Harp - Origins of the harp

The harp is a chordophone which has its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. All harps have a neck, resonator and strings. Some, known as frame harps, also have a forepillar; those lacking the forepillar are referred to open harps. Harp strings can be made of nylon (sometimes copper-wound), gut (more commonly used than nylon), or wire. Various types of harps are found in Africa, Europe, North and South America, and a few parts of Asia. In Antiquity harps and the closely related Lyras were very promi ...

Including:

• Harp - Origins of the harp
• Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building
• Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp
• Harp - The pedal/concert harp
• Harp - Folk harps/lever harps
• Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach
• Harp - Multi-course harps
• Harp - Harp technique
• Harp - Other harps around the world
• Harp - The harp in music
• Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists
• Harp - As a symbol
• Harp - Political
• Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia - Harp

The harp's origins may lie in the sound of a plucked hunter's bow string. The oldest documented references to the harp are from 4000 BC in Egypt (see Music of Egypt) and 3000 BC in Mesopotamia. While the harp is mentioned in most translations of the Bible, King David being the most prominent musician, the Biblical "harp" was actually a kinnor, a type of lyre with 10 strings. Harps also appear in ancient epics, and in Egyptian wall paintings. This kind of harp, now known as the folk harp, continued to evolve in many different cultures all over the world. It may ...

See also:

Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - Origins of the harp

Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp. Most European-derived harps have a single row of strings with strings for each note of the C Major scale (over several octaves. Harpists can tell which strings they are playing because all F strings are black or blue and all C strings are red or orange. The instrument rests between the knees of the harpist and along their right shoulder. The Welsh triple harp and early Irish and Scottish harps, however, are traditionally placed on the left shoulder. The first fou ...

See also:

Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building

Harp is a rewarding instrument to learn because every note sounds good. However, there are several things to consider: picking a teacher, picking the harp, cost, tuning, and repairs. A student should pick a teacher who teaches the type of music that he or she wants to play. A classical teacher will not necessarily be the best to teach Paraguayan sambas or Celtic dances. There are teach-yourself books and videos for the Celtic harp. The harp should ...

See also:

Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists

Harp playing uses all of the fingers except for the pinky, which is generally too short and weak to effectively pluck a string. In order to make notation of fingerings easier, each finger is given a number, "1" for the thumb, "2" for the index finger, "3" for the middle finger, and "4" for the ring finger. Most types of harp only require use of the hands. The exception is the pedal (concert) harp, where the harpist ...

See also:

Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - Harp technique

In South America, there are Mexican, Andean, Venezuelan, and Paraguayan harps. They are derived from the Baroque harps that were brought from Spain during the colonial period: wide on the bottom and narrow at the top, with perfect balance when being played but unable to stand independently for lack of a base. The Paraguayan harp is the most popular, and is Paraguay's national instrument. It has about 36 strings with narrower spacing and lighter tension than other harps, and so has a slightly (four to five notes) lower pitch. It does not nece ...

See also:

Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - Other harps around the world

The harp is used sparingly in most classical music, usually for special effects such as the glissando, arpeggios, and bisbigliando. Italian and German opera uses harp for romantic arias and dances, an example of which is Musetta's Waltz from La bohème. French composers such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel composed harp concertos and chamber music widely played today. In the nineteenth century, the French composer and harpist Nicolas-Charles Bochsa composed hundreds of pieces of all kinds (opera transcriptions, chamber music, conc ...

See also:

Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - The harp in music