12-string Baby Harp, played by David Kettlewell

[ViewtoForever]

Ah, you make it look so...casual! I'm very jealous. :)

I bought a 12 string for kicks...last year sometime...just as an instrument to plunk with. It's really, really fun...and seeing that it's capable of playing music that really is just...well nice..

Well that's nice too. Aha. You're a fine player. :)

[davidtheharper]

I've found that younger children can be satisfied with 12 strings for a while; otherwise the MidEast Pixie is the smallest which is satisfying, and that really is a lovely instrument: $250 from Amazon; but if you can get a some friends together or a shop and can buy 4, Pakistan Music & Co have a very nice 22 string model for less than $100 including shipping. The strings are a bit thin, but if you tune them 4 or 5 notes higher they're fine: that makes the colours wrong, but you get used to it.

[HerrCrowmann]

Just a quick question...basically I'd love to start playing the harp, and I've been looking on a website called the Early Music Shop where they sell 12-string harps like the one in this video for a cheap enough price. My question is: do you think that the 12-string is a good size for a beginner? I suppose any higher might be a bit tricky/expensive! I can't afford much I'm afraid! Thanks! Beautiful playing, by the way. Maybe I can be that good one day!

[HerrCrowmann]

Just a quick question...basically I'd love to start playing the harp, and I've been looking on a website called the Early Music Shop where they sell 12-string harps like the one in this video for a cheap enough price. My question is: do you think that the 12-string is a good size for a beginner? I suppose any higher might be a bit tricky/expensive! I can't afford much I'm afraid! Thanks! Beautiful playing, by the way. Maybe I can be that good one day!

[davidtheharper]

Play around with 12 white notes on a piano and see what you can get out of them: are aren't many tunes that use more than 12 notes, and plenty use only 8 so you can play them on a Lily harp: but with 12 notes you have more room to move, to get harmonies or chords, even a bit of a bass: but the music I've recorded shows much more than you can say in words. For serious playing over a longer period, I would say the 19-string Pixie is the place to start: but Lily and Baby give you a good taste ...

[29Kyora]

im not an expert on harps...but how many songs can a 12-stringed baby harp??

[davidtheharper]

- it's the original nylon; but there's lots of difference between different kinds of nylon strings. If yours sounds different from what you hear on these videos, if it's the same model, Mid East 'Baby', and if it's a while since it was bought, then you might try new strings, I believe they changed suppliers recently; otherwise if you'd like a comment based on your sound, you could upload a video or send a sound file: at the web-site AHarpAtEveryHearth