String Strategies for Summertime or Anytime - PHH 161

You have to realize that in theory, every string on the harp is not only a different length, but it's also a different width. So that when you put a string that's too thick or too thin on the harp, it might not sound right.

Welcome to the Practicing Harp Happiness Podcast. I'm Ann Sullivan, a harpist on a mission to empower every harpist to experience more harp happiness. Over my decades long harp journey, I've had lots of successes and more than a few failures. And I know firsthand what it's like to feel that playing the harp the way you want may not be possible for you. Now, I play and teach all over the world, and I know what most harpists are never taught the secrets to gaining the skills and confidence you need to play the harp with beauty, freedom and joy. That's what the Practicing Harp Happiness Podcast is all about. Showing you simple steps to help you play the music you want the way you want. If you're an experienced harpist looking for that next level, or a harp newbie anxious to avoid the pitfalls, or a harpist who just wants more fulfillment and a little encouragement, you're in the right place, my friend. So let's get started.

First, I want to let you in on something special. I think the most important thing you can do for your harp playing is to develop the habits that lead to success. Whatever that looks like for you. All of us want to learn how to play the harp beautifully, how to play with confidence and enjoy making music. And if you really want to learn those things, videos are great. But live learning is essential. You need to be able to ask questions and get answers. You can't do that with just a video, which is what makes the My Harp Mastery community so special. My Harp Mastery membership is for those who really want an online experience that lets them learn at their own pace and learn what they want and be able to learn live from expert coaches every single week. Plus, you get to connect with other harpists in the community who have the same desires for their playing. This is not only a powerful learning platform, but it's also the most generous community of harpists anywhere on the planet. They're harpists with a positive outlook, a growth mindset, and a spirit of support for their fellow harpists on the journey with them. We're ready for you. Join us just go to harpmastery.comjoin-now that's harpmastery.com join now. Welcome to the show. They say that only two things in life are certain death and taxes. But if you're A harpist, you know, there is a third certainty. At some point, often at the wrong point, you're going to break a string. I remember one performance with my flutist friend Joan, when one of my high strings broke as I played it at the end of a glissando, near the end of a piece we were playing. When we had finished the piece, I began to change the string while she joked with the audience that the string had broken on time and in tune. We'd been playing concerts together for years at that point, so she also gave the harp talk to the audience while I finished changing and tuning the string. Not all string breakage is so convenient, of course. A few years ago, I was playing a big flashy solo piece as part of a program with various performers. The piece was Salzedo's variation on a theme in the old style. The piece is in G major and it's about 12 minutes long. Well, I was less than a minute into the piece when I broke the last string. I would have expected to break the lowest wire G string on the harp. In many pieces that wouldn't have been an issue. But this string was part of every variation from beginning to end, and in fact it was in the last chord of the piece. It was critical. Two thoughts flashed simultaneously through my mind. First, I'm going to have to stop and fix this string. Second, I had not only broken a string, but I had broken the most important rule for any harpist playing in anywhere. Instead of having all my strings with me backstage, I had left my wire string set in my car, which was in the parking garage a couple of blocks away. Not good. Now, while a broken string is a fact of every harpist life, it doesn't have to be a disaster even in a performance, as long as you have the right replacement string and you know how to tie the all important knot. On today's show, we'll review string care, string storage, the different kinds of strings and which to choose for your harp. And I'll even give you some knot tying tips, all of which are really important as we in here in the northern hemisphere come into high summer, which is a season of high string breakage. Now, how did I resolve my broken string dilemma? Well, here's a hint. It was solved in a most surprising and simple way and without running to the parking garage. I'll tell you the whole story later in the show. As they say. Stay tuned. Summer is a great time to be relaxed, to switch up your practice routine, to have a lot of flexibility in your practice, and of course It's a great time to plan ahead for the fall. Now, if you're like