I hope that you didn't loose too much money on that harp! How
sensitive are harps to the age, type and finish of the wood used in
them?
Hi Toby, Sorry for the long delay in answering your question.
I lost no money on the broken harp, as I inherited it from my stepfather. It
was my very first harp, and when I got it I didn't know I'd enjoy playing it
so much, so when it died I had to replace it.
It is my understanding that harps, particularly the wire-strung variety which
I play, are very sensitive to age. They are in a continual state of collapse.
Some last longer than others. I heard a maker say once that if a wire harp
lasts 75 years you've got a great instrument.
Wood type is crucial for the sound and strength of a clarsach. It has to be a
hard wood. My harps (that aren't broken) are made out of Scottish Sycamore
and Maine Beech and Maple. The sycamore has an incredible voice, but it's a
lap harp and I'm not sure how much of that is the wood or the size of the
harp. But I can fill a pub with it's sound! It also has a soundbox carved
from a single piece of wood, and the harp maker insisted that makes a
difference in the sound as well.
And with soundboards approaching the thickness of half an inch or more, I'm
not too worried about them cracking. My first harp, the one in the basement,
had a soundboard about an eighth of an inch thick. No sooner would the maker
of that harp replace one soundboard than a new crack would start. I suggested
to him, the last time, that he thicken it but he refused. That was about six
months before his life ended.
I'm thinking of putting that harp in a consignment shop as a decorative
piece. Maybe I could get 20 bucks for it, eh?
--Cynthia Cathcart
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