Greetings everyone.
I’m curious how many players of the wire strung harp are on the chiff. Our species numbers fewer than the California Condor and there is some alarm amongst conservationists. 
Cheers!!
CM
I play nylon, but my teacher is primarily a wire harper, and would like me to consider taking it on at some future date (she’s also teaching me some wire techniques, such as coupled hands, that are quite useful for the kind of music I like to play). I’d like to achieve some level of proficiency with my nylon harps first (since I’ve only been playing for about a year), but I may well consider taking on wire at some point down the road.
Redwolf
Hi, I just joined up today–this is the funniest website, bar none. Gave me some sorely needed laughs at lunch today.
I have a Triplett Avalon 26-string wire strung harp. It’s my first harp–I attempt to play hammered & mountain dulcimer & grew up playing piano. I just couldn’t resist the Avalon when I saw it at Melody’s Music in Houston. I’m going to devote some serious time to it soon–family considerations have diverted my attention lately.
Nice to know there are some other wire harpers out there.
hi
ya might try Bob Mouland aka http://www.wireharp.com/wireharp_002.htm
he’s on the board sometimes…
Sharon Devlin, My Mott (Dublin slang) twiged Jay Witcher (then living near Santa Rosa, now in Houlton, Maine)to the difference between a “REAL” Irish Harp and the nylon fishing lined ones.
This was circa 1972 or so, at the Ren-Faire at Novato, California.
Jay had his “Neo” harps lined up for sale and Sharon said,
“Too Bad their not Irish Harps”. Jay said, “What do you mean, not Irish Harps”? " Well they’re not strung with wire strings".
So Jay got a hold of the Armstrong Bible and got to work reproducing these Irish wire harps.
I bought her a Witcher O’fForgerty Harp in 1977, and in 1978, we got the
“Trinity College” model with all the poly-chroming and the jewelry.
She played it along side the oridginal Harp (The one on the Money and the Beer Bottles) when it was out “visiting” San Francisco, at the De Young Museum, for the “Treasures of Irish Art” exhibit.
We also had access to the “Sirr” harp ( later, Patrick Ball had one of these) and the “Lamont” harp.
I just have to say that the most STABLE harmonic curves were the Lamont and the O’fFogerty.
You’d tune it and the tuning would be fairly constant over several weeks.
We also experimented with different metals for the strings, such as Iron and phosphor Bronze (not recommended, it goes dead pretty fast).
We were taking our info from the Harpsichord builders, who are still experimenting with historic formulas to this day.
Sharon would do a lot to maintain her finger nails but in the end she came to rely on the artificial “Glue-ons”, cut pretty short: Note, they don’t have to be THAT LONG !
We did get a Rudiger Opperman “Gothic Harp” (also wire strung)
as a contrasting example of what harpers were playing on the continent,
at the same period in time, as the Trinity College Harp.
Sharon also plays an early pedal (single action) Harp made by J. Stumph when he was in London in the 1790s. The Erards carried on making Harps in London after Johann moved to Amsterdam and
Yes, Sharon uses Nylon Fishing Line on it,
instead of gut (gut is just too sensitive to the weather).
However, Sharon does use the finger nail technique on it,
instead of the Salsedo method.
The soft bell like tone of the wire strings, gently plucked with
the finger nails, is a sound to have in your life.
Speaking for myself, I’m glad I got to hear THAT SOUND in my life !
Keep up the Good Work you WIRE Harpers!
Sean Folsom