me, summertime seems just so relaxed even when it's busy, that I tend to forget that as soon as the autumn hits, I'm going to be back in full on mode again. And time is going to go very quickly. So I want to make this suggestion. One of the best things that you can do now in the summer is to plan ahead for some time in the autumn when you can be focused, when you can spend some time focusing on your harp playing and getting some clarity, some you time, just you and your harp. And that's why I want to invite you to register for our fall retreat. It's happening in October in the Orlando, Florida area and we'll be able to have some time together for you and your harp. This little island of serenity. Before all the madness of the holiday season sets in, you'll be able to come, get everything ready, clear the decks for a few days and just sit with your harp. Refresh what you need to refresh, get ready what you need to get ready. We'll have some terrific workshops to help you do that. We'll probably be having a holiday music workshop as well. So you'll be able to bring your holiday repertoire and we can tweak it, add to it, organize it, help you plan your practice from then until the holidays. We'll also be working on performance tips and practice tips, technique, all those good things that are part of a harp mastery retreat. And now is the time to plan. Don't wait until the fall when you think, oh no, I'm already too busy and I don't have time to just sit with my harp and get everything in place for myself. Plan for it now. So you can use the link in the show notes to hop over and register for the retreat, or you can just go to heartmastery.com, look under upcoming events and you'll see the fall retreat there with all the information that you need. I would love for you to join us. As always, spots are limited. There's still space right now, but there won't be as we get closer to September. And in fact, these things usually fill up pretty quickly. So don't hesitate, make plans to have that focus. Time for you and your harp. Right now to start our discussion on strings. We probably ought to start with what your strings are made of. Now, strings used to be made of one of two sorts of materials. They used to be either metal or gut. I mean, there were some other options, I suppose but metal strings were terrific because they were thin and they were very durable. Gut strings got a warmer sound. So a lot of the Renaissance instruments and folk instruments, certainly like the Irish Klairsach, these were strung with metal strings and they were solid metal strings, you know, just plain old wire sort of. And gut strings, yes, they are made from gut, but they, they have a warmer sound. They don't necessarily last as long being, you know, organic sort of materials. They're very responsive to changes in temperature and humidity. And if you have any gut strings on your harp, you know that they're very temperamental, not so much now as they used to be. I mean, we've got some really good manufacturing processes that really help make the gut strings more consistent and a little bit temperature and humidity resistant. But they're breathing sorts of things and they absorb moisture and they, they dry out and they stretch and they shrink, and so they're very responsive. Of course, when nylon strings came along, this was a great thing because nylon, being a synthetic, had a much longer lifespan. These strings are much more durable and, and yet they're different than metal strings. They don't have the same sort of metallic sound as a metal core string. So gut and nylon both have been around for a long time. Metal strings, those solid core strings, they're very good for small harps. The metal strings that those of us with bigger harps have, they're a metal core that's wrapped with cotton or silk and then wrapped again with wire, kind of like a spring. These are the same kinds of strings that guitarists and violinists and cellists use. And these strings are good for the longer, thicker kinds of strings that we want on bigger harps as opposed to those thinner wire strings. Now, of course, there are other synthetic strings as well. There are carbon fiber strings, composite strings. They've got the vegan sugar strings that they've got now. So we have a lot of choices. Four strings. And so does it matter what kind you use? Well, yes, it may. Now, every harp comes from its manufacturer with a specific set of strings on it. And each manufacturer will usually recommend the same kinds of strings that they've put on your harp. So if you order a harp from this maker, it's going to come with a particular brand of strings, and they will tell you what the string brand is and they'll make suggestions, questions for, you know, where to get those strings so that you can use the same strings. Now, is that the only string you're locked into? Well, no. For instance, there, you know, there are harps that come with nylon strings on them, and you might want to replace them with gut. And in general, that's fine. But here are some things to consider.

