Harp Origins

Other than percussion, the harp or its variants are thought to be the oldest instruments known to man. The first harps most likely evolved from the hunter’s bow and had a single string. As the harp developed, more strings were added but it was still in the basic bow shape. The harp then evolved into an angle harp with a sound box for greater volume. These harps had a sound box with a cantilevered arm from which the strings were attached. Pictures from ancient Egypt often depict some of these early types of harps.

A big development was to add a column much like the harps of modern times, this column allowed for greater tension on the strings and more flexibility in design.

In the early centuries, the harp was one of the most popular instruments. However, eventually the harp became less popular as music became more complex and the many accidentals where difficult to manage on the harps of that day. Most harps of that period where diatonic (white keys on a piano) and therefore the more complex music was more suited to chromatic instruments (black and white piano keys).

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Types of Harp

There is no such thing as a "standard" harp and in making a come back, several types of harps evolved falling into several general categories.

The first category is to differentiate between harps with pedals and those without pedals and second is whether they are diatonic or chromatic. Compared to a piano, just the white keys is a diatonic instrument, whilst a chromatic instrument has both the white and black keys. The pedal harp much as we know it today, the cross-strung harp and triple strung where developed to enable the harpist to play music with accidentals. As a result of politics, the pedal harp became the harp of choice. The pedal harp allows the harpist to change a string between flat, natural or sharp by the use of a foot pedal, leaving the hands free to pluck the strings. Non pedal harps often have a system of semitone levers or blades, which allows the harpist to set the key at the beginning of a piece and to make minor changes during the piece. Since the hands are being used to pluck the strings, this restricts the amount of changes that can easily be made by moving semitone levers during the piece.

Briefly, other than pedal harps, types of other chromatic harps are as follows with the analogy of a piano to help describe them.

Cross strung where there are two rows of strings which cross from side to side. One row is tuned as the white keys and the other the black keys. The harpist by playing above or below the cross can play either the "white or black" keys. The double strung harp is similar and sometimes confused with the cross strung, but it is still diatonic. The double strung has two rows of strings that are parallel and both are tuned as the "white" keys. This allows for an overlap of notes and the capability to play the same note on either row of strings. The cross-strung harps have been around for several hundred years but are just now enjoying a come back in popularity.

Triple strung harps have 3 parallel rows of strings with each of the outer rows tuned to the "white" keys and the centre row to the "black" keys. To get a sharp or flat, the harpist reaches through the outer rows to pluck the required string.

There are also in line chromatic harps which have a single row, but in addition to the "white" keys, the "black’ keys are interspersed usually 11 strings per octave instead of 7.

The second broad category and very popular among harps is the non pedal diatonic harp, which is known variously as a Folk Harp, Celtic Harp, non pedal harp etc and is probably most accurately called a neo Celtic Harp. In addition to the "Celtic" shaped harps, these harps can also be made with a straight column that can resemble the look of a "concert harp" As mentioned above, these harps are often fitted with a system of levers that can raise each individual string by a semitone. As mentioned above, these harps are also occasional made with two parallel rows of strings called a double strung harp. There are small harps, designed to be held on your lap, called lap harps, and larger models called floor harps that are supported on the floor. Most people find a floor harp easier to play as it is supported on the floor as opposed to having to balance the harp on your lap.

Wire strung harps can be similar in style and shape but usually have closer string spacing and are traditionally played with the finger nails rather than the pads of the fingers. Metal strung harps tend to have strings the "ring".

With in this Category there is also Latin or Paraguayan styled harps (originally Spanish) which are light weight, the strings are usually closer together and designed to be played with the finger nails rather than the pads of the fingers. These harps traditionally have strings that go down through the centre of the neck rather than being suspended off to one side and are lightly strung.

In addition to the above variations, harps also come with many other variables. The number of strings can vary from about 19 to 47 strings, with even more for cross strung, double and triple strung harps. Different shapes, which are largely cosmetic, and sizes as well as different types of strings such as nylon, gut composite, wound, and various metals and combinations of these are all variables with harps.

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Tuning the Harp

Harps should be brought up to pitch gradually, in stages as the wood of the front needs to take up a slightly curved shape with the tension of the strings. First week tune up a tone and a half flat, then increase the tension a semitone at a time over the next week or so. Another useful tip when tuning is to first tune roughly to a diatonic scale, then get the Cs right, then go round in the circle of 5ths, first playing the Gs with the Cs, then the Ds with the Gs etc.

