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Celtic Harp
A 22 string harp has a very similar range to a fiddle, and a much greater range than many instruments used in folk music, so it will allow you to play a vast number of tunes. The main limitation will be a lack of bass notes, so if you are particularly looking to play a bass accompaniment to your tunes you will definitely need a larger harp.
The number of levers on your harp dictates the number of keys you can easily play in. Some celtic harps only have a few levers, or none at all, and this means that you will have to retune the strings to play in a different key. The levers allow you to introduce accidentals without retuning the harp.
Larger harps give you a greater range and louder sound but on the down side they cost more and are more difficult to transport. A 22 string harp can easily be carried on your back like a ruck sack, but larger harps with 29 or 34 strings will need much more forward planning if you intend to travel with them.
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.
The Celtic Harp is almost unchanged since the 11th century. Some mediaeval harps had a very slim body, but the famous Brian Boru harp has the same shape as the harps we sell today. Early harps had bodies carved from solid wood, and brass strings, and were diatonic, only playing in one key. Nowadays it is usual to use a softwood soundboard, and gut or Nylon strings, and to change key, the pitch of each string can be adjusted with semitone levers. The concert harp was developed from the Celtic Harp, or Clarsach, and features increased tension on the strings, a greater range of notes, and pedal mechanisms.
There are many factors which should influence your decision on what harp to buy, in particular range and transportability.
A 22 string harp has a very similar range to a fiddle, and a much greater range than many instruments used in folk music, so it will allow you to play a vast number of tunes. The main limitation will be a lack of bass notes, so if you are particularly looking to play a bass accompaniment to your tunes you will definitely need a larger harp.
The number of levers on your harp dictates the number of keys you can easily play in. Some celtic harps only have a few levers, or none at all, and this means that you will have to retune the strings to play in a different key. The levers allow you to introduce accidentals without retuning the harp.
Larger harps give you a greater range and louder sound but on the down side they cost more and are more difficult to transport. A 22 string harp can easily be carried on your back like a ruck sack, but larger harps with 29 or 34 strings will need much more forward planning if you intend to travel with them.
Stoney End 22 string Eve Harp string chart
Stoney End 26 string Anne Harp string chart
Stoney End 29 string Lorraine Harp string chart
Stoney End 29 string Braunwen Harp string chart
The number of levers on your harp dictates the number of keys you can easily play in. Some celtic harps only have a few levers, or none at all, and this means that you will have to retune the strings to play in a different key. The levers allow you to introduce accidentals without retuning the harp.
Larger harps give you a greater range and louder sound but on the down side they cost more and are more difficult to transport. A 22 string harp can easily be carried on your back like a ruck sack, but larger harps with 29 or 34 strings will need much more forward planning if you intend to travel with them.
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.
History
Harp OriginsThe Celtic Harp is almost unchanged since the 11th century. Some mediaeval harps had a very slim body, but the famous Brian Boru harp has the same shape as the harps we sell today. Early harps had bodies carved from solid wood, and brass strings, and were diatonic, only playing in one key. Nowadays it is usual to use a softwood soundboard, and gut or Nylon strings, and to change key, the pitch of each string can be adjusted with semitone levers. The concert harp was developed from the Celtic Harp, or Clarsach, and features increased tension on the strings, a greater range of notes, and pedal mechanisms.
Choosing
Choosing a HarpThere are many factors which should influence your decision on what harp to buy, in particular range and transportability.
A 22 string harp has a very similar range to a fiddle, and a much greater range than many instruments used in folk music, so it will allow you to play a vast number of tunes. The main limitation will be a lack of bass notes, so if you are particularly looking to play a bass accompaniment to your tunes you will definitely need a larger harp.
The number of levers on your harp dictates the number of keys you can easily play in. Some celtic harps only have a few levers, or none at all, and this means that you will have to retune the strings to play in a different key. The levers allow you to introduce accidentals without retuning the harp.
Larger harps give you a greater range and louder sound but on the down side they cost more and are more difficult to transport. A 22 string harp can easily be carried on your back like a ruck sack, but larger harps with 29 or 34 strings will need much more forward planning if you intend to travel with them.
Tunings and Fingerings
Stoney End 16 string Wee Bonnie Harp string chartStoney End 22 string Eve Harp string chart
Stoney End 26 string Anne Harp string chart
Stoney End 29 string Lorraine Harp string chart
Stoney End 29 string Braunwen Harp string chart