About the Instrument:
Most people will immediately recognize the sweeping sound of fingers pulling across harp strings. Angelic, with a sweet sound. But the harp will take time and dedication for coordination of fingers, hands, and feet working the pedals. Smaller ethnic harps developed all over the world in slightly different shapes at different times. The harp repertoire is truly global.
Purchase Price: $4,000-$30,000
Rental Price: $50-80.00 per month
How Loud Is It?: 70 dbl.
Difficulty Level: 7
Can the Sound be Muted?: No
Weight: 85 lbs., without case
Additional costs, What else you’ll need: Hard to gauge, but when it needs a repair, it will generally be expensive, from $2,000-7,000. I’ve been given an average of every five years.
Some kind of dolly to transport the harp. A big SUV doesn’t hurt either.
Scholarship Opportunities: Yes, but limited by the amount of scholarships compared to other Orchestral instruments.
Performing Opportunities: Ballet, Symphony, many different ethnic varieties: Celtic, South American, etc..
Related Instruments: All ethnic harps, anything with the strings perpendicular to the soundboard. Distant cousin to lyre, autoharp, piano, and harpsichord.
Pros: Beautiful in sound and looks, easy to switch between ethnic harps for different styles of music.
Cons: Expensive for a professional grade instrument. Fingers must build callouses. Hard to transport.
Why play the Harp? Click on the movie below.