It’s been that kind of week - Six (or so) elements of Harp Care

Ok, it’s probably more like two weeks, but it sure feels like it’s all happened in a week.  Two subscriber emails that didn’t quite work the way I wanted.  And a surprise trip that sort of skewed the entire week toward the weird.  And then, on top of everything else, six broken strings on three harps!  SIX!

This is especially perplexing because I don’t think over my entire harp life, over all of my too many harps, I’ve had this many broken strings – total!  (ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but not much of one).

I’m pretty sure I know why it’s happened – 

There are other things you can do, and I’d love to hear what you do as part of your regular harp maintenance – let me know in the comments below!

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It’s St. Valentine’s Day – show your harp some love!

You would think, for as much as we have a fondness for our instruments, that we would treat them extra specially.  But sometimes, like so many other things we love, we may overlook basic maintenance, neglect derived from the familiarity that comes with daily use of our favorite tool.

Since you want it to last you forever (or at least until you fall in love with a different harp), a little maintenance will go a long way to making you happy, make your harp sound it’s best and to make it a keeper (or ready to sell on, if you do fall in love with a new, different harp).  Regular maintenance will keep your harp in good health for a long time. 

Your harp is a system – all the parts work together to make a beautiful instrument.  If you are not going to treat it as a whole entity, you might as well buy one of those well carved HSO's (Harp Shaped Objects) from an airline shopping catalog.  Regular maintenance will assure that your harp stays strong and sounds good.  That will allow you to enjoy its aesthetics – sound, feel, and look.  The major parts of your system are the Strings, the body of the harp and the articulators.  Since most of you are lever harpers, I’ll focus on that here.  If you are a pedaler and would like equal time, send me a comment and I will be happy to oblige!

