Harp Buying and Building Tips

In need of advice about buying a harp?  Just scroll down the page and you will find an "Insider's List" of tips to help you with your decision.

Looking to build a harp?  Once you've aquainted yourself with the Insider's List, you'll find a section of helpful and hopeful ideas and resources to get you started!

Harp Buying Tips
Are you thinking about purchasing a harp?  Before deciding on a harp, consider the questions below.
*What is my playing experience level?
*What are my short-and long-term playing goals? 
*What size harp do I need? What range will accomodate the types and styles of music I play?Do I want a lever or a pedal harp?
*If I want a lever harp, what kind of levers should I have installed and on what strings?
*What price range can I afford? What style do I prefer? From whom should I purchase my new harp?
*How can I judge the quality of a harp?

The Insider's List
Below are some answers to these important questions.....

Experience Level
For beginners, small harps (22-26 strings) can seem to be an economical and practical choice.  However, it is better to start with a free-standing floor-model harp of 29 strings or more.  Lap harps can be a chore to manage to balance and can make learning to play more difficult.  It is frustrating to be in the position of wrangling with a wiggling harp while trying to learn an entirely new set of skills.  Bad early experiences such as this can turn an avid beginner into a music class drop out.  

For an experienced player, just the opposite may be true.  A small harp can be a refreshing change from years of pedal-harp-hauling and add a whole new world of playing opportunities.  How about harps on vacation?  At the beach?  The park?  A friend's house for a musical get-together?  You can take a small harp on the road for fun with minimum hassle and maximum fun!

Goals
Where do you see yourself and your harp in six months?  In six years?
If your short-term goal is to decide if the harp is really the instrument for you, then it is best to rent one and take lessons for a few months before deciding to purchase.  Once you decide that the harp suits you, think about the tips below for long-term goals.
Is your long-term goal to become a professional?  A volunteer? Or do you just want to play the harp for your own enjoyment?

A professional needs to carefully consider the environment in which he will be playing.  For weddings and many other engagements such as dinners, luncheons, etc., the elegance and flexibility of the pedal harp is very well suited.  A classically-designed lever harp can also project the classy harp image desired by clients.  Remember, most people never get up-close-and-personal with a harp.  Most have only seen a pedal harp in an orchestra or old movie or a celtic harp on a beer bottle! You need to have an idea of client expectations in order to know what to choose.

What about those who would like to be volunteer music therapists and entertainers?  If this is your long-term goal, then you should consider buying a full-size (34 strings+) lever harp with a full set of levers.  This kind of harp will give you a tremendous amount of range and flexibility and allow you to play most types of music.  A good full-size folk harp is an excellent investment that will last a lifetime.

Or do you just want to play for your own enjoyment?  If your harp will spend most of its time hanging around the house, then your choice may be subjective to the looks that will go with your decor and the type of music you most often play.  You can choose a harp that you find is pretty-as-a-picture and is as much fun to look at as to play.  You can have levers installed only on the strings necessary to accomodate the main keys in which you play.

Size and Range/Lever or Pedal?
Obviously, the bigger the harp, the more music will be accesible to play on it.
Pedals allow more flexibility and access to a wider variety of music than levers do.  A pedal harp can play virtually ALL published harp repertoire (with the exception of pieces peculiar to lever harp or those for specialty harps such as cross-strungs), in ALL keys, and allow access to aacidentals in musical pieces with little hassle.

Lever harps can be used to play a tremendous amount of harp music.  Much music now published for harp is arranged to be played on lever and pedal harps.  Creative musicians can do some amazing musical things with lever harps, so levers do not need to be synonymous a variety of levers available, I will limit my discussion exclusively to those I have used and installed.

LOVELAND LEVERS(www.musikit.com):  give an excellent quality of sound with the ability to adjust them to a fine degree but are difficult to install for the inexperienced person.  They are also rather expensive.
JORDAN LEVERS(www.musikit.com): give excellent quality of sound, are a breeze to install even for an inexperienced person, and are less expensive than Lovelands.  They are somewhat less durable and less adjustable that Lovelands as well.
ROBINSON'S LEVERS(www.robinsonharp.com):  are the most affordable, are very durable, have a reasonable degree of adjustability, are moderately difficult to install, and give fair to moderate tone.

Style and Price/Manufacturers and Retailers
We've all heard the old axioms: you get what you pay for/quality doesn't cost, it pays.
We've also all heard the old caveat: let the buyer beware.
These sayings have been around for a LONG, LONG TIME because they are TRUE!!!

While it is true that there are many harps in many price ranges, it is always best to buy the most expensive harp you can afford that fits your musical and asthetic style.

