A harp is a type of stringed instrument. The harp's plane of strings is positioned in a perpendicular fashion to the sound board, unlike most other instruments where the sound board and the strings are affixed in a parallel fashion. As many other non percussion based instruments, the harp is capable of being used as a percussion instrument as well. All harps have the same basic elements, which include a neck, strings and a resonator. Some harps, known primarily as frame harps, also have what is known as a forepillar. The types of harps that are lacking this element are simply known as open harps.

Depending on the size of the harp, and harps can vary considerably in size, a harp is capable of being played while it is being held in the lap, or it is capable of being played while it stands on the floor.

Harp strings are typically made out of nylon, which is sometimes wound about copper wire, or gut, which is commonly used more often than nylon. Strings may also be made out of silk or wire as well.

When a person plays the harp, they are referred to as a harpist or harper. Celtic and Folk musicians often prefer the term harper. Classical musicians and pedal musicians on the other hand tend to prefer the term harpist.

There are various different types of harps located all throughout the world. You can find various types of harps located in Europe, Africa, North America and South America, and you can even find some specialized versions of the harp in Asia. When it comes to antiquity, harps and lyres, closely related instruments, were both very prominent in nearly every musical culture, but unfortunately it seems that the harp lost a lot of its popularity during the early part of the 19th century. This is when Western musical composers decided that the harp was primarily an instrument for women, mainly after Marie Antoinette popularized it as an activity that women could participate in.

There are a number of different types of harps out there. The wind harp or Aeolian harp, the lyre and the auto harp are not necessarily considered to be traditional harps, and this is because their strings are not built to be perpendicular to the instrument's soundboard in the way that is characteristic of a traditional harm. They are instead part of an instrument family known as he zither family of instruments, which is actually the same family of instruments where you will find the harpsichord and the piano. Sometimes the harmonica is referred to as the blues harp, but it is not a harp at all because it is a free reed woodwind instrument rather than a stringed instrument as is characteristic of harps.

Photo Credits: James Jordan

Originally posted 2009-09-14 03:15:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Acoustic Musical Instruments, Harps, Instrument History

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19th century, africa north, antiquity, basic elements, classical musicians, copper wire, europe africa, harp strings, harpist, lyre, marie antoinette, musical composers, musical culture, nylon strings, parallel fashion, percussion instrument, resonator, stringed instrument, types of harps, wind harp