All About Harps

Because I am a harpist and a harp teacher, I get many questions about harps, harp lessons, and my harp recordings. 

Unfortunately, my website is down right now. (www.ErinCrossHarpist.com) 

My older Majesty Harp was the featured harp on my website, and as of last summer, I no longer own that harp. I've needed to update my website featuring my new Roma Bella harp, but haven’t had the opportunity to take any nice pictures yet. For that reason, my website has been down the past year. I’ve gotten a few questions like this one: 

How can I purchase your harp recordings? 

For anyone who would like to purchase my harp recordings, but hasn’t known how or where to purchase them, please send me an email at: ErinCrossHarpist@gmail.com

I have six different harp albums available for sale. If you email me, I am happy to send you more information about each of my harp recordings and how much they cost plus shipping. (I offer a cheaper wholesale rate for those who wish to purchase larger quantities) If you would like to purchase harp CD's, I can give you an address where you can send a personal check to me through the mail. If paying online is easier for you, I also accept payment through PayPal.

In the future, I hope to have my website up again where you can purchase my harp CD's directly online through PayPal. 

Occasionally, I get questions like the ones below. 

How long have you given harp lessons? 

I have given harp lessons since 2006. (my first harp recording was released the same year) I have given harp lessons in our home and online. 

How can I take harp lessons from you? 

Right now, I am only giving harp lessons online. If you are interested in taking online harp lessons from me, please send me an email at the address above. I can give you more information about scheduling a harp lesson along with my lesson rates and how you can pay me for harp lessons.

Being a harpist, I also get questions about how long I have been playing and about harps in general. I would like to answer many questions in this blog post. 

Some commonly asked questions are: 

How long have you been playing the harp?  

I have played the harp since I was 17 years old. 

My parents purchased my first harp for me, a “Marini Made” 31 string Gothic Lever Harp in October of 1999. That year was my “golden” birthday, my birthday being October 17th. To this day, that harp is the most expensive gift my parents have ever given me, a very special gift for a golden birthday. I don’t think my parents planned that, but I like to think that God did. 

I received my first harp on October 29,1999. After learning how to tune my harp that weekend, I slowly began learning how to play the harp from a harp book my parents purchased with that harp.

I began learning how to play the harp around November 1st of 1999. 

As of right now, I’ve played the harp for 23 years. 

How long did it take you to learn to play the harp? 

I was self taught on the harp for a year and a half before finding a harp teacher in our local area. I took harp lessons with my teacher, Rachel Ellins, for three and a half years. 

To play more advanced, it took about five years. 

If I had taken harp lessons from the start, it probably would’ve taken me about 3 years to play more advanced. 

But, I was playing simple, beautiful hymns in a very short time. (less than a year) My first harp was the only harp I had for 4 years. I learned so much on that harp.   

What kind of harp do you recommend for a beginner? 

This is a loaded question that I will try to answer as easily and as simply as I can.

First of all, there are two different types of harps - lever harps and pedal harps. In general, lever harps and pedal harps are played the same way. If you play one, you can usually play the other. 

Harps are expensive due to the time that it takes to build a harp plus the materials involved. But to me, they are worth it because they are such a heavenly instrument!  

Pedal harps are the large concert grand harps that you usually see played in orchestras. Pedal harps cost more than lever harps due to their size and because of the time and mechanism that it takes to build them. As their name suggests, pedal harps have pedals. Those pedals allow a harpist to make key changes on the harp. Pedal harps are very expensive and very heavy due to their size, but they can be very beautiful. Pedal harps give a harpist an optimal playing range with 40 strings or more. You will never lack strings when playing on a pedal harp. 

Lever harps come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from very small harps with maybe only 10 strings, all the way up to 40 strings. Most lever harps have 38 strings or less. As their name suggests, lever harps have levers instead of pedals. Those levers allow a harpist to make key changes on the harp. Because levers are installed on the outside of a harp (unlike pedal harps which have a mechanism that goes inside the harp), lever harps are more affordable than pedal harps. Lever harps can still be expensive, but they are not as costly or as heavy as pedal harps. Lever harps are the type of harps I own.

For beginners, I recommend starting out with a lever harp. 

