Frequently Asked Questions
"Concert" Celtic Harp made of quilted maple with spruce soundboard and walnut string bar
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Harps ??? - the what...why...how...and universe beyond... The harp is one of the less-frequently seen instruments and hence there is lots of curiosity about how it works and how one plays it. It's one of the reasons I set up the Introduction to the Folk Harp courses - for people with "bucket lists" who have always wanted to learn to play the harp and seek an opportunity to dabble! Here are some popular questions I frequently receive. If you have others keeping you up at night please email me and I'll do my best to answer and post them. There are no silly questions (but lots of silly answers) so fire away! Alison Email: [email protected] Phone: 250.722.2912 (landline) |
Is it difficult to play the Celtic harp?
The Celtic harp is a very forgiving instrument in that it sounds beautiful even when you are just learning. It takes time, patience and lots of repetition to learn a comfortable, effective hand position as well as playing techniques that get the best sound from your instrument.
Do I need to know how to read music?
The ability to read music is always an asset, but not a necessity when playing solo and by ear.
My child has shown an interest in playing the harp. What would be a good age to start?
No specific age but when the child is large enough to sit comfortably on a chair/stool with their feet on the floor, and can reach the strings .
What kind of harp should I get?
Lever harps (celtic harps) are usually less expensive as well as smaller and easier to transport than pedal harps. I recommend an instrument with a minimum of 29 - 30 strings that sits on the floor while you are on a chair or stool (or you can use risers for the harp).
Are you a harpoonist? (Yes it has been asked!)
I play the Celtic and Paraguayan harps and call myself a harpist or "harper".
Is that a real harp?
Harps come in all sounds, sizes and shapes. A Western harp constitutes a triangular frame with either an attached acoustic soundbox (as part of the frame) or with some electronic wizardry that can pick up the string vibration and be amplified elsewhere. Harps can vary from 6 to 48 strings when they have a single course (row) of strings. Double, triple and cross-strung harps can have over a hundred strings. Read more about these harps in harp history.
What are the different kinds of harp?
Many! Defined by:
Numbers of rows of strings: eg. single-course, double-strung, triple-strung (Welsh), cross-string
Types of strings - wire-strung, nylon-string (usually with wire only in bass), gut-strung
Mechanisms for semi-tones - eg. lev ers (lever harps), pedals (pedal harps), tacitos (paraguayan harps)
Ethnicity - eg. Kora of Africa, Koto of Japan, Valiha of Madagascar are all in the harp family.
Size - eg. lap harps, floor harps, troubadour harps, even huge wind harp (aeolian harps)
History - eg. medieval, baroque harps, arpa doppia of Italy, arpa de dos ordenes of Spain
Why are some of the strings coloured?
Coloured strings provide you with signposts for finding your way around the harp. On lever and pedal harps the red strings are C's and the black or blue strings are F's. On Paraguayan harps not so!
What are the strings made of?
Nylon, nylon wrapped on nylon, gut, carbon-fiber (synthetic gut), steel, bronze, brass, metal wound on silk, nylon wrapped on multi filament nylon.....etc.
Do you get sore fingers? Do you have calluses?
If my fingers get sore, it has usually started in my neck & shoulders and I need to take regular breaks as well as warm-up with stretching before I start playing. Calluses are very slight when playing on nylon or gut-strung harps, some wire harp players can develop significant calluses if they use their finger pads. Most wire harp players prefer to use their fingernails, hence have no significant calluses.
The Celtic harp is a very forgiving instrument in that it sounds beautiful even when you are just learning. It takes time, patience and lots of repetition to learn a comfortable, effective hand position as well as playing techniques that get the best sound from your instrument.
Do I need to know how to read music?
The ability to read music is always an asset, but not a necessity when playing solo and by ear.
My child has shown an interest in playing the harp. What would be a good age to start?
No specific age but when the child is large enough to sit comfortably on a chair/stool with their feet on the floor, and can reach the strings .
What kind of harp should I get?
Lever harps (celtic harps) are usually less expensive as well as smaller and easier to transport than pedal harps. I recommend an instrument with a minimum of 29 - 30 strings that sits on the floor while you are on a chair or stool (or you can use risers for the harp).
