-
squeeky noises when I pull the strings
I am new to playing the harp and I have a medieval stile lap harp with gut strings. When I pull the strings, it often makes a squeaky noise while my fingers slip over the string before I release it. Is this normal or do I do something wrong? How can I prevent that from happening? Thanks
-
5 Replies
-
I had that problem with my Lyon & Healy Drake harp when I got it. I already had 2 other harps and no strange sound with them. I found out that it’s only making that noise when my hands/ fingers are too dry. Using hand cream before playing solved the problem.
-
Oh great, I noticed that it is not allways there but did not know why. Thanks a lot, I will try that.
-
Suggestion…strings are sensitive to oils and dirt on our hands. I would hold off playing until the hand treatment has settled in and I personally would wash my hands prior. The other reason you may hear a “squeaky” sound is due to your finger placement. Do you tend to slide down the string instead of placing directly on the string? That too can be corrected with practice. I had to work on that technique because when one doesn’t place directly on the strings and takes time to slide to get into position not only do you get unwanted sounds but it also slows down the placement/playing especially when one advances in difficulty. It is always more time consuming to correct our old habit.
-
Thank you, that makes sense. I do often slide a little bit after placing the fingers.
-
-
-
-
I have the same problem too every so often with the gut strings on my pedal harp. Washing my hands with water tends to help.
Log in to reply.