Levers harps are cheaper than pedal harps, and they are easier to play on while learning because there aren’t quite as many strings on them. Lever harps are also much easier to transport than pedal harps.

What size lever harp do you recommend for a beginner? 

While you can learn on any size harp, lever or pedal, for a beginner, I usually recommend learning on a small or medium size lever harp. 

A lever harp with 22-29 strings will give you 3-4 octaves for playing on.

If you have the money and you know that you would like a large lever harp to learn on, go for it! Otherwise, I recommend a small or medium size lever harp to start with. 

Small lever harps are cheaper, and if you decide that the harp is not for you, you can usually sell smaller harps for about the same price you paid for it. Smaller lever harps are quite popular because they are great for learning on, and they are also great for traveling with. 

Small lever harps usually have 22-29 strings and usually sit on your lap or are placed on a stool.

Medium (or mid size) lever harps usually have 30-33 strings and stand on the floor. 

Large (or full size) levers harps usually have 34-40 strings and stand on the floor. 

If you decide you would like to get a larger harp after learning on a smaller one, you can keep your smaller harp for traveling with, or you can sell it, and put that money towards a larger harp. 

Just some recommendations. 

Do I need to read sheet music or play the piano before learning to play the harp? 

While those things can be helpful in learning to play the harp, no, those things are not necessary. Any good harp teacher should be able to teach you not only how to play the harp, but also how to read sheet music. 

As a girl, I took piano lessons from age 11-13. Because I tend to be a more visual, "hands on" learner, having some piano lessons helped me tremendously when I learned to play the harp. I think that piano lessons can help anyone who wants to learn another instrument down the road. But, it is not absolutely necessary. 

Where can I purchase a harp?

There are many pedal harp and lever harp makers who sell their harps online. There are also harp shops and music stores throughout the United States that sell harps. 

I recommend looking in your local area to see if there is a music store or a harp shop nearby. Ideally, it’s nice to play on a harp before you purchase one, but sometimes that is not possible. 

Is there a good harp maker you recommend? 

Indeed, there is! I highly recommend Marini Made Harps, lever harps made in New Holland, Pennsylvania. You can visit their website here: www.MariniMadeHarps.com 

All of my harps are Marini Made. I love them. The sound quality and workmanship are outstanding. Their harps are beautiful in every way! 

Quite often, when you are familiar with a certain brand or company, you tend to be a bit biased towards them. I will admit my bias. 

Recently, I got an email from a harpist I hadn't heard from in a while, and in her email, she said the same thing. She believes Marini Made Harps are the best! If I remember correctly, I think she said that, in the past 20 years, she has owned 29 harps from different harp makers. She sold 23 of them, leaving her with just 6 harps now. Five of her current harps are Marini Made. 

Marini Made Harps is a family owned business. They are Christians, and they desire to honor God with their music and harps. My mom found out about Marini Made Harps back in 1999 through a church we were attending at the time. A woman at this church told my mom about them. 

Is there a certain harp model that you recommend?    

Any harp you purchase from Marini Made Harps will sound beautiful and the workmanship will match it. There are some harp models they make that I highly recommend though. 

Their small 26 and 28 string Lap Harps sound amazing. I've never heard a better sounding small size lever harp. 

I personally recommend their 26 string Lap Harp for a small size lever harp. 

For a larger lever harp, that is a difficult question for me to answer because all of their larger harp models sound absolutely amazing. I've played on many of them over the years. You cannot go wrong with the model you choose. I'm certain you will love any large harp you purchase from them. 

After playing the harp for over 20 years, I've played on many different lever harps made by other harp makers and companies. Throughout the years, I've owned 12 harps (all lever harps) and sold 7 of them. There are other beautiful lever harps out there for sale. 

However, the sound of other lever harps that I have played on have never quite matched the sound quality I hear from Marini Made Harps.   

There is one harp that Marini Made Harps makes that stands out to me as having incredible sound and is also reasonably easy to transport. 

That harp is their 34 string Regency Harp.  

That harp is pictured on this devotional book written by Alex Marini of Marini Made Harps.   

 

I highly recommend this devotional book
for Christian musicians. 

I personally think the 34 string Regency Harp is one of the best lever harps on the market. 