What style of harp do you like?  Do you like the elegance of the classical pedal harp look or the georgeous strength of a celtic style harp?  Look at plentwith limitations.  Dealing with highly chromatic music, especially pieces with key changes and many accidentals can be challenging with a lever harp, but not impossible.

A minimum size and range adequate for much harp repertoire and for all harpists, whether beginner or professional, is a lever harp of 29 strings tuned from G-G.  A 29-string harp which is free-standing is a good starting point for a new student, but also allows a professional to play a wide variety of music on a harp that is still easily portable.

In order to play more music more easily, the next step up from the 29 G-G harp is a lever harp with 34 strings and a range of C-A.  Almost all method books and harp music books outside of those exclusively for pedal harp are arranged to be played on a harp of this size and range.  A 34 C-A lever harp is an excellent choice for any harpist.

Lever harps in the above ranges are available in a wide variety of styles and price ranges.

For those looking for the maximium flexibility and the ultimate range, then the pedal harp is it!  There is no end to the fun and creativity a pedal harp can inspire.  Virtually all published harp music, outside of that for specialty harps or peculiar to lever harps only, can be played on the pedal harp.  But along with all the benefits, there is the reality of large size, diminished  portability, and expense.

Lever Choices
Once you have decided on a lever harp, you'll need to decide which levers to have installed before you buy it.For the maximum availability of keys, you should have a lever installed on each string.  By tuning a fully-levered harp in E-flat, you can play in all major and related minor keys having from 3 flats to 4 sharps.  It is also more cost-effective to buy a harp with all of the levers aready installed than to try to have additional levers installed after you purchase one.  If the manufacturer is a long distance away and there is no-one competent where you live to install levers, it can become an expensive hassle to have them put on later.

If economy is of the utmost necessity, then you can have only the levers you really need to play in the keys you usually use.  To play in C, D, F, and G, you would only need levers on the C, F, and B strings.  The first step is in deciding which keys are most important and useful to you.  If you need more help deciding on levers, you can e-mail me your questions, or consult a competent harp builder or salesperson.

The type of levers used will affect the quality of sound produced by the harp while the levers are engaged.  Because there is such y of pictures and try to visit as many harps in person as you can before setting your mind on a particular style.  You may surprise yourself by choosing something you never thought you'd consider.  Remember, no matter how good it sounds, if its looks aren't pleasing, you may find yourself pining after something else.

What can you REALLY afford?  You may be drooling over a pedal harp, but find yourself without an extra $20,000.00 to spend (I don't know anyone with this much money sitting around twiddling its thumbs).  Well, there are lever harps out there built in classical style for a fraction of the price.  Maybe your a pedal harpist who craves a stocky little highland laddie of a harp.  Don't be ashamed: embrace your inner folk harpist!  Explore the wide world of harps and enjoy your research.  A beautiful harp is a joy to behold.  The following link can start you on your journey:
www.harpmall.com 

I recommend almost without exception buying DIRECT from the manufacturer!!!

There are many fine, upstanding harp stores throughout the world, but why deal with the "middle-man" when you can go straight to the source?  At the very least, check with the manufacturer to find out the suggested retail price so that you know if you are getting the best possible deal.   You may find a tremendous difference from retailer to retailer. 
If you want a folk harp, buy from a folk harp manufacturer!!!

My top two recommendations for FINISHED folk harps:
Blevins Harps: www.blevinsharps.com
Triplett: www.triplettharps.com

Recommended retailers for FOLK HARPS:
Melody's Traditional Music: www.folkharp.com
Sylvia Woods Harp Center: www.harpcenter.com

Searching for a pedal harp? Don't be fooled into thinking that the big names in the industry are the best!!!

A big name that has been around for a long time is no guarantee of quality.  Venus is a relatively new manufacturer (compared to the other major firms which have been around FOREVER).  I play a Venus pedal harp and have put it through the mill.  I move it constantly, from dry to wet, hot to cold, hither, tither, and yon.  It has never failed me.  It sounds better with each passing day as it matures.  It puts up with all sorts of bumps, knocks, and insults with never a whimper.  And, it looks FANTASTIC!!!  I get many positive comments about how beautiful my Venus harp is.  In sound and looks, it is a real crowd pleaser!
No, I am not getting paid to say this.  Don't take my word for it.  Go direct to the source:
www.venusharps.com 
ENJOY!!!

Quality
What are some keys to assessing quality?
Well, a big one that causes some regretable frustation to bargain seekers is the temptation of the unbelievably low prices for harps made in a certain foreign country located near India and Afghanistan (without naming names directly, I'm sure you'll get the point). 
Don't buy a harp from any questionable source or manufacturer, particularly if the country is somewhere in the greater Orient!!!  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! 
 
