looking for the mellowest budget harp

[Patti]

thanks for the recommendation, titia.stultitia! i’ve already emailed them to ask for the price shipped to my zip code.

may i ask why you suggest a double strung fireside harp instead of single? i admit, i am very excited by the idea of a double strung harp (!), so i’m wondering whether it’s got a mellower sound than the regular fireside harp or if you suggested it due to its opportunities. i already watched molly’s video with this harp, and it has a soft, lovely sound. .

[Lydia La]

Hi Patti, I own a single-strung fireside, and the sound is so nice and sweet – I always call it my little music box. I’ve uploaded some recordings with it on my YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_pbzurxpVorXvcXK_ulUUA
Maybe you listened also to the impro of Kate Wilde on her fireside? ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_YJ0o-8VQQ ) She did some editing, but I think it still reflects the caracteristics of the sound quite well.
But 22 strings are a quite small range, and you can’t play so many pieces on it, unless you adapt them. So a double strung seems to better in that way. I myself want to buy a double strung fireside, but adapt it so that it will have different octaves on each side. I guess the fireside double strung will be the only which can stand the difference in the tension of each string row, I have talked already to Dave of Backyard Music about my plans, and he told me where there could be difficulties and where I have to change the material then – but at the moment, after just having purchased another harp, this plan has to wait…

[Patti]

thank you 🙂

[Judiann]

@titia.stultitia Thanks for sharing this video from Laurie Riley. It was fascinating to watch someone with that level of skill demonstrate the possibilities of a double strung harp.