Harpy things.

[stevieannie]

So, thanks to the generosity of keristor and a long distant birthday gift from fleetfootmike, I've decided that I really ought to teach myself the basics of proper wireharp technique. 

Keristor has generously allowed me to borrow his little wireharp (a Tim Hoborough for those who care) and telynor, on her kitchen visit, told me the trick to tuning it (so simple I can't believe I didn't think of it myself), so I've sat down this afternoon with the Gael Kathryn wire harp primer and started working through it.

Yes - I did house telynor's lovely big wireharp whilst she sojourned in Singapore, but I never got to grips with playing with anything approaching proper technique, and I figure it's time to rectify that.  So, first exercise - damping with the bass hand, with the back of the fingers.  "OK", says I, and tries.  After an hour of this, I am forced to realise that I'm doing something wrong.  (a) My wedding ring is buzzing on the strings and (b) my fingers don't want to damp the open fifth - there's not enough flesh to touch all the strings. Grrr...  I will not be phased by this.  Particularly as the first tune to try out is "Cutty Wren" - an absolute favourite of mine.

Also on my mind is the fact that due to a complicated set of circumstances, Tim and Nev are looking at potentially building a harp or two - just to see if they can, and how they would sound, and what they would cost.  All this sprung from my musings that there really aren't any *good* small harps to be had for reasonable money - if someone has £400 to spend, then they are limited to those awful Pakistani imports, and anyone who has ever played one knows that they suck like gravity.  So - if a good harp could be crafted and sold for under, say, £500, I think there'd be a market...

Of course, I'd have to help string and tune them - oh the hardship :-)  Mad plan no. 278!

Comments

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Well, as I've said harps (and other instruments) are meant to be played, and I'm certain my little one is getting more attention from you than from me. I'm puzzled by the idea that there is any trick to tuning other than twiddling the bit at the end of the string until the string produces the right note, is this a physical thing, andf odrer to tune in, or what? And is it specific to that particular type of harp or is this something which makes it easier for other instruments as well?

(Do the Tim Hoborough ones sell for a lot more now? I bought that one around 15 years ago, so the price has probably increased since then, I haven't kept track...)

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

I'd quite like the trick to not breaking the strings when tuning - I've a tiny Argent Fox that still needs attention as I over tightened things and *twang* ::sigh::

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

Well, I'd been tuning by using pliers on the flat end of the tuning pin - much as I'd tune any other harp (only using soft nosed pliers instead of a key - murder on the hand, I can tell you!). Telynor pointed out that judicious use of a screwdriver on the *other side of the pin* allowed for much finer tuning. No specialist key required. Yay!

As for tuning order, my personal preference is to tune all the C's, then all the D's etc. - I like the concept of tuning in fifths, but my ear doesn't always want to help out, and I usually check the final tuning with a circle of fifths.

I debated your harp with Telynor (who has a much better idea of wire harps than I, obviously) and pointed out the disturbing warp on the neck/pillar join. I'd wondered if it was just me getting easily worried. She seems to think that it might not be the best sign ever...

I'm guessing that you're not going to be looking at a *lot* of money in pounds-worth, but it is still perfectly playable and may well give years of happiness before a serious "ker-splunk" incident. I'd ask Telynor for a better idea of price, as I don't I have the best information for a pricing enquiry.

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

If they were building nylon strung I'd happily play test the prototypes if required... :)

I love the sound of wire harp but I just can't get my head round the fingernail and damping thing, yay for you learning it and having a little one to work with though, that's excellent, hope you get the hang of things soon.

Couple of things:

[the-gwenzilliad.livejournal.com]

1. There are decent harps to be found for that price, but you may have to buy them from the US. The good news is, these are not big instruments, and we do know people who travel back and forth. I'm thinking of a little Argent Fox, perhaps. Or maybe, just maybe, a smaller variety of the Witcher lap harp I have. Those turn up from time to time.

2. Your lessons are free. Call me anytime. I can talk you through techniques over the phone, I can come and visit and work on things with you.

Re: Couple of things:

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

I think I *may* have figured out my problem - I misread the paragraph - I'm not meant to be damping the entire fifth, just the root D. Stupido Me! However, I may well take shameless advantage of you occasionally to grab a small lesson-ette.

I don't imagine that I'm ever going to be a great-shakes wireharper, but I'd like to get an occasional tune out of one, and at least be able to noodle in a correct manner. Taking my big gothic gut beastie onto a re-enactment site is just a nono for a authenticity nazi like me, so I've avoided it for the past 5 years or so. I *could* arguably take a small wirestrung (particularly a hollowed-out soundbox) and give a spirited account of why it's not totally out of period...

Of course, I'm going to try and persuade my guys to make something that looks like the Queen Mary :-) They fancy playing at making a couple of harps in various shapes and sizes, and I reckon that if they bring in a decent sound at a reasonable price, then there may well be a market...

Of course, having a play with some harps really wouldn't *suck*...

Oh, one more thing

[the-gwenzilliad.livejournal.com]

The Gael Kathryns tutor is the weakest one out there. Let me photocopy some of Ann Heymann's tutor for you and send it along? Even Cynthia Cathcart's book is preferable, and I'm generally against anything that requires tuning a wire harp in G.

Re: Oh, one more thing

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see a couple of pages of the Ann Heymann - I did look when you left your harp with me, but I got a bit scared, and ended up playing super-softly with pads :-( Sorry! I think I've got that stereotypical gutharper phobia of wirestrings.

Now I'm in the right headspace to at least attempt to learn better technique...