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Harps
A harp is a multi-stringed musical instrument. The harp is believed to date back to 3500 BC. It was originally from the Mesopotamia area.
265 Questions
What where harp strings made of in bible times?
Yes- The harp is an instrument for which the hieroglyphs can be seen on the wall in certain monuments in Egypt. I would say that with the pyramids being over 5,000 years old that would make the harp a very old instrument as well.
Are there any unusual or special features about the harp?
The distinctive feature of the harp family, which sets harps apart from all other instruments, is the fact that the strings run perpendicular to (away from) the soundboard, rather than parallel to the soundboard.
Another unusual feature of harps is that the strings are tuned to a diatonic scale, and various mechanisms are used to change the length of the strings so that all the notes of the chromatic scale can be played.
Unlike most string instruments, harps have no frets or fingerboard.
It sounds like a guitar but it is more gentle and calm.It is also like a piano because it has high and low sound.
Why does the harp belong to the string instrument family?
A chordophone is any musical instrument which makes sounds by way of a vibrating string or strings stretched between 2 points.
A stringed instrument is any musical instrument that has a string.
How many strings do harps have?
The Strings
The harp has a set of strings of varying length, tension, and density. My large pedal harp has 47 strings. These strings correspond to the white keys on a piano. The black keys are not represented! (Their sounds are made by changing the pedals.) The strings corresponding to C are colored red, and the Fs are black or blue. All the other strings are white. The harp is tuned by adjusting the tension on each string (using a tuning key that turns a pin going through the neck) until the string's pitch matches the desired pitch.
Where was the first harp made?
wood bodies; usually have nylon, cat gut, and wire strings; in harp history there have been glass harps, but are dangerous and will kill you because of the sound waves dissrupt your nervous system or something....
What clef is harps written in?
Small harps (less than 26 strings) only have to read treble (G) clef.
Larger lever harps (27 to 38 strings) and pedal harps (40 to 48 strings) read the grand staff, just like a piano. Concert pedal harps have a range of six and a half octaves.
How many keys does a harp have?
Not sure what this question means...
A harp does not have keys like a keyboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers.
If you mean, "How many musical keys can you play on a harp", there are three answers:
- A pedal harp can play in all twelve keys.
- A lever harp with a full set of levers can play in eight keys without retuning.
- A harp with no levers can only play in one key without retuning.
Was the lyre invented before the harp?
the lyre was made 1400 BC
the harp was made 3000 BC
so the harp is older.
What is the age of this Lyon and Healy Harp serial 4185-C?
Lyon & Healy is best known as a harp maker, although it seems at least some time in the past they did produce a number of "white labeled" pianos - that is, pianos produced by a private company and labeled with the Lyon & Healy name. Unfortunately, serial number information isn't readily available online, though the Bluebook of Pianos does offer a free lookup service, if you're so inclined to inquire directly (see links for reference).
What was a medieval harp made of?
All European stringed instruments were made of locally-sourced hardwoods, not plywood like modern instruments. For a harp this involved laboriously carving a soundbox from a solid piece of hardwood and adding a frame and soundboard; the soundboard had to be carefully carved to an even paper-thin thickness from a solid plank of softwood such as pine.
Peg holes were drilled in the frame and wooden pegs fitted before the strings were attached. These would be made of twisted animal intestines (often from sheep) - an unpleasant and messy job. Welsh harps used horsehair for the strings.
The pieces of the harp would be glued together using very strong casein glue, derived from milk or cheese. This glue works very well if kept dry - so no instrument would ever be used outside in wet weather.
How many foot pedals does a harp have?
There are many different sizes and styles of harp. Typically the larger ones, like in a symphony orchestra, do have pedals while smaller ones do not. The pedals facilitate a wider range of notes than what you could get without them.
What part of a harp is the highest pitch?
You know how on a piano, middle C sounds like it's in between the low and high notes? Well, that's because it is. The notes below middle C have low pitched sounds just as the higher notes above middle C, become higher pitched.
Same goes for the harp. The high notes come from the strings above middle C. They're shorter and thinner so they sound higher and don't resonate as long.
What four things does a violin a cello a double bass a viola and a harp have in common?
All of these instruments have strings on them. However, the notes for these instruments are measured differently. The violin and double bass are measured in treble clef, viola is measured in alto clef and is the only instrument that does measure in alto clef, and the cello measures in bass clef.
There are plenty of how-to guides out there to help you out. Check the related links for a really great one from jaw harp guide.
How does a harp player tell the strings apart?
There are many ways to find out what the diameter of any musical instrument string is.
If you know how the harp is classed (classical pedal-harp, Irish Harp (usually requires the number of strings,) celtic floor-harp, etc.) then you can contact the maker of the harp, the maker of similar harps, or the maker of string sets for similar harps and ask.
You can also use a caliper or a micrometer with appropriate extensions to measure the diameter just like you would measure anything else using those tools. Since getting a good measurement requires some specialized knowledge and training, it might be advisable to seek out a machine shop where they will have the appropriate tools and experience with using them.
A note: if you want this information to buy a replacement string, it is possible to measure the strings on both sides, then buy a string with a diameter that is the mean of the measured strings. Also, when replacing strings it is important to know if the string set already on the harp is gut, nylon, which strings are wound and with what variety of materials, etc. A harp-maker can be of tremendous help here; you can find them online, and many of them are likely to be able to help you identify the string you need through email discussion.
How did the harp get its name?
It's a corruption of jaw harp, which is what some people still call it.
Who invented the musical instrument the harp?
The harp is written about in the Old Testament. King David played a harp. So the beginnings of the instrument date back for thousand of years. Almost every country and culture has harp in their history.
How many harps are normally used in the orchestra?
it usually depends on the type and size; Usually one, sometimes 2; I have played where I'm the only harpist, and other times where it is a harp enselmble or orcchrestra where everybody plays the harp.
What do you call people who play the harp?
Yes. Many people still play harp, so it's not a lost art yet. A good way to find harpists/ers is to Google search them in your area. For any Washingtonians who need a harpist, my email is: katherine.galvin@gmail.com
I've been playing for 8 years now, and I have a Triplett 22-string Lap Harp and a Blevins Encore 34, fully levered harp. We're working on the Concert harp. If you have any questions or need more info or would like recommendations of other harpists/ers, please don't be afraid to e-mail me. I'm always happy to help.
Yes, my email is: princess_sandra_2994@yahoo.com. You can e-mail me about any questions that you may have. I have been playing since I was in third grade, and I play in a few concerts every year, and I have played with a high school orchestra when I was in 8th grade.
The Musical Harp is about 6 feet from Floor to Top. Quite heavy as well...
