high-heeled harps (?)

Tried to explain to a pupil last night the difference between high-headed and low-headed harps!
The bass strings on her harp sounded 'plinky-plonky'. The Keighley news once wrote an article on me saying that I was playing my 'high-heeled' harps...hmmm! - not quite!

High-headed - the strings get longer and longer to get the bass but you end up with a vulnerable high point at the front that twists.

Low-headed - the classic 'swan-neck' shape - use wrapped strings that don't need to be so long and there is less chance of twisting.

My harps are all high-headed as I like the tone better - more like a double bass! Also no chance of twisting as there are strings on each side and it's perfectly balanced.

Other news - we have managed to pull the old BT van shed up from the bottom of the field with the tractor - shows how frozen the ground is still (remember this place isn't called Marsh for nothing!) Getting the lambing shed ready and getting the hens back in their pens. Sorry cockrells...!

the steep learning curve

I have nearly given up so many times and yesterday was one of them. I tuned Origin-Al in the morning and then had to set off for a routine hospital visit for Dave. Monday is cleaning day so it was several hours of getting all the mud back outside before I finally went into the music room to sit down and get some recording done. There was a small splilt on the side where I had glued the corner of the 2 soundboards - arghhhhh. Nothing for it but to loosen off 3 octaves of strings (inner and outer on each side) and re-glue.... (approx 1 week's work) I then thought I would practice on Recyc-Al. Whilst tuning I managed to break the 'f' string.... (approx 1 week to get in tune again).

My problem has always been that to get the sound I wanted I would have to commission a harp maker - £12,000 'conservative' estimate... (and they all pointed out that as it had never been done before it might not work).

So ... I set off to design and make my own harps. With no training/support/equipment and no time to train (4 children!) I have literally had to teach myself everything I know. Living far out in the sticks and having no babysitters often meant I had to forage in the outbuildings of the farm for any useful bits and bats (the first harp was made out of a shelving unit)...

(Thanks to my husband at this stage who has stepped in and is presently making my first-ever 'proper' harp - roll on next summer...)

I had an email this week - 'WANTED' £20,000 approx to buy a violin - has a place at Music College but at present is borrowing a violin which has to be given back.... I am not the only one!!!

VSCC hill climb

My nose was so cold I could hardly breathe by 4.30 pm. Luckily this was on the way back from the last hill so it didn't matter and I had the most perfect day being driven around between the sections in my son's vintage car. I had to get out of the car for the sections because I hadn't got there early enough to sign in as an official passenger but to be honest it looked quite scarey! (for me anyway - as my boys will tell you I drive very sedately...) When the boys were about 11 I was left an old car that had failed its MOT and I let them drive it around the farm. They completely wrecked it but had so much fun and became quite good at getting it up the boggiest field, up quite a steep gradient - with no tyres on!!!!

The weather is perfect again up here but still no gardening - the ground is completely frozen still! As I write there are noises coming from the chimney - honestly sounds like there is a herd of elephants up there. I presume it is crows trying to nest as there is loads of soot coming down as well. I will have to sweep the chimney today...

St Patrick's Day

I was invited via Facebook to a St Patrick's Day... in Gibraltar! How cool would that be? Not sure where I am playing this year yet.

I was given advice for my little 'woodpecker' friend. I am going to hang a bird feeder out of the window with an old nesting box and lower it till it is on the house wall! Easier said than done but worth a try. Will keep you posted. Am also going to try and fathom out last year's Valentine present from my husband and take some photos.

Friday is 'harp day' and my husband got through a huge lists of things. All the venues phoned booked me without hesitation - fantastic!

wanabee woodpecker

I was woken this morning by an old 'friend'... He looks like a chaffinch but thinks he is a woodpecker and pecks (quite viciously) against the bedroom window incessantly from about 5 am. Last year we hung netting, old towels, streamers etc out of the window to try and stop him. Everytime we hung something out of a window he just went round the corner and started pecking another window until the house looked like a Tibetan prayer place.

I have started on the soundboard for Mystic-Al. A traditional dark oak harp to replace Celesti-Al so that I can re-string it! It takes about 6 weeks of non-stop work to string a harp so its better for me to have a replacement!

Barn Conversion to rent !!!

Dave here

Just filling in whilst Fiona Katie is busy

here is a link to our Barn conversion which is available to rent

Please Note the pictures are quite large in size so may take a little bit of time to appear

Cheers

http://www.tripleharps.com/site/BARN.HTML

new kitchen

No blog yesterday - I collapsed in an exhausted heap but made up for it today! Somehow I managed to finish the joinery in my kitchen which I started about 5 years ago..... It needs painting but I am so thrilled... I have put it together in pine which includes a Georgian dresser, worktops which were originally wardrobe doors (found in a skip in Haworth - with permission!) some lucky 'reject' plate racks from Tabby's (sadly no longer) and the latest - shelves round 2 sides covering up the Rayburn and plumbing pipes - made out of - YES!! an old bed and the leftovers from a hen coop...fantastic!!

So thrilled to get a comment as well - albeit my daughter but it all connects well!

On harp things - the new performance harp is laid out on the kitchen table waiting to be fibre-glassed. AND more importantly - Dave has offered to spend every Friday on harp promotion - WOW! (and thank you)

Tomorrow I start recording.