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Choosing a Harp

This all may sound overwhelming, but the following are some guidelines for selecting the correct harp for you. Obtaining advice from a harp teacher and/or harp builder is advisable.

        Type of harp
The type of music will definitely be a factor. For advanced classical music and jazz a pedal or chromatic harp (cross-strung or triple harp) will need to be given serious consideration. Most popular and Celtic or folk music is appropriate for a non-pedal harp. Latin and some early music lends it self to the Paraguayan styled harps. Levers can be added to most non-pedal harps to allow for playing in different keys and they can usually be added later as the harpist gets into more advanced music and budget allows, but check with your teacher and/or maker.

        Type of strings (See more detail below)
Nylon and their composite combinations are appropriate for most non-pedal harps to be used for popular and Celtic or folk music and the tension is usually lower. Gut strings generally are of higher tension and may be desired by those who are planning on a pedal harp in the future, as the tension will be simular. Wire strung harps have a different sound and are normally only found on "folk" harps, the style of playing metal strung harps is usually different in that the nails are usually used like with the Paraguayan style harps. Gut strings are much more expensive than nylon and have a shorter life span. Carbon fibre or synthetic gut strings are available and reportedly have a longer life than gut but most people do not think that they sound as warm as gut.

        Shape or styling
Other than for pedal harps, this is mostly a cosmetic consideration, some people prefer the straight round column found on pedal harps and others prefer the "Celtic" shape with a curved pillar. As to rounded or flat back, most people find the rounded back more comfortable to reach around and also prefer the look. The flat back by some theories could give a better sound quality, but I feel that in reality there are many factors that determine the sound quality and usually a well constructed light and strong rounded back sounds just as good or better. Staved back harps which are made from a number of flat surfaces are generally more comfortable to play than flat backed or square harps.

        Size of the person who will be playing the harp.
A common misconception is that a small harp is required for a small person and therefore people often think that a lap harp is the choice for a child. Many find that lap harps are harder for small people in that it is often difficult to balance one on a small lap or balance it on a stand. A floor harp is usually easier to use. Lap harps are mostly only appropriate if small size is needed for travelling or other reason, but not just because the person is smaller. However, a person’s arm length/physical shape and how far they can reach can be a factor in reaching base strings of a larger harp especially if the soundbox is wide.

With proper sitting height and posture even small people can play a large harp, (perhaps not reaching all the strings yet) even a pedal harp. So the size of the person is not a limiting factor in choosing a harp. Budget yes, size of the harper no.

        Type of timber
In a harp with a solid timber neck and column and a solid timber flat or staved back the timber can make a difference in the sound quality. However, almost all of the sound quality in a rounded back harp comes from the soundboard both from the timber used and the shaping that is done by the luthier (harp maker). Many pedal harps frames and structural elements are made from Northern Hemisphere maple and stained to various colours. So generally this choice of timber is mostly aesthetic given the physical restrains of strength, weight and stability. The exception is that harps made with a solid timber flat or staved sound box can be influenced by the type of timber and each type of timber has a slightly different characteristic sound wise. The soundboard is the heart of the harp and contributes most of the sound quality of a harp. Solid timbers called tone wood such as Northern Hemisphere Spruce and native timbers such as King Billy Pine can make very good sounding soundboards. Plywood soundboards are generally only used on cheaper harps and their sound quality is generally less. A solid tone wood harp will improve with use and age where as plywood soundboard one does not improve.

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Harp Strings Types & Information

It is important to know that most types of strings are not interchangeable and a harp is usually designed for a specific string type and gauge.  To vary this will most likely result in a sacrifice in sound quality or too much tension which cab damaging results.

Metal strung harps are in a class by themselves and I will not go into their strings other than to say strings can be steel, brass, bronze, silver or gold and most commonly brass or bronze.

The types of string materials used on folk and pedal harps can be summarized as:

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Sharpening Levers

The string chart that comes with each harp lists the size of each string and the correct sharping lever to install on that string. The following is a chart of the sharp and flat keys and the correct string on which to install a lever in order to get each one. Remember that a three octave harp, for example, will have three F strings and require a separate lever on each one.

Sharp Keys Key No. of Sharps Names of strings for lever placement C 0 G 1 F D 2 F C A 3 F C G E 4 F C G D B 5 F C G D A F# 6 F C G D A E C# 7 F C G D A E B

Flat Keys Key No. of Flats Names of strings for lever placement C 0 F 1 B Bb 2 B E Eb 3 B E A Ab 4 B E A D Db 5 B E A D G Gb 6 B E A D G C Cb 7 B E A D G C F