Thread: Makeing a Harp

Hi Allan,
If you are interested in musical instrument plans, go to
http://www.mimf.com/link.htm
absolutely the best for musical instrument information.

Glenn

I built a solid body electric guitar once. The hardest part of that to get right was the neck. It was made from two pieces of Mountain Ash with two strips of Queensland Maple flanking a strip of red Myrtle Beech down the centre.

The fretboard was a piece of rosewood. The whole thing had to be shaped with a spokeshave. I have to admit I totally stuffed the first attempt at the fretboard, which has a slight curve along it. The most excrutiating part was then having to run saw cuts all along it for the frets.

I found an old fella at the local handcrafted furniture factory one day when I was looking for timber to build it out of. He was making himself some furniture to take to Queensland where he was retiring. I told him what I was making and he dropped what he was doing and spent the next hour helping me out. We found the rosewood sitting up on top of an old cupboard. It was a strip about 3" by 2" and 2 feet long. He gave it to me.

He told me about how he had made a violin when he was my age. That's a totally different proposition due to the hollow body and the overall shape. He couldn't play one either but he had a glint in his eye as he was telling me about it. When he'd finished it, he found someone who could play it and hearing the sound they got out of it was reward enough for him.

Fortunately for me, I can play guitar and I used this one in a band I played in. It's a good feeling playing something you made yourself. Good luck with it.

As a jazz piano player I have a marked dislike for the harp (sorry that's just me) but I remember reading about some guy somewhere in Australia who is famous world wide for his harp building.
I would surf the net using google with harp building or similarstring.
From what I remember of this guy’s workshop the task is not an easy one. Definitely a nice challenge, go for it!

http://www.harpspectrum.org/building/building.shtml
http://home.pacifier.com/~blesses/bihpbuild.html

Plans here:
http://www.newrenaissance.ibs.ee/harpmake/
http://<br /> <a href="http://www.h..._id=0000on</a>

You beta bee keen!!

some musical instruments are reasonably easy to build but an harp is aa very clever piece of wood work. Try something easier first.

Harps are a great instrument to build. We used to run harp making workshops when we had the Central Victorian School of Woodcrafts. The tutor and (fantastic harpist) was Andy Rigby. He still runs classes somewhere in Central Victoria but I'm not sure of his new contact information. If I can find it I will let you know.

Cheers - Neil

Andy on harp - brother james on violin.

Here are some plans to make a celtic harp
http://www.harpmaker.net/chapter1.htm

Have fun

Hi Allan....

A harp is a bit of an undertaking. Why not try something a bit smaller first?
Theres a guy who demonstrates at my sons school fair who makes Lyres. These things sound fantastic! If you like Ill find out who he is or you may do a search on something like "Lyre rudolph Steiner Glenaeon" (bit short of time meself!)

kindest regards
Phil

On the road from Nowra to Kangaroo valley, there is a sign by a property that says "Harpsicord maker"
Always got me intrigued to call in and have a look.

cheers 3Landerblue

If you are still looking for inspiration, there was an article on harp making in the Australian Wood review December 2000 Issue 29
Page 88.

It is an interview to the allegedly only full time harp maker in Australia, Hugh Jones . . . this if he is still in business; the article is a bit of an anticlimax. . . . . "Anyone who makes musical instruments in Australia must be a fool . . ." he says

Still, lots of good info in the article, the guy is in Sydney
02 9742 3166 or e-mail [email protected]

. . . ." It's not enough to have superior hand-skills he says, Instrument making isn't about craftsmanship, it's about sound. So if you set yourself to design the perfect instrument you almost certainly won't. And that’s where a lot of woodworkers go wrong. They think because they are woodworkers they can design.

You're just born to make instruments. I start off with a sound in my head and then I think how can I trick bits of wood into making that sound, and that's the essence of it. If you start off trying to make a perfect work you probably won't. But if you start off trying to make a perfect sound, you probably won't either - but at least you’re on the right track . . . ."

There was a seven part article in the "Woodworker" a British magazine issues for the months March - Sept 2002 on how to build a Gothic Harp.

It described it in detail and was fully illustrated with plenty of photos( can't remember if it included plans or whether you had to order them).

Your library may have the copies - certainly worth a look.

Regards.

Peter

Sorry to reactivate this post, but wanted to thank everyone who posted such great links on harp making. I've checked them out and bookmarked them for careful study- before I start on my lap harp. I have some experience making things out of wood, but not instruments. I'm also not at all musically inclined- so I'm probably doomed to failure - but I'm going to try anyhow.
Just in case he is reading this, I'd like to know how the original poster's harp came out. I'm making the Limerick harp from Musikit- but from my own lumber.
Any further help will be gratefully received. Thanks, Donna Menke, author of The Ultimate Band Saw Box Book, www.woodworks-by-donna.com

So Oz made that harp yet?

Harry

Don't HARP on it !

Two more leads,

Internationally renowned tasmanian harp builder http://www.thom.tascom.net/order.html - website worth a visit.

The current president of the WA woodcarvers guild is a harp maker.

Cheers