You have to consider two things, in fact. The string gauge or its width, and the tension that the string needs to sound good. So, for instance, a nylon string versus a gut string. When it comes to very short strings, nylon is really preferable because it just lasts so much longer. There's so much stress put on a little short string that the nylon string will have a more resonant sound and, and will last longer. Doesn't mean you can't use a gut string there. But a lot of people prefer nylon for the very short strings. Longer strings, though, think about the c below middle C. Those longer strings can often sound sort of flabby and loose. With a nylon string, we don't always get the right tension to make that nylon sound exactly right. So the length of the string might help you determine what string material sounds best. Now, when you're talking about a choice between gut or nylon, or maybe one of those other synthetics, maybe a carbon fiber string or maybe, you know, a sugar string, when you're looking at one of those kinds of choices, you're really looking at the idea of durability and the idea of sound. How is it going to sound on your harp?

But one of the things your harp manufacturer, particularly if you have a folk harp, One of the things your manufacturer will tell you is what the right gauge should be for that string. You have to realize that in theory, every string on the harp is not only a different length, but it's also a different width. So that when you put a string that's too thick or too thin on. On the harp, it might not sound right. So most, the most sets of strings. If you just order a set of strings from Bo brand or from Vanderbilt or from the Atlanta harp Center, if you just have a brand of strings that, that you get, they're pretty well adjusted for the kind of harp that they were meant to be put on. But certain manufacturers have very specific string gauge requirements, and some of them even tell you what string gauge to get. And that's where you want to be a little bit careful, because you'll notice that a thicker string won't sound as resonant, it won't sound the same, and a thinner string may be likely to break. So does it matter which brand you use? Not necessarily. But you want to be sure that you're using something that has approximately the same string gauge. I will tell you also that My regulator can tell if I have changed brands of strings because he'll say, well, oh gosh, are you using something different? I'll say, well, yeah, I switched, switched brands of strings this last time. And he'll say, ah, that's why everything was just a tiny bit off. So that's how sensitive even concert harps can be to string gauge. That's what you want to pay attention to. You don't need to know your numbers, but you just need to know that, particularly if you're dealing with a small harp where there's so much variety between manufacturers, be very aware of the strings that your manufacturer recommends and try those out. That doesn't mean that you can't switch between kinds of strings. Oh, I want to try some nylon, I want to try some gut. I want to try this, I want to try that. That's okay. But be aware that you're looking for a string that's pretty much the same thickness. And you might need to, to experiment a little bit and see what really works well on your harp. Maybe one of the things you wonder about is how often you should change your strings. Well, obviously you're going to change them when they break, but beyond that, even if they're not broken, sometimes they just stop sounding right. This is why, if you're getting your harp regulated, a regulator will usually ask you to change at least the first octave, the top octave, and maybe even the top two octaves worth of strings. Change those top two octaves just so that the strings are new enough that they can get an accurate regulation. What happens to strings as we use them and as the strings age is that they develop little nicks and flaws along the string, and this can cause them to sound false. If you've ever heard somebody talk about a false string, that's what it is. It's a string that is no longer.

The exact same width from top to bottom. It's got nicks, it's got wear and tear. And what happens is that when a string is not its usual beautiful.

Beautifully calibrated self, it doesn't vibrate evenly. Now, you can't always see this. Sometimes you can, and I'll tell you that in a second. But you can hear it because that string will be really hard to tune. Sometimes it'll sound like it's sharp and then it'll sound like it's flat. And even when your tuner says it's in tune, it still doesn't sound in tune. That's one way to tell a false string. Now, if you have A long string on your harp, and it's a false string. It's kind of interesting. You can see it because when you play it, the vibration won't be that beautiful smooth vibration that we usually see from side to side, but it'll look like the string is wobbling. That's a visual sign of a false string. Now, you don't have to change a string just because it's false. Sometimes those strings can still sound good. And sometimes a string that's false is only false because it's absorbed humidity on a really humid day. And as soon as the weather dries out, it's going to be fine again. That would be a gut string, right? So you don't have to change it just because it's sounding false. But if you have a string that's frustrating you because you can't ever get it in tune, that's a good time to change that string.

If you have gut strings, too, you might have noticed that from time to time they start fraying.

I just trim those little hairs off. I take a nail clipper and I just trim those little hairs off. Because if the string still sounds good, you can just give it a little haircut and you won't have to replace it with another expensive gut string. Eventually it will be too worn or will start to actually unravel, in which case it's going to break and you need to change it. But I don't like to change expensive strings before I have to. So I learned from my teacher, I just give it a little haircut, being careful not to actually cut the string, just to cut the hair off so it doesn't vibrate and sizzle. But then I continue to play on the string as long as it still sounds good. So when are you going to change them? When they break? When you're going to get your harp regulated, or when the strings no longer sound good to you? Fair enough. Right. Now, while we can't help when a string decides to break and sometimes it seems totally random, there are things we can do when it comes to the weather changes and particularly the weather concerns of summer. So depending on where you live, you're going to have some different issues to work with. But if you are in a part of the country where the humidity soars the summer, then that's something that you want to control. And you probably already know this, because not only is it not good for your harp, but it's going to send your strings just into a major tizzy. First of all, they'll go out of tune. Really Fast and then when you tune them up, they'll start to break. And there are sometimes when the weather changes in the summer and it gets very humid. I live in the Philadelphia area and believe me, it's humid here. And there are some days where every morning I come downstairs and I've got a broken string someplace or other, a string that I didn't know was going to break. It just popped overnight. So the biggest thing that you can do to prevent that kind of breakage is just to keep your harp in a humidity controlled environment. For most of us around where I live anyway, that means just keeping the air conditioner on so that the, the house stays relatively dry. You know, you don't want your harp to dry out, that's not the point. But to keep the humidity comfortable. I heard somebody describe it once that if the humidity is comfortable for you, it's probably comfortable for your harp. So the humidity changes also cause your strings to panic. So keeping your harp in a fairly constant, humidity controlled, temperature controlled environment is a really good thing to help your strings last longer. Obviously, this kind of thing is more a problem for gut strings than for, you know, inorganic kinds of strings, right? If your strings are synthetic or if they're metal, they're going to be much less bothered by humidity changes. So the gut strings are the ones that really suffer here. You might find after you practice that your hands have been sweating and if you feel like your strings are getting sticky, you can wipe them off after you play with a very slightly damp cloth. Very slightly damp. And for gut strings, you want to dry them again right away because you don't want them to absorb that extra humidity because you know what happens when they absorb the humidity, right? They might break, sure. But before that, they will probably be false and they won't sound good. It'll be really hard to tune. So you don't want your strings to stay wet that you don't want. Remember to keep your harp in tune daily. It's more important in humid, hot, humid weather. Even with the air conditioners on, it's more important than ever. So you really want to do that. A harp that is kept in tune stays in tune better. And then the third element of good summer string care, have extra strings on hand. Don't wait until your string breaks to order it. You want to start summer with a really complete set of strings so that you know that if something breaks, you can replace it right then. And then once you've replaced it, go ahead and order a replacement for that string so that you're not going to get caught short. There's nothing worse than having to overnight a string just because you need it to play.

