Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Newindian on December 20, 2017, 12:40:13 am
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I don’t know if y’all remember me, I’m an engineering student these days and haven’t had much time for personal projects. I once made a harp for a school project that was crap but was good enough for me to learn to play, since then I’ve decided to work on improving my instrument building . This is a harp I made for practice started about a year and a half ago, 33 strings 920lbs tension, pretty much made out of what you can get out of your local Lowe’s/homedepot. Harping build sure is more strict than bows.
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Very nice newindian, I'm sure Marc will be interested. He has built several he has post right here.
Bjrogg
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That is a heck of a project. Beautiful looking.
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Very cool.. Says the guy that can't barely play the radio :o
Thanks Leroy
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Congratulations! I don't have the talent, skills, or tools and space to make a harp! My harp was made by a friend who does and wanted to make a prototype, so I had him set it up for a left handed player, similar to a wire strung type. I also have a "travel" model I am renting. What type music do you play? I am more into Celtic, and traditional folk music. What sort of stand do you have on yours!
Good luck with the engineering program!
Hawkdancer
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That is beautiful work.
WA
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Very nice! It must take a lot of patience and persistence. )W( :BB ;D
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Very nice. For a 33 string you must have a couple wound strings on there. You should try and post a bigger picture so we can have a better look at it
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Beautiful work
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Congratulations! I don't have the talent, skills, or tools and space to make a harp! My harp was made by a friend who does and wanted to make a prototype, so I had him set it up for a left handed player, similar to a wire strung type. I also have a "travel" model I am renting. What type music do you play? I am more into Celtic, and traditional folk music. What sort of stand do you have on yours!
Good luck with the engineering program!
Hawkdancer
I really only play what I make up myself, if I get the money to buy levers I’ll probably find something more formal. I still need to make a stand for it (which it needs rather desperately, if not just to make it less top heavy)
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Very nice. For a 33 string you must have a couple wound strings on there. You should try and post a bigger picture so we can have a better look at it
I’ll get some up soon. It’s actually all nylon, the last four are 250lb and 300lb (1.6mm and 1.8mm) mono leader material ( cheaper than the proper stuff, sounds the same, a little softer feel), last one is 60in long I think, an f2. If you try to it’s not hard to get the last few strings to hit each other but it doesn’t in regular play. I figured wound strings were an expense and headache I didn’t want for this practice harp. I do plan on using them for future ones, hopefully can hit a couple deeper notes.
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You may notice that the shell is tiny, 8” across the bottom, when I first cut my staves for my practice harp and lined them up it turned out that the saw’s indicated angle was off by quite a lot, but lucky it worked out that I just had to cut out a couple staves and I could still get a shell (thus I ended up with a practice practice harp)
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A little note on scale, I’m 5’11”, the top of the shell sits at my hip when I stand by it and the top of the neck sits around my forehead.
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,
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Question from an Old Guitar player - how are those Harps to tune ? Bob
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I know nothing about Harps but that look likes very nice work to me. ;) :)
Pappy
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Question from an Old Guitar player - how are those Harps to tune ? Bob
Takes a bit of time and a quiet spot, since this one is new it’s still settling a lot so it doesn’t hold too well yet, They bending/pressure the strings put on the neck and soundboard is noticeable in tuning, but unless several or more strings are off by a note or so it’s not a big deal
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For us old guys who can't hear, just hook up the electronic tuner and gently turn the key until the string is in tune. One string, one note! Adding levers allows you to sharpen that string.
Newindian, I will be glad to make some copies of some of the music I have and mail them out to you. But I like original music, too. What I have is mostly Celtic and traditional, with some folk songs mixed in.
Hawkdancer
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For us old guys who can't hear, just hook up the electronic tuner and gently turn the key until the string is in tune. One string, one note! Adding levers allows you to sharpen that string.
Newindian, I will be glad to make some copies of some of the music I have and mail them out to you. But I like original music, too. What I have is mostly Celtic and traditional, with some folk songs mixed in.
Hawkdancer
I’d appreciate it but I can’t read music
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Looks pretty good. Your sound box looks like it might have been a bit hard to make. What did you use for the soundboard? One thing about a new harp is the strings will stretch for quite a while before they settle in
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The sound board is some cheap veneered three ply I got from homedepot years ago. I’d made two tapered sound boards a while back, one Douglas fir the other sika spruce, for other harps but we had some dry air move in right after some wet weather and they cracked up all to hell, glue lines and the boards themselves.