Diario de Tepintzin

I've had my second harp lesson and am making progress. However, I have one serious problem with practicing at home.

I have a certain little guy who wants to play harp as well.

Ivan wants to pluck the strings. Ivan wants to stand on the harp and supervise. The last straw today was when he was hanging by his front paws off the pillar (the highest part at the front). While a statue of him doing that would make a darling decoration on the pillar of a full-sized pedal harp, not so cool off of poor Camilla. So looks as if I have to practice with him either locked in the bedroom or with Steve distracting him.

As some of you many know, the Irish government plans to build a motorway right across the hill of Tara. This is a largely unrehearsed demonstration against this archaeological and historical outrage, 30 harpers playing "Brian Boru's March". (Off topic, I am enchanted by the bright blue pedal harp.)



URLs are posted at the end of the video. Save Tara!

Today I made a trip I'd been intending to do for a while, up to Harp Haven to look for my next harp (to be obtained when I have $$$).

Harp Haven is located uphill on the road between the Travel Lodge and King's Inn on Hotel Circle, in a little white house. Ramona the owner gives lessons and her husband (who wasn't there at the moment; I think his name is Tim) restores instruments.

I'm still going "hmmmm" between a Ravenna 26 with sharpening levers on the C and F. I'm starting to feel the need for levers but so far *full* levers seem like overkill and I don't think that's going to change. It's the same price as a Sharpsicle, but since the harp is heavier with a bigger soundbox (darned near anything has a bigger soundbox than anything from the Harpsicle family) it has a really big voice for the size. The leg that stores inside the body of the harp is very nice too. Usually I sit on the floor or ground while playing, and it was very comfortable to sit on a bench with the leg raising the instrument to the right level.

On the other hand, there's a Paraguayan harp she really, really wants to get rid of and she dangled an $800 price tag as a lure. If I had that, I'd bite, but I don't. The Paraguayan harp has no levers, but it does have several more octaves and is taller than me. The tension on the strings was surprisingly low, and with my tiny fingers the narrow spacing was just fine.

The Salvi Eire is nice too, but if you like them, get them while they last. They're making them in China now which lowers the price to about $750 but you get what you pay for and you also have the fact that it's made, you know, in CHINA. It still sounds better than one of those rosewood Pakistani harps but still, bleah.

One thing in the store was interesting for historical reasons. Ramona takes harps that can't be played anymore and tries to re-purpose them, like the Lyon & Healy Troubadour that has a pillar that started to warp, so she's turning it into a big wind chime. They're trying to figure out what to do with this battered old thing that looks like a fence post now, despite the traces of bright paint here and there, and whose bridge pins are all rusted. It's called the Circus Harp you see, and it was owned and played by Harpo Marx. I've no idea how it came to such a pass.

I came out with some simple music written for the Harpsicle since I've been jonesing for a version of The Ash Grove (aka Llwyn On) and the version I have is beyond my ability at this point, plus a bit "busier" an arrangement than I'd like anyway.

(cross posted to harp