The harp is one of the world's most recognizable instruments. It is also one of the oldest instruments in the world with a history dating back over 15,000 years; probably inspired by the sound of a hunter's bowstring. Virtually every culture has created a harp; played in the same mechanical way, with fingers and thumbs, and with the vibrations amplified through a wooden or ceramic sound box.

Strings

Strings evolved over time. Plant fibers were used in the ancient world; twisted and knotted in certain spots to create different notes. Early Irish harps used bronze or brass wire, and were plucked by the musician's elongated fingernails.

Eventually, gut and nylon created a less-expensive way of manufacturing harps. The sound is different. Wire harps have a bell-like quality with long sustains while nylon and gut harps have warmer tones and less sustain time. Either method is fine, but the musician has to choose between playing nylon/gut with the pads of the fingers vs. playing with the fingernails on the wire strings.

Lever Harp

Harp was featured as ornamentation in classical music because it was limited in range. Eventually, a series of cables, gears and pedals replaced the levers so the harp could not only have a greater range, but the pitch and keys could be changed with the simple press of a lever that looked similar to the pedals on a piano. This was helpful in allowing the classical harp to participate with the rest of the orchestra.

This invention separated the instruments into two kinds of harps, lever and pedal. Pedal harps are associated more with classical music than lever harps. Lever harps are more associated with folk music.

The sharps and flats are created with a lever attached on each string. The lifting or lowering of the lever changes the pitch on the string by one-half step, creating sharps and flats as needed. I can create virtually any key I want so I can play with other musicians who may prefer one key over another.

Lever harps are considerably smaller than pedal harps. Both are beautiful, equal in popularity, and provide wonderful music as a solo piece or part of an ensemble.

My Harps

I play a Noteworthy instrument (upper-right photo). This is shaped like the historical "Clark" Irish harp. It is walnut, very light, but a good sound for home performances. It is a carry-along kind of harp. I use it a lot for ritual work, home practice, or one-one-one therapeutic harp in a small setting.

For fancier gigs, I play a "Merlin" 35-string harp created by R-Harps in Colorado. The bass is rich and full; the mid-range is perfect for the kind of music I play; the weight is lighter than most 36 string harps but it sounds as big as a classical in certain rooms. This harp is fitted with a pick-up system that plugs straight in to an amplifier.