Angels in Training
Before her 16th birthday, Dana Schneider of Harmony faced an unusual decision.
As a special gift from her parents, Schneider could choose between a car and a Lyon & Healy concert grand pedal harp.
"I chose the harp," Schneider said, without hesitation. "It was definitely the best present I ever got!"
Schneider, 16, is among various Butler County musicians who play the classical instrument.
ChallengesThe harp was quite popular up until the middle of the last century, said James Gorton, co-principal oboist in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.Gorton's wife Gretchen Van Hoesen is president of the Pittsburgh Harp Society, and he helps with many of their events.
"Maybe it's a little less popular now because acquiring the instrument is not as easy as acquiring a piano, for instance, or a guitar," he said. "There are just fewer places that sell harps, and I think that's a stumbling block: just finding an instrument."Simply locating a harp teacher was a challenge for Schneider, who began playing at age 9."I asked a number of people if they knew anyone who gave harp lessons, but nobody did," said her mother Brenda Schneider. "We couldn't find anybody."After several months of asking around, Schneider finally connected with her first harp teacher.Rebecca Yuille of Cranberry Township sought out lessons because her mother had once played but stopped for financial reasons."Although she did not play the harp anytime after she was married, she used to tell us about it," said Yuille, who began taking lessons as an adult four years ago. "That's how I became curious and wondered about it all those years."
Musicians can choose between a lever harp or pedal harp, which is generally larger, Gorton said.While harp strings are plucked, a pedal harp's seven pedals are operated by foot, changing tension on the strings to produce sharp and flat notes. The lever harp must be adjusted by hand."Depending on the size of the harp, it can play many of the same octaves as a piano," he said."The harp is dissimilar in that playing the harp is like playing a piano with only white keys — to play the black key notes, it requires pushing a pedal or lifting a lever."Last summer, Jennifer Dickey, 21, of Butler decided to start playing her pedal harp after taking several years off.Inspired by her older sister who also plays the harp, she took lessons for about two years starting at age 11 before discontinuing."I wasn't doing anything musically and that was a huge part of my life that I really missed," she said. "I think I found it a little easier the second time because I already knew what I was doing."Whether starting as a child or an adult, the forgiving sound is advantageous to new players, Yuille said."Even when you're first starting out and you may just be playing with one or two fingers on each hand, it still sounds beautiful," Yuille said. "It's just the nature of the instrument."Schneider agreed, adding she was able to perform in public not long after starting lessons."I was not very good at first, but nobody cared; people were very supportive of me," she said. "I think they were just amazed by the beautiful instrument."
The purchase of a pedal harp is a pricey commitment.Pedal harps range in price from $4,000 to $40,000," Gorton said. "With $4,00 being for a smaller pedal harp and $40,000 for a concert grand gold harp."A lever harp is less expensive, with many models in the $2,500 price range, although used instruments of both types can be purchased for less."My concert grand pedal harp cost about $20,000," Schneider said. "It took a couple years of negotiating and talking about it with my parents before I could finally get one."Dickey said her parents also were willing to help her purchase a harp."(My mother) said to me that since I'd done well and put effort into it, she wasn't afraid to do the same," she said.In addition to the initial purchase price, other costs associated with owning a harp can add up quickly."It's something you never consider when you buy a harp," Yuille said. "You're still thinking of the price of the harp itself."A harp must be "regulated" by a trained technician every one or two years, Yuille said."They'll come out and readjust the mechanisms, like a mechanic tuning up the engine of a car, to make sure that everything is working properly," she explained. "So there's still more money to be spent."Strings also must be replaced about every two years to keep the instrument sounding its best, Yuille said."They start to sound dull after a while," Yuille said of the strings, noting strings will cost between $400 and $600 for a full-sized pedal harp.A harp also must be tuned every time it is played, string by string."On my harp, I think there are 47 strings," Schneider said. "It depends on how accurate you want to be, but it can take 10 or 20 minutes."Although most harps come with a hefty price tag, the instrument can be played for generations, Yuille said."They can last for a long time; there are harps out there from the 1800s that people are still playing," she said.As long as it is properly cared for, a harp gets better with age, she said."As the soundboard develops, it usually gets louder and more resonant," Yuille explained.Proper technique is vital because of the physical demands, Yuille added.The musician must tilt the harp forward and balance it against the knees with the column over their shoulder, wrapping their arms around the instrument to reach the strings."It's very difficult on the fingers, hands and wrists," she said. "It's not uncommon for someone to overdo it and end up with tendinitis."Most harps weigh between 75 and 100 pounds, Yuille added, and supporting the weight incorrectly also can lead to back problems.Yuille tries to practice every day, an ability most harp players must develop over time."When you're first starting out, you cannot spend as much time as you'd probably like to," she said. "You have to build up calluses on your fingers, and when you're building up the calluses, you can only play for 10 to 15 minutes at a time."Dickey, a college student, also practices as often as her schedule allows. She is able to use the harp at the music school at Duquesne University, where she is studying accounting."I just make time because I really like it," she said. "I make sure I can fit it in during the day."
Harps can be transported in a regular vehicle as long as there is enough space, and many musicians simply use a minivan or station wagon.Harpists use a specialized two-wheeled cart to move the instrument, sliding it onto the tray and wheeling it where it needs to go."When you're transporting it, you have to think of it as something between a twin bed and an ice sculpture," Yuille said. "You don't want it to get jarred because it will break, you don't want it to get too hot because it might melt, and you don't want it to get too cold because it gets brittle — you have to be very careful with it."Still, the instrument must be adequately cushioned and carefully packed into the vehicle to prevent damage."I have a three-piece padded cover for my harp," she said. "Once it's all packed up for transport, it looks like a big oven mitt."Traveling with a harp is a bit cumbersome, Schneider said, but it does not limit her ability to perform.Schneider performs about once a month and travels with her harp to competitions and recitals and to volunteer her skills at churches and nursing homes.The Pittsburgh Harp Society, of which Yuille is secretary, also keeps members busy with performances. The most recent was held Dec. 5 at the PPG Wintergarden.Most audience members are fascinated by harps, Yuille said, and she enjoys helping them become more familiar with the instrument."Many people don't recognize that it is a harp unless you tell them," she said, adding that her harp has been confused for a dulcimer and even a banjo.The Harp Society also offers adjudications in which individual performances are critiqued.Gorton estimates 90 percent of the Pittsburgh Harp Society's members are female, which is typical.Men dominated the harp until the mid-1900s, when more women started to become professional musicians and gravitated to the instrument, he said.The harp requires physical strength, dedication and stamina, so musicians must practice and perform as much as possible, Schneider said."It's a challenge because you can always push yourself," she said. "Music is never perfect, so you can always push yourself
The harp is one of the world's oldest instruments. The harp's origins might lie in the sound of a plucked hunter's bow string or the strings of a loom.Modern harps consist of three main parts: the sound board, neck and the strings. Harps are triangular in shape and primarily made of wood.Most harps measure between 2 to 6 feet tall and have 22 to 47 strings.The first four fingers of each hand are used to pluck the strings. Most harps have a single row of strings with strings for each note of the C Major scale. All F strings are black and all C strings are red, and the wire strings are silver or bronze if C or F.There are two harp manufacturers in the United States: Venus Harps and Lyon & Healy. Both are located in Chicago.A person who plays the harp is called a harpist or harper. Folk musicians often use the term "harper" and classical musicians use "harpist."<b><i>Information from www.harpspectrum.org and www.wikipedia.org.</i></b>
