Beginner's Corner: The Harp

Modern harps are large triangle-shaped instruments that generally have a wood frame. A harp stands just over six feet tall and weighs approximately 80 pounds. They have 47 strings and a range of 6 1/2 octaves. The base of the harp has seven pedals (one for each note A through G), which are used to change the pitch of the instrument. For example, when the pedals are up, the C string actually sounds as C flat. Pressing the pedal down halfway makes it a C natural and pressing it all the way down creates a C sharp.

A musician who plays the harp is called a harpist. To make it easier for a harpist to find the correct notes, all of the C strings are red, and all of the F strings are black or blue. The harpist tilts the instrument back so it rests on the right shoulder. A harpist plucks the strings with four fingers on each hand; the little fingers are not used.

An orchestra usually has one harpist although some large works use two harp players. Holst wrote parts for two harpists for "The Planets". Franz Lizst, Giacomo Puccini, and Claude Debussy are other composers who wrote for the harp.

Although the harp is primarily considered a classical instrument, there have been a few famous jazz harpists, including Dorothy Ashby, an American pianist who eventually made the harp her main instrument. In the 1960s, she toured the U.S. and was one of the best jazz performers.