Perhaps the most unusual harp of all, the earth harp is a 42 string instrument that sometimes requires two people to play. Both versions have flat backs, an enclosed lower section, and an open upper section. One version is curved in a shape similar to that of a violin, while the other is more boxy. Crwth Harp Credit: ĭescribed by many to be a cross between a harp and violin, the crwth is a traditional instrument in two flavors. In some regions, it’s known as an English harp or fairy bells. The instrument is played using the thumbs while gently swinging it with both hands. These unusual harps have a shape similar to a zither but sound like bells. See Also: 24 Types of Drums Types of Harps Of course, there are a lot more than two kinds of harp, so let’s take a look at some of the many varieties out there. Due to their larger size, pedal harps are less common for small performances but are still considered the go-to for professional harpists. They take longer to master, but the payoff is being able to play uninterrupted. Pedal harps, conversely, use a number of pedals to shift between sharps, flats, and naturals during a performance. Levers can be set during a performance, but are usually adjusted prior to a song to avoid interruption. These harps tend to be smaller and are rarely used for large performances due to their limitations. These levers must be adjusted by hand and allow the string to play its note as a flat, natural, or sharp. Lever harps have small levers at the top of the strings for tuning purposes. In Christianity, cherubs and other stylized angels are often seen playing small harps, and harps are generally associated with heaven while bells are often linked to hell.īut harps go well beyond religious use, and there are two major categories most harps fit into: Lever and Pedal. They tend to be plain, some with some transversely engraved lines, though a few are quite elaborate: SF8969, SUR-33D582, SOM-908E25.One of the oldest surviving instruments, harps have become so revered that they’re a staple of religious imagery. Jew’s harps of this period tend to be characteristically of the sort with the large, rounded head. One example with a trefoil shaped head found in Winchester has had a 14th-century date suggested for it based on a both stylistic and archaeological evidence ( Rees et al. 217) have a distinctive flattened head, or a rounded head far smaller than the characteristic post-medieval instrument. Some medieval examples published in Wardle in Egan (1998, 285 fig. The separate tongue is held within a rabbet at the centre of the head, on one side. The arms often have a lozengiform cross-section. Jew’s harps tend to have a rounded head which extends notably wider than the two arms which extend from the base of the head and which gradually converge. Far more commonly than medieval examples, post-medieval jew’s harps are those usually recorded through the PAS. Jew’s harps had been introduced to Europe by the time of the Crusades (Wardle in Egan 1998, 284). Though most jew’s harps are made of iron (Wardle in Egan 1998, 284), the majority of examples recorded through the PAS are composite objects with a copper-alloy frame, and a separate iron tongue/reed (usually lost to corrosion). Jew’s harps are small musical instruments that are played by plucking a flexible tongue/reed with one’s fingers, the tongue attached to a frame held in one hand at one end and by the player’s teeth at the other.
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