TapTheForwardAssist posted:

??? It's the very first subforum in the main section: http://forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=c5883afa6213f75ce5b32b761e52e953 100% whistle-talk, all the time.

[editing out the ocarina stuff]


Not to cock-block your sale, but "lap harp" is used for two totally different things. Of the two pics below, I assume yours is like the upper:





If the upper, just note that there a ton of cheap Russian lap harps/psalteries/zithers of this type (though the pic is a nicer expensive model of the same thing), so if yours is a cheapie they don't sell for much. Also, though they're not necessarily bad instruments, I have trouble getting excited about them, but if anyone's interested in getting one, definitely cruise around YouTube looking up "lap harp" or "zither" and see if you like what you hear.

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZbdxhTggu4&feature=related Finnish tune on an inexpensive lap harp. I just like the actual Finnish kantele (first post) more.


For folk interested in the upright/Celtic lap harp, here's what little I know. I've dicked around with them, but nothing serious (I play Anglo-Saxon lyre instead, more on that if anyone is interested).

There are, like most instruments mentioned above, lovely Pakistani ones floating around eBay, but the main inexpensive but reputable maker of Celtic harps in the US appears to be Harpsicle. List price $399, whereas a Dusty Strings small harp of similar type is a $695 (though admittedly a very nice harp).



I've read up various harp forums, and the general agreement is that of the various <$500 harps, Harpsicle is one of the only ones worth recommending. I've noticed that the few people advising against Harpsicle aren't so much against the make, as objecting to buying something other than "a floor-length harp with a bunch of strings and sharping levers", or in some cases, basically implying "what you really want is a massive Classical pedal-harp"

Speaking not as a harpist, but as a general musician, I kind of object to that perspective. While a 26-string with no sharping levers (or some levers) is less versatile and impressive than the huge harps, an affordable but sturdy harp with good sound that fits in the lap isn't necessarily an inferior choice. Hell, a lot of the history of the harp has been made on lap-sized harps with no sharping levers, and folks got by for centuries with that. If you want to play folk music, or improvised/artsy modern stuff, a Harpsicle is probably a good first instrument. Not great for jazz or classical, but plenty good for getting started on Celtic, etc, and at a price point most noobs can save up to.



Definitely do your research to make sure that a small harp is good for your purposes, but do know that there are some affordable, simple options.


Clips:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUYTPDeJ3Pk Dude doing some awesome stuff in alternate tunings on a harpsicle
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGfsoX0fT4g Girl playing Renaissance music on a harpsicle
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFV8gHFvQ4M An Irish tune on a Dusty Strings entry-level harp