Clarsach is the Scots Gaelic word for harp, one of their three national instruments. (Yes, bagpipes. And fiddles.) For more info on the 1,000-year-plus history of them in Scotland, read Tree of Strings by Allison Kinnaird and Keith Sanger.
Pedal Harp
These aren’t the gilded classical/orchestral harps you might’ve seen, but wooden-framed, sized from around (small) 20 strings up to (large) 38. Instead of pedals to change pitch, they may have levers on some/all/no strings, which can be gut, nylon, wire or carbon-fiber. I come by my passion for folk harps honestly; one of my earliest memories is standing at my grandmother’s knee while she played the bardic harp handed down in her family for over 300 years, I fingered the carving at the bottom of the forepillar and we both sang. She promised to teach me when I was 12, but died the month before and my aunt threw it out. (Barra's harp horror story…)
Dreansinger & me
28 years later, I found out about the folk/lever harp renaissance, and bought a midsized Dusty String FH-26, with 26 nylon strings, walnut frame and cherry/ mahagony soundboard. I love my Dreamsinger (named for Granny’s)! If I ever win a big Powerball, I’d have hers replicated. Until then, I play mine, collect harp-shaped objects, and tell harper tales. If I combine telling with playing, it’s a harptelling! Some harp-related sites: The Clarsach Society International Society of Folk Harpers & Craftsmen (ISFHC) Scottish Harp Society of America Wire-Strung Harps
If you would like to comment on a particular post or my blog, please click below it in the window; you can then preview, click on a profile such as Anonymous, and add by clicking on "Publish." Thank you!
Hazel! :) And harps! I love harp music :)
ReplyDeleteYour aunt threw the harp out!?! Horrors.
ReplyDeleteLiz A. from Laws of Gravity
Really lovely! I'd love to hear your harptelling!
ReplyDelete