1. Strings – are the highest maintenance element of your harp.  Take care of them – they give your harp it’s characteristic sound - you know, the sound you fell in love with at first.  But maintaining the strings will also make your life easier – everyday.
• Tune your harp - DAILY.  All of it.  A-L-L of the strings.  DO NOT, as one person once told me, only tune the ones you’re going to use (yes, someone did tell me that one time – I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry).  If you have had to replace a string, tune multiple times a day until the string settles.  How will you know the string has settled?  It won’t need to be tuned multiple times a day!  Tuning has two other potential purposes or benefits.  First, it gives you a chance to really look at your strings to be sure they are in good repair (and don’t need to be replaced) and second, tuning can be a type of meditation in which you are breathing and really focusing on the harp itself and its overall condition.
• Wash your hands!  No matter the material from which your strings are made – wash your hands!  You will get stuff on the strings – skin oil, cookie crumbs, brownie frosting, mayonnaise, cat hair – it will get on the strings.  Did I mention – WASH YOUR HANDS!  (Caveat – be especially vigilant if you enjoy encouraging potential players to give your instrument a go – I once had a delightful pre-K’er get strawberry jam all over the strings of my little harp before I could stop her.  I didn’t think I’d ever get it all off my wound strings!) 
•  Annually (or thereabouts) – hopefully you listen to your harp while you’re playing it and will hear when the strings have seen better days.  They get “thuddy” – they don’t ring true.  They may also refuse to stay in tune. How frequently you need to replace your strings depends on a number of things including how much you play, how you play, and how much money you have.  A full set of strings can be pricey, so factor that into your budget.  A full set of replacement strings for my Dusty 36 would run about $170 (and if I liked gut, that would rise to $400) so plan ahead. When you do replace your strings – remember that you need one set to install and an additional full set so you'll have spares for potential breakage.  You should know how to change strings on your harp (for when they break), but you can also pay someone else to do the restringing for you. Many luthiers offer this service for a charge.  However, like many other chores, restringing can take on a rhythm which makes it, if not fun, at least not unpleasant.  
2. The Body - Protecting your harp
• Protecting the glue – don’t leave your harp in the car in warmer weather.  Some take this to the extreme of never leave your harp in the car, but that can be a little bit unrealistic.  However, when the weather warms up, just like an infant or a dog, you can’t leave your harp in the car when the inside will warm up rapidly and to a high temperature.  At these higher temperatures, the glue will soften and, with the tension on the harp, it may loosen or at worst, come completely apart…at some time (maybe not right away!).  By the same token, protect your harp from harsh sunlight and away from windows.  Also keep it away from fireplaces or other heat sources!
• Protecting the finish.  All harps have some sort of finish.  Each manufacturer uses their preferred method.  You should check with the manufacturer before attempting to clean the surface with any type of cleaning product.  You can, however, dust your harp regularly with a dry microfiber cloth, or a “Swiffer” type duster (do not use the plastic handle/holder – just keep the duster in your hand).  While dusting, be sure you get the surfaces and anywhere dust can easily collect (like the tops of grommets, between the bridge pins and the arm, inside any frippery/scroll work), and where the column meets the base of the soundboard.  DO NOT use anything wet (unless directed by the manufacturer).  Whatever you do – definitely don’t use Pledge or other furniture polish – it’s your harp, not furniture!  By the same token, do not leave your harp in the car when it is very cold.  The cold will not damage the glue but may damage the finish.  
• Protecting the harp from falling.  Harps seem really big and imposing (especially when you’re carrying them any distance) – until they are not.  Make sure your harp is not in physical danger.  Because they are larger on the top than on the bottom, harps may easily fall over - and some harps are more prone to falling that others.  It is a sickening feeling to hear a harp falling and becoming damaged.  Consider stowing the harp in a corner or other protected space (this is essential if you have rambunctious cats, dogs, or small children).  Don’t storing it in its case – because unpacking it becomes a chore that gets in the way of easily practicing.  
• Protecting the wood – Humidity.  Harps are made from wood (most of them).  Wood is from trees – living things.  So, just like other natural materials, your harp will be impacted by the humidity – swelling when the air is moist and contracting when it is dry.  Dry is the big problem.  Just like it is bad for your skin (think of the ashy flaking of dry winters!) it can be too dry for your harp (you can’t smear moisturizer on your harp!).  Try to keep the air about 45% (this can be very difficult when the heat is on).  You can use an inexpensive hygrometer to monitor the humidity in your home studio.  You can run a humidifier or use a fountain (which is not very efficient for humidifying the air but does a little – and looks nice) to help keep the dryness at bay.
• Transportation.  Moving your harp can be tricky.  Simply leaving your house, putting the harp in the car, controlling the air in the car, then arriving somewhere else to play – you’ve gone through at least 3 microclimates all playing havoc with not only the wood but also the strings!  Just plan for that as you time out your transportation to your event.  While in the car, keep the harp in the case and assure that it is stowed with the levers not constrained (either on its side with levers on top or upright on it’s back with the levers protected (so the harp doesn’t fall over and break levers).  
3. Articulators (Levers!) Required Maintenance.  The upside is that your levers shouldn’t need too much maintenance.  However, sometimes they will need to be regulated.  Regulation is the name for the activity of adjusting the levers to calibrate the pitches of the strings when the levers are engaged.  I’d suggest doing this when it needs it.  "When it needs it" will be impacted by how you play, how much you play, and your harp itself.  You’ll know your harp is out of regulation when, after you tune it, you set the levers and it plays out of tune.  You can regulate your harp yourself, but unless you have the patience of Job and you know what you’re doing, I would strongly recommend you take it to your luthier!  It’s totally worth the cost to not pull out your own hair, or continuously move the levers in the wrong direction or too much or too little.  Just take it – it’s worth the peace of mind to let someone who knows what they’re doing take care of it! (but if you really want to do this yourself, there are instructions on line).  You should also check your levers while tuning or playing to see (inspect really) any cracks, breaks, or other flaws that may become obvious with use over time.

