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The harp is one of our most ancient musical instruments.and its usage ranges from pure entertainment to solo and ensemble music. I can't tell you much about the harp only that it's one of the best ancient instruments ever created.
Parts Of The Harp:
Crown - It is the ornamental part of the harp located at the side of the top of the harp. It is shaped like a crown, thus the name.
Tuning Pins - The harp is tuned by adjusting the tension on each string (using a tuning key that turns a pin going through the neck) until the string's pitch matches the desired pitch.
Bridge Pins - May either be in gold or silver and it is where the strings of the harp rests.
Neck - The length of the upper part of the harp that is curved. It is also referred to as the "harmonic curve."
Pillar - Also called the column, it supports the frame of the harp.
Soundboard/Soundbox - The soundboard is located on the string-side of the harp. The soundbox is located at the back of the harp. The holes of the soundbox from which the tune comes out off is called "sound holes." Sound holes help amplify the notes produced by the harp.
Feet - The feet of the harp enables it to stand on its own, allowing easier playing.
Strings - The harp has a set of strings of varying length, tension, and density. These strings correspond to the white keys on a piano. The black keys are not represented! (Their sounds are made by changing the pedals.) The red strings are for "C" and the black or blue strings are for "F". All the other strings are white.
Pedals - The pedal harp has 7 pedals, each with three positions available. The left foot controls three of the pedals, the remaining four pedals are controlled by the right foot.
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| Each of these pedals is connected, by means of a steel push-rod that goes up through the column, to a complicated brass linkage mechanism inside the neck. Each pedal corresponds to a note of the musical scale (B, C, D pedals on the left side and E, F, G, A on the right). When I move the D pedal with my foot, for example, the D pushrod moves up or down inside the column, and the D part of the neck's mechanical linkage rotates one (or both!) of two small disks located on the neck below each D string's tuning pin. Each of these disks has two little posts that stick out and straddle the string. |
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| When the pedal is in the top position neither disk is touching, and the whole length of the string vibrates and sounds in its lowest pitch, or "flat". With the pedal in the middle position the top disk is rotated, making the disk and its two posts turn to grasp the string. Thus the vibrating length is shortened so that the string produces a half-tone higher, or "natural" pitch. With the pedal in the bottom position both the upper and lower disks are activated, the string is made effectively shorter still, and it produces the "sharp" pitch. Thus, by moving pedals with my feet, I can obtain any of three different pitches (flat, natural, or sharp) from each of the strings on my harp. In that way, the 47 strings represent almost as many notes as the 88-key piano. What's more, you can make these pedal changes while you are playing the instrument. |
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