Other hallmarks of quality include the willingness of the manufacturer to guarantee his product, the materials used for the harp (it is best to purchase a harp with a multi-ply hardwood neck for strength; this can be several layers of solid hardwood or hardwood plywood), and the overall finish and servicability.  

Another aspect of quality is sound.  Do you want a bright and loud harp, or a warm and rich tone?  These qualities will depend on the materials used to build and string the harp as well as the overall style.

*Generally speaking, the larger and deeper the resonating chamber (the body) and the wider the soundboard, the bigger the sound.  (An exception, oddly enough, is many lap harps.  Because they are smaller, they have less material to absorb and distort sound, so quite often they are LOUDER than their larger cousins)

*The more solid hardwood used in the body construction, the clearer and brighter the sound.

*The less plywood in the construction of the harp, the louder it will be because there are fewer layers of wood through which the sound must travel.  

*Quality plywood soundboards offer at least as good tone as solid ones.  Because they can be thinner overall than solid wood, they can break in faster and give beautiful, bright tone.

Ultimately: buy from a well-known, highly-recommended manufacturer, and buy a harp that gives you the sound quality and looks you love, while maintaining the realistic tether of what your pocketbook can allow.

Good luck and God Bless!!!

Building a Harp
So, you think you want to build a harp?  I can promise you an exciting and rewarding experience.  Hand-in-hand with these things, I can also promise you a series of frustrations and challenges to your patience and determination.  Learning to build a harp, just like learning to play one, is a character-building journey along the path of creativity.

I highly recommend owning and playing a harp BEFORE deciding to build one.  This way you will have an idea of your preferences and the features you would like to build into your harp.

The two best resources for anyone considering building a harp are Music Maker's Kits (www.musikit.com) and Robinson's Harp Shop (www.robinsonharp.com) . 
 
Both of these retailers offer supplies and plans.  Music Maker's also sells kits and wood for building.  It may seem more economical to build from scratch using a plan, but you can gain valuable experience by first building a kit, especially if you have little or no experience in woodworking.  To build from scratch also requires that you own or have access to a number of woodworking tools which can be expensive to buy or rent.  With a kit, the tools needed by the builder are limited to what most folks keep on hand for household maintainence.

If you have a woodworking shop and are familiar with following plans, then by all means: jump in at the deep end!!!  You can choose your favourite selection of woods and a plan for the harp  of your dreams.  Good luck and have fun, but be warned: harp building is addictive.  There's always something more you'll want to try........

Buy kits ONLY from well-known and highly-recommended suppliers!!!
Music Maker's Kits is the industry leader in harp kits.   I highly recommend them.

Buy supplies and plans only from well-recommended suppliers!!!
Both Robinson's Harp Shop and Music Maker's Kits are reliable and trustworthy suppliers for all of the things you need in the way of supplies used in harp building.

 Questions?   Call me (928)864-6317

 
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Pictured above is part of the family of Vining-built harps.
Top Row, L-R
Picture One: A herd of harps.  All of these were built by my myself except the Blevins Encore on the far right. (L-R top row: Rhodie Harp II, built 2001, the "Silk Purse", Rhodie Harp I, built 2000) (L-R bottom row: the "Fish Harp", built 2001, and the "First Harp", built in 1999. 
Picture Two: A Celtic-style lever harp We built in 2000.  The third one I built!!!
Picture Three: The "Baroque" lever harp.  I decorated and designed this one to look like an early single-action pedal harp.
Bottom Row, L-R
Picture One: The "Silk Purse".  This harp is a combination of a few component parts left from my very first harp which was purchased from an unscrupulous individual who cheated me.  The harp was about ten years older than she said and broke shortly after I bought it.  I totally rebuilt it, giving it a new neck, new soundboard of poplar, and reconfigured the pillar.  Just goes to show what you can do when life gives you lemons: make lemonade!!! 
Picture Two: My "Lap Harp".  I built this to be a companion to my Venus pedal harp.  It is my travel and therapy harp.
Picture Three:My friend Becky's harps. The black one I built and gave to her so that she could discover the joy of teaching herself to play harp. Later, she built the white harp, which she named "Celtic Rose", with my help. 

Believe and Achieve!  Don't dream of the day when you might be able to own and play a harp, make it a reality!!!  Remember, YOU can do anything good and worthy that you really want to do.  Learning to play and build harps can seem daunting, but don't let yourself be discouraged.  And always, when something seems too difficult, take your problem to the Man Upstairs and PRAY for Him to help you.  He will, too!  Remember, you can do all things through Jesus Christ when you walk with Him because he strengthens you. 

Harp is fun for the whole family!  In this picture, we see my daughter Thora enjoying some music in the Prayer Garden at my home.