Who needs that extra expense, right? Or a day or two even without playing, just because that string is one you really need. So be sure you have spares. One of the best ideas that you can do. I mean, obviously, if you have a full set of strings, it's perfect, right? You've got one replacement string for whichever one breaks. That's great. But. But if that seems like too much or it's too much of an investment, for right now, you can have what we call a skeleton set. This is also great to just take along with you if you have to go somewhere you don't want to be without strings, right? Remember my story, you don't want to be without strings. So have that skeleton set. So what's a skeleton set? You want to have all the F's and C's for your heart, because they're the colored ones, they're the black ones and the red ones. And we really use those to tell ourselves where we are on the harp. So you want every F and every C. And having the wire strings, a complete set of wire strings, is also a good idea. But in general, if you have the Fs and the Cs, you can make do with one string between each F and C. So for instance, the C and the F. If in between the C and the F, if you have either the E or the D that belongs to that octave, that's okay because those strings are going to be close enough in gauge that if you have an E and the D breaks, you could put the E on in place of the D. Or you could, if you have a D and the E breaks, you could put the D on in place of the E. So you can have either a D or an E string, and that will do at least in a pinch. And then in between the F and the C, if you have an A string. The A string obviously is good if your A breaks, but it could also substitute in a pinch for the G or the B. Is it exactly the right string? No. On some harps it is. Some harps the gauge will be absolutely identical. But on any harp, the gauge between the A and the two strings next to it is close enough that you can make do. And you can use that A as a substitute for either one of those strings if you need. So that cuts down almost by half the amount of strings that you need to have on hand. But you do need to have those you don't want to be caught short with a little gap in your harp where a string used to be and no string to replace it with. There are easy ways to store your strings, too. Right. You can keep them in special string binders. I keep mine sorted by octaves in plastic bags. And then I take my plastic bags and I put those octave by octave into. Actually, I have one of the large harp mastery pouches and I keep all my strings in there. So my strings are always there, they're always ready to go. And I've always got them with me, believe me. Even the wire strings I keep in my bag, I'm not making that mistake twice. So it's just, you know, it's easy and it's just part of, you know, being a harp player. You've got to have extra strings on hand so you're prepared. You've got your strings, you've got that skeleton set or a full set of strings, and then the inevitable happens and the string breaks. Are you ready to change it? Well, you need to gather everything you need, write your new string, and you'll need your tuning key. And you'll need some snippers, some cutters, some scissors, some wire cutters, whatever works for the string you've got. And you may want a string end or a little toggle to put in the knot to keep those smaller strings from slipping through.

