The harp is a fascinating instrument. It is not only beautiful to look at but the sounds that come from it are very special. Most people never get the opportunity to get close enough to a harp to really examine it. It is interesting to note that if a child of 3 or 4 years of age should pluck on the strings without knowing a thing about it, beautiful sounds will emanate from it. If you are watching a harpist from a distance, you will think that only the harpist’s hands are doing most of the work….not true. The harpist’s feet are working very hard.
A Simple Description of the Harp
The concert harp has 47 strings and 7 pedals. Each pedal can be set in 3 possible positions: top, middle or bottom. The non-musician will understand the workings of the harp by comparing it to a piano. Most people are aware that the piano has white and black keys. If you set the pedals on the harp in the middle position, then the strings on the harp will work the same as the white notes on the piano. Probably one might notice that there are a few colored strings on the harp. The red colored keys are all “C”s. The black colored strings are all “F”s.
The Seven Pedals
The pianist will be surprised at how interesting it is to play the harp in different keys. Assume a piece of music has 7 flats in it. The harpist sets all seven pedals into the top position (makes all seven strings flat) and is ready to play the music as though there are no flats in it. (Key of C) A pianist would have to consistently be thinking of all seven flats as he or she is playing the music and would have to play all those black keys that represent the seven flats. If you come across a piece of music with only one flat in it, you can set the harp before you play it. As a pianist – wow – this is easy. No thinking of B flat as you play. You end up playing the piece in the key of C.
The Advanced Harpist Has To Constantly Think about the Pedals
This simple explanation of the harp doesn’t really represent the real problems that the harpist has. Accidentals appear in the music (a sharp or flat that occurs in a piece that doesn’t consistently show up). When you see a sharp or flat suddenly in the written music, the harpist must adjust the pedals as necessary. If there is a flat, the pedal must be moved up and if there is a sharp, the pedal must be moved to the bottom. The harpist must remember where the pedals are at all times as he or she is playing a piece of music.
Just a small discussion about the pedals. There is a pedal for each of the seven notes on the harp. The “D” pedal can be moved to the flat position(up), the neutral position (middle) or the sharp position (bottom). Each note has it’s own pedal. When you move the D pedal to the flat position, all the Ds on the harp will now be in flat. This is true of all seven notes in music.
Sources: Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Waldo Pratt, Editor, The Macmillan Co., 1949
Affairs of the Harp, Samuel Pratt, Charles Colin, 1964
Raymond Spungin - I have analyzed the New York City metropolitan area for 33 years professionally. I was the author of many widely - read economic reports. ...
Join the Conversation