If you have multiple harps – not only do you want to do all the above for each of them, but you also need to make sure you cycle through your harps.  Play and practice on each of them.  This assures that you are tuning them regularly, keeping an eye on them, monitoring the strings, and enjoying each of them.  Be sure to rotate through them – and to really revel in the differences between them [there may also be a benefit from changing from harp to harp in terms of being more comfortable with the variations between them which might make you more confident when playing someone else's harp or when on stage!].

I’m sure there are other ways to show your harp some love this Valentine’s day – and every other day – leave me a comment and let me know what you do!  And happy Valentine’s Day! 

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Planning for everything

Recently, a harp friend died.  This was a tragedy as she was a lovely person and a very good harp player. I had known her almost all of my harp life.  

 

Not long after that, her family wanted to move on and part of that was to assure that her harps went to good homes.  And so I was fortunate to be able to help the family in finding each harp a new loving home.  But it got me to thinking.

It was very difficult for the family – it’s a difficult time as it is, but having to figure out how to move these harps along was just another burden for them.  Because we love our harps and our harp friends/family so much, we may forget that to our “real” family isn’t as plugged in to our harp world.  They don’t know how we communicate, how to “shift” a harp, where to go for help, how to move on.

In addition, while our families might try to meet all our wishes, we may not have shared what we would like to happen to our harps (and their assorted detritus!).  You may want to be sure that your harps go to a chosen friend or you might want them embedded in a local organization’s harp rental program, or you might want your local (or favorite) school to receive your bounty.  But if you don’t tell anyone, no one will know.  Be specific – remember that it is likely a loving, non-harper will have to attempt to do what you want, so guidance from you would be a big help!

Therefore it is important to document and share your harp wishes with your family.  Think about (and plan for) where you’d like all your harps to find a new place when you will no longer need it. If you will donate to an organization – be sure that the organization knows it will eventually receive your bounty.  Be as lovely and generous as you always have been and others will appreciate your kindness. 

The Dr is in

Last week we talked about the environment you can set to help assure your harp’s health so this week let’s talk about getting your harp to the Harp Doctor – your luthier. You want to keep your Harp healthy after all!

While many harp maintenance tasks can be performed at home, I prefer to take my harp to my local luthier* just to be sure I don’t break anything!  What do you mean you don’t have a luthier?!? 

There are some standard maintenance items you should take care of annually – regulation and restringing.  Regulation is the practice of calibrating your levers so that, when engaged, they raise the pitch of the string one half tone.  Not about a half, not, like a half, not halfish, but a true half tone.  This assures that when you tune and when you play you get the tones you expected and desire. Regulation is a delightful and desirable thing because after you spend all that time tuning, it’s nice to set the levers and be in tune still! But I ask my luthier to do it because regulation is a fiddly business and I don’t have the patience to get it right**.

Restringing is needed because your strings will get dull with age and wear.  You might have a hard time hearing it because you play on them every day. Sometimes the string will let you know it’s time, refusing to hit or hold a pitch for very long or sounding "thuddy".  Its as if it is saying, “I’m soooooo tired, I just can’t hold this pitch any longer.” Restringing is not difficult but it is time consuming and can be hard on the hands.  Your luthier can do this for you (for a well-deserved price) or you can do it yourself.

 

Now annually might be a bit of a convention because how often you need to restring or regulate is a function of many things including how much your play your harp, how hard you are on it, how much it travels, how often you tune, and the harp itself.  Use “annual” as an estimate. Keep an eye and an ear on your harp and perform maintenance as needed.

So, take your harp to the Harp Doctor for regular checkups to keep it harp healthy!

*my local luthier is Rick Kemper (http://www.sligoharps.com/misc) and he does excellent work. There are other great luthiers throughout the country and there is likely one near to you - let me know who works on your harp and we'll give them a shout out here too.

** knowing yourself is important in this - I am not patient, nor do I do well with tedious, repetitious, fine work.  If you are good at this sort of thing (clock repair, zymurgy, or other fine work) you'd probably do a good job.  I'm not like that!