But most of all, you need to know how to tie the knot. Now, I will say that they now have those little buttons that you can use instead of having to tie a knot. And they might. They came out for folk harps, but they may work really well on your harp, so you can give those a try. Me, I'm old school. I am. You know, I've been tying these knots since I was a kid and it's worth learning to tie the knot. There are videos all over the place online about how to tie these knots. And you can absolutely, and you should, if you've never done it, watch these videos. You can read instructions from a book, too, but the videos are really helpful. Have somebody show you, have your teacher show you, have a friend show you. But learn how to tie the knot. And practice, practice tying the knot. Take a piece of fishing line or an old string and just tie the knot and get used to tying the knot. My. My friend Karen Gottlieb used to recommend string licorice. Do you remember the. The old kind of, you know, shoestring licorice? Well, you could do that. And it'll make your fingers a little Sticky. But after you've tied the knot, then you get to chew that knot off and start over. Hmm, yummy. So that could be kind of fun. But whatever it is that you decide to practice with, and an old string is ideal, by the way, because it's going to give you some kind of real life practice. You want to learn how to tie the knot. So go ahead and figure that out and practice it, and then you've got your tools, you've got your instructions, you're all set. The last thing I want to tell you about is the thing that many instruction books about string changing forget to tell you. Put the string through the sounding board first. You don't want to tie the knot sitting at the kitchen table. And then take it over to the harp and try to thread that string through the back of the harp. That's the hard way. Thread the string through the harp from the top, right, the part you can see through the soundboard first, pull it throughout the hole in the back, then tie the knot, and then you can easily get on your way and put the string through the tuning pin and tune it all up and all that good stuff. So do learn how to tie that knot, watch the videos, read the instruction books, gather your tools, put the string through the sounding board first, tie the knot, and you are good to go. Well, I hope our little chat today might have given you answers to questions you had about harp strings, about what they were made of, how to care for them, and what to do when they break all that good stuff. And now all that's left is for me to tell you the end of my harp story, My harp broken strings story. So if you recall, there I am on stage, a broken string. I know that I cannot go on without repairing this string, and all my strings are in the car in the parking garage. So what did I do? Well, I stood up, stopped playing, of course, stood up and spoke to the audience, saying that, you know, I have a broken string and my strings are not right off stage with me. It's going to take a little bit for me to repair this, and so I will have to go and do that now. Well, this caused a mild panic among one of the concert organizers who stood up from the audience and very quickly said, oh, you know what? I think the group that was going to play next after intermission, I think they're here and they're already ready. So let's take the harp off stage and let's bring the next group on and they'll play while you take care of the String. And I said, that was wonderful. So we get the harp off stage, and then the discussions start. Fortunately, a friend of mine was there. Now, this happened at Penn State University and State College, Pennsylvania. And the friend who was backstage was one of the. The big wigs in the music department there. And he said, you know, why don't we check out the university harp downstairs? It might be in terrible shape because nobody's really been playing it very much, but let's just see. And then if that harp won't work, then you can, you know, go get your. Go get your strings. I said, okay. So we went downstairs, and fortunately, that harp had actually been played just that day for an orchestra rehearsal. And it was pretty well in tune, and it had all its strings. Now, it was a different model. It was a style 23, a Lion Healy style 23. And I was playing a Salzato model. They're pretty comparable, but, you know, there are slight differences that made a difference in a piece like the Salzato Variations. So anyway, get that harp in shape. And I had, oh, five minutes to play on it, and then the other group was done. Intermission had happened, and it was my turn to play. So we put the harp on the stage, and then I started over again and played the piece without. Without much problem, certainly without any other broken strings, and was very pleased to get to the end of it, of course. But not only did I get through the performance fine, but the audience had a terrific story. I still run into people who say, oh, you're the harpist. You were there, I was there, and you broke that string and you came back and you had a different harp and you played. It was a lot of fun for the audience, more fun for them than for me, but it was an adventure in its own right. But lesson learned. And not that I hadn't told my students this over and over and over again, but just. Just, you know, have your strings with you. All the strings. So that was my story. In the show notes for today's episode, you will find a link to a blog post from our archives called what's yous SPF String Protection Formula, and it has a couple more tips and suggestions for getting your strings through the summer season. Also in the show notes, of course, you'll find the link to register for our fall retreat. Add some focus to your fall, and you can plan for that now so it doesn't sneak up on you. I'd love to have you join me at our fall retreat next week Here on the podcast. I have a special guest one of our certified coaches, Candice Lark. Candace and I have known each other for a very long time and been wonderful friends and colleagues for years, and she has a special topic she's going to come and talk with us about, and it's this the three mistakes that harpists make when it comes to gigs and of course, how you can avoid those mistakes. She has been a performing harpist for a long time and has seen it all, and she shares some really fun stories with us on the podcast next week. So don't miss that. My special guest, Candice Lark. And until we speak again next week, remember, every day is a day you can add more harp happiness to the universe, to your world, and to your spirit. And all you have to do is play. Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you next time.

Thanks for tuning into another episode of the Practicing Harp Happiness Podcast. I release a new episode every Monday morning so you can hit your practice week running. Until then, remember to practice your harp happiness every day. See you next time.