THE HARP

There's a musical instrument that has always fascinated me, and today the sun shines on the elegant Harp.

Archaeological evidence tells us that stringed instruments, like harps, lyres and lutes, originated in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) and Egypt around 4000 B.C.  These instruments most likely evolved from hunting bows whose strings vibrated and produced sound.

In spiritual contexts, the HARP symbolizes heavenly worship.  It's a common symbol in Christian tradition, where angels are depicted playing harps in heaven.  In some interpretations, the harp represents a mystic bridge between heaven and earth by which one can rise to higher levels of peace and love.

The psalterion, a stringed, plucked instrument, was an ancient Greek harp.  Psalterion was a general word for harps in the latter part of the 4th century B.C.  It meant 'plucking instrument.'  The word "harp" originates from the German, Old Norse and Anglo Saxon words meaning 'to pluck.' 

• Some harp frames have a body that was carved from one single piece of wood.
• The three main parts of a harp are the neck, the sound box and the strings.
  
• Each string produces one note.  The thicker and longer a string, the lower the pitch it produces.  The lower notes are generally placed furthest from the harpist, while the higher notes are closer.
• Concert Pedal Harps are the largest and most common types, used in orchestral settings.  They typically have 47 strings and seven pedals that allow for a wide range of pitches.  Concert-grand pedal harps are the largest harps and stand just over six feet tall.
• Lever Harps, known as Irish or Celtic harps, have fewer strings than concert pedal harps, typically from 19 to 40.
• Smaller harps, like lap harps, can have as few as 14 strings.
•  Harp strings are sometimes color-coded, with C strings typically red and F strings black or blue.  This is to help harpists visually recognize them.  The more strings generally mean a wider range of notes and more flexibility for playing different types of music.  Of the 47 orchestral stringed harp, 6 are red and 6 are black or blue.  The D, E, G, A and B strings are white.
• On a harp, octaves are counted downward from the top end (where the strings are the shortest). 
• The harp is meant to be played using the thumbs and first three fingers of each hand.  Harpists don't use their little pinky fingers, as they're not long enough.
• Harpists typically sit with the harp positioned between their legs, with the instrument leaning onto their right shoulder.  The right hand typically plays the higher notes on the right side of the harp, and the left hand plays the lower notes on the left side of the harp.  The harpist should be able to reach the strings comfortably with both hands without having to reach across the body.
• Throughout history, the graceful sound of the harp has fascinated listeners across different cultures and continents.  The harmonious and sustained tones create an atmosphere of serenity and tranquility, inviting the listener to enter a state of deep relaxation. 

I have been in Sorrow's kitchen 

and licked out all the pots. 

 Then I have stood on the peaky mountain

 wrapped in rainbows,

 with a harp and a sword 

in my hands.

 ~Zora Neale Hurston

♭♮♯

And tears are heard 

within the harp

I touch.  

~Petrarch