Ancient European Harps can be said to fall into two main catagories.
Wire Strung Celtic Harps (see photos)
And gut (or nylon) strung Gothic Harps.
| Somewhere
around the 7th or 8th century A.D. the first triangular frame harps
appeared in Ireland and Scotland. The addition of the forepillar
allowed harps to be larger with more strings and, later, wire strings.
Celtic harps were short, wide-bodied and strung with brass or bronze.
Brass strings are plucked gently with the fingernails, producing a
bright, ringing, bell-like tone. Perhaps the finest examples of true Celtic harps are the Brian Boru harp of Trinity College, Dublin (pictured upper right), and the Queen Mary harp of Scotland. These are the oldest harps in existence and resemble each other so much they could have been made by the same craftsman. My own experiments in harp design finally led me to consider these harps to be the result of a thousand years of trial-and-error, Pythagorian mathematics (well known to the Druids of antiquity), intuition and inspiration. I only made one change; lengthening the soundbox and eliminating the foot block to increase the volume and resonance and make the harps easier to build. I believe the results to be a total success. Folk harps are diatonic (they play in only one key at a time), not chromatic, and wire strings are incompatible with sharping levers (I've tried it, trust me), but the clear sound and long sustain makes retuning wire strings to another key comparatively easy. Wire Harps are played with Fingernails! The Celtic Harpers played their Wire Strung Harps with fingernails for over a Thousand years. You have to use nails on brass wire strings to get much sound without breaking them. Compared to Orchestra style which uses finger tips on extremely tight gut/nylon strings, You use one tenth as much muscle, get a brighter cleaner sound, and even play faster when you use your nails. Since it's such a light action, you'll never break a nail playing harp no matter how fragile your nails are. Never get calluses or carpal tunnel syndrome! Most Harp Teachers only know how to play or teach Orchestra style Harp and would be horrified by the thought of playing with fingernails. But Paraguayan and other South American Harpers have been playing with their fingernails on gut strings for over Two Centuries and can play three times faster. For books on Paraguayan Harp Technique: Alfredo Rolando Ortiz |  Compare the original Brian Boru Harp avove to the Trinty below. The size shape and other dimensions are all about the same. |
 | The "TRINITY" Modeled on the Brian Boru Harp of Trinity College Dublin (as seen on one side of all Irish Coins). This is THE Harp of Ireland. It's almost identical to the Queen Mary Harp of Scotland. I made the sound box longer to make it easier to build and improve the sound. Has a really huge sound for it's size with very round bell like tones, not the least bit tinny or twangy. The bright sound and long sustain of the strings makes it a little unsuited for classical, but for traditional British Isles Music this is THE Harp! 30 Strings 36 inches tall, only 12 pounds. 4 octaves (F 1 1/2 octaves below Middle C up to G) no levers. $999.95 Cherry, $799.95 Laminated Mahogany Unfinished : Save $250.00 |
 | The "BARD" similar to the Trinity but smaller and easier to carry around. Not as big a sound but just as clear and round in tone. With one octave below Middle C up to a high G it's a perfect Beginner's harp for a Folk Musician. Small and almost as portable as the Druid (see below). 26 Strings 30 inches tall, about 10 pounds 3 1/2 octaves $849.95 cherry, $649.95 Laminate Mahogany Unfinished : save 200.00 Hear the Bard being played |
 | The "DRUID" with only 3 notes below Middle C some musicians will find the 3 octave range a little limiting, but this is the PERFECT Harp for Singers and Story Tellers who need a simple harp for accompaniment and maximum portability. 22 Strings only 27 inches tall, weighs only 8 pounds 3 octaves (G to G starting just below Middle C) $699.95 cherry, $499.95 mahogany Unfinished: save $150.00 |
 Mahogany plywood harp. Note blank shield ready for inscription of player's name, maker's The shield is part of ALL my harps. It reinforces the joint where all the string tension wants to bend the neck over. Ancient Harps used a brass plate for this. | Materials Cherrywood for the body of the wire harps; I love the warm reddish brown color and the way it gets darker, redder and deeper with age. Cherry gives excellent volume and a bright lively tone. I sometimes use walnut when it's available; it's not as loud, but the darker sound is cleaner. It costs more and takes longer. Laminated Mahogany (plywood) is something I had to overcome some prejudice before I started using, but the volume, resonance, and tone are excellent, and although it is a little on the soft side, the plywood layers add incredible strength and lightness. It saves me so many man hours that it costs a lot less for the best sound you could imagine. The soundboards are made of a 1/4" birch/spruce plywood with paper thin birch veneer on either side of a solid core of spruce, result: sounds like spruce, strong like maple. Other harp makers use 1/8: 3 ply birch, thinking the thinness will give more vibration, but I found that the bass booms too much and the sound is not balanced. It's also too thin for the stress of the wire strings. The 1/4" sound boards are just as loud but a great improvement in sound. |
 | Unfinished Harps (click here to see larger photo) THIS IS NOT A KIT: YOU don't glue anything together. If you're interested in painting, burning or carving your own designs, or just saving money. I can completely construct the harp and send it with all the strings and hardware. Since sanding and finishing is a substantial part of the work, I can offer a substantial discount. Approximately 25 to 30%. After you're done Lacquering the Harp here is a set of Stringing Instructions on how to mount the hardware and put the strings on a brand new harp. Nothing makes you feel like the harp is really yours more than having a hand in finishing it. |
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Dreamsinger Harps
3407 Arbor Rd, Lakewood, CA 90712
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