String Spacing
1) Concert Spacing: Actually, there's no such thing as 'Standard' concert pedal harp string spacing. That being said, in the Lyon & Healy pedal harps, the strings graduate from 3-7/8" between octaves at the treble to 4 3/8" between octaves at the bass. If you've been trained in classical pedal harp technique, this is the spacing you're probably used to.
2) Traditional Spacing: European 'folk' harps have had, from at least the Renaissance era, narrow, evenly-spaced strings. By and large, these harps have had a string spacing of about 3-1/2" between octaves. You can find this spacing today on 'Bohemian' harps from Germany. Many Irish and Scottish harp makers have adopted 'even' spacing, but have increased the string spacing to about 4" between octaves.
The 'even' spacing on my harps graduates between about 3 7/8" in the top octave to 4 1/8" in the bottom octave, so it's not exactly an even 4" between octaves, but close. When playing the traditional Irish/Scottish style, the left hand chords tend to be played 'flat handed', and many popular chords contain extended reaches, such as the 10th chords, which are facilitated by the narrower string spacing in the bass. The treble spacing, on the other hand, is a wee bit wider than one finds on North American folk/Celtic harps, and I think this makes it easier to do the intricate 'grace notes' so characteristic of the traditional music.
String Tension
In the harp world, there are a number of schools of thought as to string tension. Harps can usually be found in these four basic tensions:
1) Light Tension: Early European & contemporary Latin American harps.
2) Medium-Light Tension: This is the tension found on my Eireann model and on many Irish and European folk harps.
3) Medium Tension: Many nylon-strung North American folk harps have this tension. Similar to 'Folk/Lever Gut'.
4) Pedal or Concert Harp Tension: This heavy tension is mainly found on Concert Pedal Harps and other smaller harps with pedal-harp-tension strings.
Strings
Savarez Alliance: In the last few years, strings made with fluorocarbon have become popular with musicians. Also known as 'synthetic gut', PVDF (polyvinylinde fluoride), 'carbon fibre' or just plain 'carbon' with harpers. Fluorocarbon was invented in 1970 by the Kureha Corporation of Japan, and developed jointly with the Savarez String Company of France, as a high quality string suitable for guitars, violins, lutes and harps. Savarez markets them under the name 'Alliance KF'. In upper reaches these strings are a smooth, clear monofilament, while the midrange strings are made with multi-filaments, and have a 'cloudy' appearance, and more textured feel.
Qualities: They have a brighter, clearer and more focused tone than gut or nylon, good life span, available in a large number of diameters for custom tensions. Fluorocarbon strings are not much affected by changes in humidity, as they are practically waterproof. They are more durable than gut or nylon, and are denser, thus thinner, for the same tension. They are also more supple to the touch, and they stretch more initially than nylon or gut. Fluorocarbon is more like gut in that there's no over-wrapped wound strings in the midrange like you would find with nylon. They cost less than gut, but more than nylon.
NEW! 'Fluorocarbon String Information Page'
Bass Wires: The bass wires I use are made of silvered-copper wire wound over a steel core. There is a fibre bed between the copper & steel. I mostly use custom-made bass wires by Robinson's Harp Shop (or their affiliates Vermont Strings or North Shore Strings-see below).
String Ordering
The procedure is to mail, e-mail or fax your string chart that comes with the harp to the string maker (see below) along with your credit card information. Otherwise, ask them for an 'invoice pro forma' so you know how much to send if paying by money order, etc. The string makers listed below do not necessarily keep string charts on hand for my harps, as my string configurations keep changing and evolving, so it's necessary to provide them with the information that they need to make up the custom set of strings that your harp will require. See the bottom of this page for links to my current string charts.
Custom Bass Wires
North Shore Strings
4 Anthony Ave.
Manchester-By-The-Sea, MA 01944
(978) 526-4252 Phone & Fax
Kelly Stallings, Proprietor
Robinson’s Harp Shop
P.O. Box 161
Mt. Laguna, CA
Tel: (619) 473-8556
Fax: (619) 473-8212
Phyllis Robinson, Proprietor
Savarez Alliance KF Brand Strings
International Music Service
P.O. Box 101181,
Palm Bay, FL 32910
Tel: (321) 725-4449
Fax: (321) 722-3473
Toll free: (800) 959-LYRA(5972)
Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday.
I.M.S. is the exclusive U.S.A. distributor of Savarez Harp Strings.
Mikki Henry, proprietor.
Matthias Wagner-Strings Online
Lautenbau und Saitenvertrieb
Klemmbachstr. 11 a
D - 79410 Badenweiler - Schweighof
Germany
Tel.: (+49) 76 32 - 82 86 95, Fax: (+49) 76 32 - 82 898 68
Matthias Wagner is a Euro-Zone distributor of Savarez harp strings.
http://www.music-strings.de/shop/en-shopindex.html
Rubber Handled Ergonomic Tuning Keys:
Lyon & Healy West
1037 E. South Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84102
Toll Free: (877) 621-3881
Sylvia Woods Harp Center
P.O. Box 816
Montrose, CA 91021
Toll Free: (800) 272-4277
String Charts
These charts are in PDF format. You'll need
Adobe Acrobat
Reader to access them.
- Eireann String Chart The latest chart, good for all regular Eireann models, & including the early Iona models.
- Eireann String Chart-Eurozone This chart is for owners of my harp in Europe
- Eireann String Price List The latest price list from International Music Service
- Iona, Scotia & O'Carolan String Chart The latest chart, good for all Scotia & the latest Iona & O'Carolan models.
- Nylon to Carbon Conversion Chart Shows how to convert from nylon to fluorocarbon strings