Choosing the Right Harp for Your Wedding or Event

Jeff and I love tailoring our music to fit the needs and wishes of our clients, and a big part of that is the harps that we own and use.  All four of our professional-quality instruments have a unique appearance and sound.  This post will help guide you in selecting which one is the best for your wedding or event!

The two types of harps we offer are lever harps and pedal harps.  Lever harps are smaller and lighter - and much easier to transport!  They have a lever at the top of each string to alter the pitch (like the black keys on a piano). 

Our BlevinSong Lever Harp has 36 strings, and was built by Dwight Blevins in Colorado.  This harp has an Irish or Celtic style, both in appearance and sound.  I'd describe it as the "brightest" sounding harp we have.  This is the harp we use for most of our beach weddings, and it can be placed directly on the sand.  It is perfect if your venue is difficult to access (winding staircases, gravel pathways, in a tree house - and yes, I've really played in a tree house!), or if the majority of music you are requesting is Celtic. 

Our other lever harp is a Webster Laurel Leaf harp, designed and built by Bill Webster just outside of Detroit, Michigan.  With 40 strings, this harp is a little larger than the BlevinSong.  This harp is perfect for outdoor weddings, and beach weddings when the harp is not placed directly on the sand (boardwalk, platform, etc.).  It has a classic and elegant style, with carved gold leaves wrapped around the ebony column. 

All of the music marked with a "+" on our repertoire lists can be played on either the BlevinSong or Laurel Leaf harps.

Pedal harps are the type of harps you see in an orchestra.  Instead of levers on each string, they have seven pedals at the base of the instrument.  We use those pedals to set the strings for sharps and flats (like the black keys on a piano), and the pedals move discs at the top of each string by means of a rod that runs through the hollow column.

If you are interested in learning more about how a pedal harp works, I recommend the article Pedal Harp 101 at the Harp Spectrum.

Both of our pedal harps were built by W&W Musical Instrument Company (Venus Harps) in Chicago, Illinois.  The harp that we custom ordered for Jeff is a semi-grand (concert size) Penti in a matte ebony finish.  It has 46 strings, and has a beautiful modern and sleek silhouette.

The other pedal harp is a Venus Classic Concert Grand.  With 47 strings, this is the largest harp that is built.  It is hand-carved, and decorated with roses at the top of the harp and around the base.  This harp is one of the earliest instruments built by W&W, and is over thirty years old.  It is the perfect romantic instrument!

All of the sound clips on our website were recorded on the Penti & Classic harps.  The pedal harps offer the greatest musical flexibility, and all of the music on our repertoire list can be played on either of these two instruments. 

Website:  www.TheClassicHarpist.com
Toll-free: 1-877-HARP-578