Can anyone point me in the right direction to build a harp???

[Sean Walsh]

My wife can play a harp like an angel. However she does not have a harp worthy of her angelic songs...does anyone out there have a direction to point me in to craft an incredible harp???

I am a pretty accomplished woodworker, but I do not want to spend countless hours building something that sounds terrible.

THANKS!!!

[Caspar Hauser]

The dismal nordic experiments of '73 and the sinister events of '79 not withstanding I've never built a harp or indeed any musical instrument, sheer curiosity however had me bookmark these pages.

Hopefully they may prove to be of some use.

http://www.sligoharps.com/btlh.html

http://www.mandolinluthier.com/celtic_harp_construction.htm

This site, http://www.siegelproductions.ca/fiddlefarmers/unusualinstruments.html, is perhaps only tangentially relevant, but I find it interesting.


C

[Sean Walsh]

Thanks Caspar! I will take a look at those sites...

[Sean Walsh]

Great resources, thanks Caspar

[Ernie Miller]

My wife can play a harp like an angel. However she does not have a harp worthy of her angelic songs...does anyone out there have a direction to point me in to craft an incredible harp???

I am a pretty accomplished woodworker, but I do not want to spend countless hours building something that sounds terrible.

THANKS!!!

A fellow from West Virginia wrote me asking for help in building a harpsichord. Turns out he is a harp builder and has been building them for years. You might want to sent him an email. Perhaps he can lead you in the right direction. I don't want to put his email out in public without his permission, but drop me a PM and I'll give it to you.

Ernie

[Sean Walsh]

Thanks Ernie, will do...

[Charles McKinley]

Marini Made Harps dot com

They are in Lancaster, PA. They look and sound Beautuful! He has a full range of sizes as well.

No affilation. I just leave a puddle of drool on the floor infront of his booth at the homeschool convention each year.

[Russell Sansom]

Technically, a harp isn't as demanding as some other instruments. Everything is right out in the open. It's fairly simple to build a couple prototypes, recycle, and do it again until you figure out where "good sound" comes from in a harp and where the technical puzzles are hidden. You can pretty much measure a harp you like and just copy it. There isn't too much hidden detail. It's been years since I've built a "harp" harp, but these are the notes stuck in my head. If someone feels differently, I'd enjoy hearing their point of view.
Russ

[don wiggins]

I stumbled across this looking for something else and remembered your post. http://www.harpmall.com/harp_kits_&_plans.htm

[William Polk]

My wife can play a harp like an angel. However she does not have a harp worthy of her angelic songs...does anyone out there have a direction to point me in to craft an incredible harp???

I am a pretty accomplished woodworker, but I do not want to spend countless hours building something that sounds terrible.

THANKS!!!

Hi Sean,

How is the harp building going? Sorry I came to this thread late but thought I would put in my 2 cents... That link to Sligo harp shop is where I started about 5 years ago. I've now built a couple dozen and I'm still going. The heart of a good sounding harp is in the string set (length, mass, material, etc...) and the string rib/soundboard. Rick Kemper provides a nice introduction to doing string calculations (so you can get a string set defined) and then his building guide will give a starting point for the dimensions of the rib and soundboard. Unfortunately experience/experimentation has to take over from there. My first few were descent (and sold!) but I think I'm just now getting them real good. If you don't have time for experience/experimentation I'd get some plans. I'd be glad to chat about any questions you may have. check my website www.serenityharps.com (http://www.serenityharps.com)