There is something called ‘abrasive chord’ for situations like this. One can order it from harp shops.
But frankly, I would go to the shop and tell them to fix it.
I have been fond of Harmony Assistant for many years. It’s rather versatile, compatible with other music notation software. It’s easy to learn and has a great help forum. It comes regularly with new and free updates.
You can try before you buy
More information: http://www.myriad-online.com/en/products/harmony.htmAlso, there’s MuseScore. This is free software and the new version 2.1 has lots of possibilities. If I were you, I would give this program a try. For me, Harmony Assistant seems a lot easier to work with, but maybe this is just because I’ve been using HA for many years now.
Here: http://www.hipharp.com/blog/15478″>http://www.hipharp.com/blog/15478 you can find Deborah Henson-Conant’s five minute clip of the possibilities of an electric harp with looper pedals and a distortion pedal and a wah wah pedal.
Maybe this clips works inspirational.
Perhaps, you could find the kind of information you are looking for on her site, or you could try and contact her.
@ Gretchen, thank you so much for mentioning “paralysis by analysis”.
This is one of the traps I may tend to fall into.@ David, there is a lot more to discover in the sound of a harp than only the kind of warm tone some gut strung harps provide. You may be surprised how warm some nylon strung harps sound. Also, you want to hear how a harp sounds in the lower, the middle and the high register. Sometimes one doesn’t like one or two of the registers. Also, the sound of two seemingly exactly the same harps of the same manufacturer and the same model, built from the same kind of wood, can sound quite differently.
And then there’s more to selecting a harp. Think about the string tension, or the smooth operation of the levers (giving correct half tones, preferably without clicks and clacks while you are operating them), the measure of comfort with which you sit behind the harp, etc. etc.
I agree with Tacye that renting a harp may be a great way to start your harping voyage. And I agree with Biagio that its advisable to go to as many harp gatherings as you can manage.
For many, many enlightening and wonderful hours of looking at and listening to all kinds of harpers and harp music, just follow the links at: https://www.harfenforum.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3200&hilit=fundst%C3%BCcke
Yes, it’s a German Harp Forum, but you don’t need any knowledge of German to just click on the links.
Of course, we could start our own thread with links to amazing harp video’s here.
Hi David, Teifi harps have a great reputation. Lucky you, if you can buy one for a reasonable price! And even try the one you buy!
With 34 strings you can play almost all music for lever harps.David, I do understand you want the most bang for your buck. I’m afraid your wish to spend as little money as possible while still getting a 38 string harp, will result in a dissappointment.
I would never buy an all new harp model, not even from reputable harp builders. Though their harps get designed using the most advanced technique, still some adaptations may prove to be necessary after some time.
Also, did you see the shipping costs? 400 dollar shipping cost for a 38 string harp sounds ridiculously cheap to me (more than 600 dollars would sound more likely to me). Sure it will be transported by DHL, but for that price it will be thrown about, just like stuff that is not expected to be very fragile… And did you see the way it is packaged? Just in a rather thin harp bag and a simple cardboard box. Have a look: http://mikelharps.com/mikel-harps-factory/#tab-1472401828643-2-10
If you go this way, you may end up getting a very damaged harp. If you want this harp, you’d better make sure it is packaged in a real sturdy crate in which it sits tightly and do insure its transport properly. And yes, this does not come cheap.
Even when it looks well when it arrives, it still may have been thrown about and be damaged in a way that will only later become visible.I don’t know about import fees and other charges in the US for goods from Pakistan. This may add up to the costs.
I would never buy a harp that I could not try before buying. It may look nice, but every piece of wood is unique and even when you get several harps of the same model and the same kind of wood, some will speak to you and some don’t.
Anyway, Biagio is one of the guys here who know what they are talking about. So, David, you’d better find out whether the Magical Strings Concert Oladion or possibly the Musicmakers Cheyenne is to your liking.
I agree with Tacye. Also, you may like to hire a harp before you buy. Several shops have interesting hiring conditions (like getting a very nice price reductions when you decide to buy that or another harp in that shop within a certain periode). After let’s say half a year or a whole year, it will be much easier for you to know which kind of harp you like best.
Hi David,
You can find some clips of a Mikel 34 string harp on youtube.Frankly, when you are looking for a well built budget harp with a real nice sound, I would very much prefer a Dusty Ravenna 34 strings.
With a 34 string harp you can play almost all sheet music for lever harp.
The advantage of a Dusty Ravenna is that it is rather popular at the second hand market. So, when later on you do want a real nice 38 string harp, you would still be able to get a nice price for your Dusty Ravenna.
