The Instrumentalists Thread

[Tessar]

I also love the Salvi Ana, although it's considerably more expensive. O_o

http://youtu.be/Dla1z0xNsWk

What do you think, Rian? It's quite a different sound from the Dusty Strings harps, and I know you like the Dusty Strings sound. I like that the Salvi harps have a very solid tone, but don't have the sound that full-sized pedal harps have (to me it sounds like someone playing on the piano with too much sustain pedal... big harps sound mushy to me).

What's your "dream" harp, Rian?

[Rían]

(thanks for hugs - all hugs gladly accepted )

Drat - got a cold-weather finger split - do you ever get those? where the skin splits open a bit by the fingernail, usually in cold, dry weather. Argh, I was hoping to play a bit this weekend. When they're on the harp string side, you just can't play. When they're on the other side, you can manage.

I don't know that I like Dusty Strings particularly - my harp was just the best that was available at Sylvia Woods' store in my price range. It was amazing how different all the same models sounded with the different woods!

Maybe it's just the recording, but I didn't like the upper register (is that what you call it? the top octave or so) of the harp you linked to. I like when the lower strings sound deep and full, and the upper sound kind of magical and sweet. The one you linked to sounded kinda plunky to me at the top.

I don't have experience with different kinds of harps - I just know what I like when I hear it. Of all the links, I like the Rav34 the best, but it's hard to tell on a link.

[Tessar]

OH I'm about ready to kick myself.

There is a yearly music convention for voice and instruments near where I live, which lasts a week, and it wasn't till the day AFTER the convention that I thought, "Hey, I wonder if they had harps?"

Yup. Turns out Lyon and Healy had a booth there. For a whole week. And I didn't even think to wonder till the day after.

*cue screaming*

Oh well. It has motivated me. I'm going to find a time in the next few months to make the drives to the two nearby cities where I can try some harps out. One is a 1.5 hour drive, which isn't so horrible, but the other is the 3.5 hour drive.

Unfortunately, due to yet another shift in the Family Fortunes, I probably wont be getting a floor harp for about another year, but I really want to try some different models!

[Rían]

O .. M .. G a whole WEEK?! a Lyon and Healy booth for a whole week?!

sigh ...

[Tessar]

You kind of want to kill me just as much as I do. I DESERVE IT. WHY AM I SO STUPID?! The convention fencer is literally ten minutes from my office job.

[Varnafindë]

Oh yes you sure deserve it, it's the very best solution - you would play the harp sooooo much better if we killed you

Just kick yourself, that's enough

[Tessar]

*kick* ouch! *kick* ouch! *kick* no more! *kick* I give!...... *one more kick for good measure*



But seriously, I get annoyed every time I think about it. I was ten minutes away from a formidable selection of harps. For an entire week.


....

.......

*KICK!*

[Tessar]

Isn't it interesting to hear the difference technique can make?

This is a great example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6509peA5nM

This is actually a very nice sounding harp, from other sound samples I've found, but the way this guy is playing it with clawed hands makes it sound MUCH less resonant than any other samples I've found. It looks to me like he's using the paraguayan technique (very light finger pressure, typically using the tips of your nails to play, and only small finger motions), which is supposed to actually be very easy on your hands (if you do it in a relaxed way).

I just don't care for that technique! It sounds like a strange guitar to me, and I prefer the fuller sound that using the "finger to palm" classical technique.

[Tessar]

Ack! Rian!! I just found out a 26 string Dusty Strings harp is available in my area! I'm so tempted to buy it, because it's $800 (sells new for $2315) BUT the catch is that the current owner bought it in 1987. O_o I wonder if it would even still be in particularly good condition? That harp is older than I am!!!

Plus it's only 26 strings, and I'm dying to get something with more strings... so I wont get it, but the temptation is extreme.

[Tessar]

Riiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaan.

Have I ever told you about the carbon fiber harps before? They're awesome... http://www.heartlandharps.com/models.html

Their harps weigh between 8-10 pounds and, being made out of carbon fiber, are really sturdy. One of the things the maker does at conventions is he throws the harp off of a balcony window into the hotel pool, then pulls it out and plays it to show how sturdy it is. Sounds like something that would be great to drag out to a park and play... light weight, and you can actually sterilize it with soap and water without damaging the finish.

They have a cute thing on their website called a "Harp Tasting," where you can do a blind test of the harps by listening to samples: http://www.heartlandharps.com/harptasting1.html

Then you click through to here: http://www.heartlandharps.com/harptasting2.html
and it tells you which harp was which.

What do you think? It's a different sound from wooden harps, but I actually think I might prefer it somewhat. It sort of has that "etherial," sound.

[Varnafindë]

For some reason I read that as
"he throws the harp off of a balcony window into the hotel pool"
"without damaging the fish"




P.S. I like the harps

[Rían]

Originally Posted by Tessar

Isn't it interesting to hear the difference technique can make?

This is a great example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6509peA5nM

This is actually a very nice sounding harp, from other sound samples I've found, but the way this guy is playing it with clawed hands makes it sound MUCH less resonant than any other samples I've found. It looks to me like he's using the paraguayan technique (very light finger pressure, typically using the tips of your nails to play, and only small finger motions), which is supposed to actually be very easy on your hands (if you do it in a relaxed way).

I just don't care for that technique! It sounds like a strange guitar to me, and I prefer the fuller sound that using the "finger to palm" classical technique.

Yes, I agree. I love the fuller sound of a harp played in the classical technique - kind of a mysterious tone to it...

I enjoy some Latin harp, but only for a short while.

