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How often do you replace the strings of your harps?
Hi! I have been reading in the internet about the question when is it time to put new strings on the harp. Some say just replace the ones that break others say replace them every year, every two, three,or seven years. I find it confusing and don’t know what I should do. I have gut strings that are likely 6 or 7 years old and I will replace them most likely by silkgut strings.
So I am interessted to learn what you do.
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9 Replies
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Replacement depends on several factors:
how often do you play the instrument,
the type of strings (gut, nylon, metal, etc.),
are you a professional player or not, etc.
Here are some interesting aspects on this topic (translated from this homepage (in German)):
(www.klangwerkstatt.de/wann-muss-man-harfensaiten-wechseln):
Harp strings do not get better with age and must be replaced at some point. And not only when they are broken.
Due to the constant vibrations, strings slowly but surely lose their elasticity. They become slack. This does not mean the actual tension, which is always tightened to the correct tone with the tuning key, but rather their vibration properties.
In addition, the strings become worn and thinner when plucked. Since you pluck the string most often in the middle, this is where it gets thinner the fastest. As a result, it loses weight and at some point no longer vibrates cleanly and beautifully. Of course, this changes the sound characteristic. Often the tuner no longer shows a clear tone, but jumps wildly back and forth.
Check whether a string needs to be replaced:
Especially with the long wound strings, you can clearly see if the string needs to be replaced if you pluck it in the lower third and then observe the vibration behaviour of the string. But also with the short strings you can see the same phenomena by looking and listening carefully.
If the string is still good, it will vibrate evenly to the right and left, with the vibration deflection being strongest in the middle of the string.
If the string is used up and worn, it does not form a symmetrical vibration pattern that slowly narrows until the string is steady again, but the vibration pattern is fluttering and out of round. The sound “wobbles” in your ear.
Then you should replace the strings.
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and some more information:
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Thank you very much, Markus, for all the effort you put in to answer my question.
Both the written information and Josh Layne’s video are very interessting and helpful.
But I have to admit that I couldn’t see my strings vibrating. It went to fast for my eyes.
Maybe with a dark background.
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What Markus said in his post and what Josh said in his video. 🙂
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😀💐
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Hi Helga,
I understand very much what you meant with the seeing of it…..I can tell, how I do it:
– when it takes ‘long’ until the pitch is right (vibrates)
– when I feel the sound is somhow a bit strange/weird, even the pitch is right (I do recognize it, when I play a piece well known and the pitch is correct….
– and of course when it breaks
– and YES I have some strings on stock, because I get nerved, when stopped in the middle of playing
I hope, that helps you in your mind finding🍀🎵
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Thank you, Anita!
I guess I haven’t had really bad, old strings yet🙂. Of course I had some broken strings before, but that’s something different. New strings can break as well.
But I did it. I changed all my gutstrings. One reason, they were old and the second I was curious what my harp would sound like with silkgut strings. So over the weekend I replaced 19teen gutstrings. Taking them off I noticed that some of them looked fairly worne out at the point where the leavers touch the string. I guess that they wouldn’t have had a much longer lifetime.
At the moment I still have to do a lot of tuning and not so much playing but the first impression I got was that my harp sounds louder now and maybe a bit brighter.
Once it holds the tune for longer I will do a recording and compare it with an recording I did before the change. With the much more expensive metal wound strings I will wait till they break or I notice one of the symptoms above.
The good thing with the new strings is that more then half of them have been long enough so I can use them for replacement if I had a broken string.
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Oh, Helga, that sounds beautiful!! I had a harp with silkgut strings…and Yes, I think they sound louder. But on my small celtic harp (27 strings) I use only natural gut and nylon guts. So, I have a warm sound and because my harp is made of cherrywood and the soundboard is made of alpine spruce (Wood from Switzerland, Harpmaker). This soundboard gives a very bright tone. When I am finished some other few new songs from CL-Video Lessons, I will load up here…
I am eager to hear your harp comparsion and wish you all the best💞🎵
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Thanks! 😀
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