Q & A with a harpist

Aren’t most harps bigger?

Harps come in a variety of sizes from having just a few strings to 47. The large orchestral harps (pedal harps) can weigh up to 95 lbs. My primary harp has 36 strings or 5 octaves, enough to play most music. It only weighs about 20 lbs.

Is that a harpsichord?

A harpsichord is a keyboard instrument, a precursor to the piano.

Is that an autoharp?

It’s a small harp. An autoharp is strummed and has a set of chord bars to make playing the right notes easier.

Do you ever wish you played the flute?

No but I wish I had $5 for every time someone asked me that…

Are you a harpist or should I call you a harpy?

I prefer the term “harper”. Just don’t ask me to play outside in the rain!

Can you play “Stairway to Heaven”? Yep.

Did you know that King David played the harp?

No I’ve never heard that! By the way, none of my clients have ever thrown a spear at me.

Do you ever wish that you played the flute?