Are you a harpoonist? (Yes it has been asked!)
I play the Celtic and Paraguayan harps and call myself a harpist or "harper".
Is that a real harp?
Harps come in all sounds, sizes and shapes. A Western harp constitutes a triangular frame with either an attached acoustic soundbox (as part of the frame) or with some electronic wizardry that can pick up the string vibration and be amplified elsewhere. Harps can vary from 6 to 48 strings when they have a single course (row) of strings. Double, triple and cross-strung harps can have over a hundred strings. Read more about these harps in harp history.
What are the different kinds of harp?
Many! Defined by:
Numbers of rows of strings: eg. single-course, double-strung, triple-strung (Welsh), cross-string
Types of strings - wire-strung, nylon-string (usually with wire only in bass), gut-strung
Mechanisms for semi-tones - eg. lev ers (lever harps), pedals (pedal harps), tacitos (paraguayan harps)
Ethnicity - eg. Kora of Africa, Koto of Japan, Valiha of Madagascar are all in the harp family.
Size - eg. lap harps, floor harps, troubadour harps, even huge wind harp (aeolian harps)
History - eg. medieval, baroque harps, arpa doppia of Italy, arpa de dos ordenes of Spain
Why are some of the strings coloured?
Coloured strings provide you with signposts for finding your way around the harp. On lever and pedal harps the red strings are C's and the black or blue strings are F's. On Paraguayan harps not so!
What are the strings made of?
Nylon, nylon wrapped on nylon, gut, carbon-fiber (synthetic gut), steel, bronze, brass, metal wound on silk, nylon wrapped on multi filament nylon.....etc.
Do you get sore fingers? Do you have calluses?
If my fingers get sore, it has usually started in my neck & shoulders and I need to take regular breaks as well as warm-up with stretching before I start playing. Calluses are very slight when playing on nylon or gut-strung harps, some wire harp players can develop significant calluses if they use their finger pads. Most wire harp players prefer to use their fingernails, hence have no significant calluses.
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What does a lever do?
Levers are devices for raising the pitch of a string by one semi-tone. This avoids re-tensioning the string to change a note. A lever effectively shortens a string by pinching it or deflecting it sideways by 1/18th of its length (just like a fret on a guitar does by pressing a finger). All wire-strung harps often have blades which deflect the string. Pedal harps have up to 1500 moving parts to accomplish pitch changes using pedals. This is a picture of the neck of a typical lever harp with: - black tuning pins at top with the string ends emerging - brass bridge pins below guiding the string line - black handle "loveland" levers below bridge pins |
What is a Celtic harp made of?
Harps are usually made out of hardwoods and sound or tone woods. The majority of woods used in harp are exotic woods that impart a particular sound or quality to the harp. In North America maple, sapele (like mahogany), cherry, walnut and bubinga are often used. The soundboard (where the strings come out of) is made of more a musical sounding tone wood, usually sitka spruce or cedar. The type of hardwood used for the soundbox will affect the sound of the harp. Maple tends to be brighter, Walnut is mellower, sapele balanced and cherry and bubinga sweet and defined. Laminates are essentially high quality plywoods made with hardwoods (ie: maple) and can sound very similar to a natural wood harp with the added benefit of increased durability and lower cost.
More FAQ
FAQ from Celtic Harper.com
FAQ from Hobgoblin Music
Harps are usually made out of hardwoods and sound or tone woods. The majority of woods used in harp are exotic woods that impart a particular sound or quality to the harp. In North America maple, sapele (like mahogany), cherry, walnut and bubinga are often used. The soundboard (where the strings come out of) is made of more a musical sounding tone wood, usually sitka spruce or cedar. The type of hardwood used for the soundbox will affect the sound of the harp. Maple tends to be brighter, Walnut is mellower, sapele balanced and cherry and bubinga sweet and defined. Laminates are essentially high quality plywoods made with hardwoods (ie: maple) and can sound very similar to a natural wood harp with the added benefit of increased durability and lower cost.
More FAQ
FAQ from Celtic Harper.com
FAQ from Hobgoblin Music