I used to own a harp that was identical to the Regency Harp but had two added strings and was renamed Majesty Harp by a different harp maker. 

Marini Made Harps makes a line of Roma Harps that are even nicer than the Regency Harp in both appearance and sound. 

I own a Marini Made 40 string Roma Bella Harp, and I love it! Their Roma Harps are magnificent! 

The only disadvantage is their Roma harps are not easy to transport because they are so heavy. 

If size, weight, and price are not a problem for you, I highly recommend their Roma Harps. 

Although the Regency Harp does have weight to it, the reason I recommend their Regency Harp over their Roma Harps is that the Regency Harp is much easier to transport. 

To me, the Regency Harp has a sound that is comparable to their Roma Harps. 

The 34 string Regency Harp has a nice string range, a rich sound, a beautiful design, is well balanced, and is fairly easy to transport. I think anyone would be very happy with that harp. 

I personally recommend their 34 Regency Harp for a large size lever harp. 

Which harps do you own? 

I own a total of five Marini Made Harps. I will share which harps I own in pictures here below.

My large harp - a Marini Made 40 string Roma Bella Harp 
made in natural figured walnut wood with hand carved grape vines on the sides. 

My large harp stands in our living room next to the piano I learned to play on at the age of 11.

My small harp - a Marini Made 26 string Lap Harp
made in natural African mahogany wood with a hand carved rose on the top. This harp also has a strap on it which allows me to play it standing up if I want to. 

My three very small harps on our piano - all Marini Made. 
Left to right: my 16 string Lyre Harp made in natural figured maple, my 12 string Davidic Harp with scrolls in natural cherry wood, my 10 string Davidic Harp in natural walnut wood with hand carved olive branches on the front.    

Why do you have three “very small” harps? 

I have an immense interest in the music of the Bible and in small harps like King David played. My three very small harps each have a different string range. These harps are so small, you can keep them in their case in a closet, and you hardly know they are in there. 

My three very small harps are what I plan to use on one more, future harp recording titled: 

“The Lord Is My Shepherd”

I may play my small harp on that recording too. 

Those are my five Marini Made Harps. 

I really would only need two harps, one for playing and teaching with and the other for traveling with - my large harp and my small harp. 

My large harp and my small harp. 

What wood do you like? 

Every wood is so beautiful, but I would say that my personal favorite is walnut. 

Does wood choice affect the sound of a harp?

Overall, the sound of a harp comes from the model you choose. However, different woods do give a slightly different tone. I have noticed that certain woods tend to sound like these brief descriptions I'll give them here below:

Maple (light blonde color, darkens with age): bright 

Cherry (light red color, darkens with age): sweet 

Walnut (darker brown color, lightens with age): rich

  

I feel like I'm describing chocolate or coffee flavors, but I do hear these sounds pretty consistently whenever I play them on any harp. 

Those three woods tend to be the most common for harps to be built in, but there are many other wood choices as well. All of them are so beautiful! When choosing a wood for your harp, choose what you like in appearance overall.  

Lastly, I've even had some people ask me this more personal question over the years. 

How did you afford all your harps? 

  

Living at home, being single, and working at a grocery store is how I was able to purchase these harps. 

I worked in a small grocery store for 15 years, earning not much more than minimum wage. I worked and saved to purchase these harps. 

At one point, I owned 9 harps - 3 large harps, 3 small harps, and 3 very small harps. All of those harps were played on my harp recordings. I sold many of them. 

If it was up to me, I would have much rather been married and with children. The only thing I wanted when I grew up was to be a wife and mom. 

My dream was to have 9 children, not 9 harps. 

Because I am single, I have wanted to do something with my life for the Lord. So, I have used the gift God gave me with music. To do that, I have needed harps to play on. The harp has been a large part of my life since I was 17 years old. I have always loved music - Godly music especially. 

Hopefully this post helps to answer many questions about the harp. 

I’ve been blessed to own some beautiful harps. I’ve been blessed to learn how to play the harp, record with my harps, and teach the harp. 

The greatest blessing of all has been playing the harp for others, and especially, in worship and praise to the Lord. 

God must surely love the harp because this instrument surrounds His very throne in heaven!