Originally Posted by Tessar

Ack! Rian!! I just found out a 26 string Dusty Strings harp is available in my area! I'm so tempted to buy it, because it's $800 (sells new for $2315) BUT the catch is that the current owner bought it in 1987. O_o I wonder if it would even still be in particularly good condition? That harp is older than I am!!!

Plus it's only 26 strings, and I'm dying to get something with more strings... so I wont get it, but the temptation is extreme.

Yes, I can imagine!!!!! It's probably the harp I have - the FH26, or something like that - a Dusty Strings with 26 strings.

I love the size and portability of my harp, but I SO SO SO miss those extra 5 strings or so at the bottom. With those extra strings, you can do chord inversions in the left hand SO much easier - just move a finger or two up or down a string or two, instead of having to replace the whole hand.

From my very limited research, the harp doesn't seem like a violin - the old violins are so great, but old harps don't seem to be the same way (unless I'm reading things wrong?) Once they get a crack, it seems like they're a goner - do you know if that's right? I know that when I went to the two Grainne Hambly concerts, she seemed to be getting new harps every few years. Of course, her harps get a work-out! and it also seemed to be for artistic reasons (hearing a new harpmaker and wanting a harp from him), but I don't know - I'd ask around about getting older harps.

Originally Posted by Tessar

Riiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaan.

Have I ever told you about the carbon fiber harps before? ....

Yes, you have - they're aMAZing!!!

What do you think? It's a different sound from wooden harps, but I actually think I might prefer it somewhat. It sort of has that "etherial," sound.

I quite like the sound, and it would be nice not to worry so much about it getting knocked over! If I had enough money, I'd probably buy one. But the other downside besides money is that wood is so pretty ...

[Rían]

Originally Posted by Varnafindë

For some reason I read that as
"he throws the harp off of a balcony window into the hotel pool"
"without damaging the fish"

Yes, I read it that way too!

[Tessar]

Originally Posted by Varnafindë

For some reason I read that as
"he throws the harp off of a balcony window into the hotel pool"
"without damaging the fish"




P.S. I like the harps

LMAO. You girls crack me up.

I thought I was going to have to pay some taxes, but it turns out that I'm actually getting a massive packback with my tax return. O_o

It's a good thing. I'm hanging on to it and I can either use it to help my family if things really turn south, OR if things start looking up again then I'm $800 closer to a harp.

I went to a renaissance festival this weekend and I did see a guy with a harp. I sort of wanted to stop, but I don't think my sister would've been keen, plus we were on our way to the full-contact jousting. >.>

[Tessar]

Rian, did you ever learn how to do harmonics? I can every once in a while get some out of my harp, but I'm wondering if it's just that I'm terrible at them, or if there's a legitimate reason like my harp just isn't built to speak on harmonics.

[Rían]

Yes, I did learn, and incorporated them into several of my arrangements. I can't do them quickly, but I can do them well, so I put them in the slow parts or at the beginning. They sound very cool! They are a bit tricky to do, though, especially on the lower strings (at least for me).

[Earniel]

I saw this article and thought I should post it here: Spider silk spun into violin strings.

Something to try, Tessar?

[Tessar]

How interesting!!! I don't play violin at the moment, as my studies (and love of harp) have sort of taken over my life, but that is amazing!!!

I took the Cardboard Harp of Gondor in to work today to lock it into one of the storage closets that I have a key to, so that it doesn't accidentally get damaged during the move. I felt weird just leaving it, especially since I haven't gotten to play on it in about three weeks... So I did a quick video, and then I felt better about leaving it for a few days. I'll pick it back up on Sunday. I also wanted to test out how high quality the videos taken by my phone were, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the video and audio quality.

Rian, you'll have to forgive my deplorable technique. I was too busy trying to remember the notes and rhythms to think about my fingers and arms. Also the thing is terribly out of tune.

http://youtu.be/YO40yLvbS7s

P.S. The weird buzzing you might hear is because of the angle of the harp and because I was leaning it against a paper calendar to help prop it up. The height and angle were difficult to manage, but I figured I could bear it for one quick playthrough.

[Rían]

That was very good for not playing for awhile and for playing at a different height and angle I always played in the same place at my old house - on an antique sofa - and when we moved and the sofa wasn't in the living room anymore, I realized that it was lower than regular chairs and had a terrible time playing at regular chair height. I'm just not a natural player, and changing height is a big thing for me. Luckily, I found an ottoman thing that works.

The phone worked well! and that was smart to keep the harp out of harm's way during the move. My harp's home here is in a corner of the living room, securely guarded by a low end table and flanked by a loveseat on one side and an ottoman on the other. I just lift it over the end table to get it out. Another reason why a smaller harp works well ... I couldn't lift a larger one.

When my mom had her full-size pedal harp, my dad, the engineer, put a bolt in the ceiling and attached it to the top of the harp via a flexible cable, so in case of earthquakes (which California has!) it wouldn't get destroyed. The cable had enough flex so that my mom could pull it to her to play it, but was short enough to keep it from hitting the ground if it got knocked over. They covered it with some pretty velvet fabric to make it look pretty.

You've made me want to put up a recording! but that will still have to wait until after I either have surgery or start thyroid meds, because it's been months since I've felt well enough to play. I'll find out if the bumps are cancerous or not in a week, and then I'll either have surgery or start thyroid meds, then hopefully I'll get better.

[Tessar]

Gah!!!! An opportunity has arisen for me to possibly get a 29 string wooden heartland harp. I really want that particular style!!! Debating furiously with myself.