How Do Harpists Use Their Pedals ?

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

I understand that harpists use their pedals on concert harps to get semitones otherwise obtainable.
Why don't they use the pedals as we do on pedal steel to alter the notes while they are sounding ?

Some might think that this is in the wrong category, but it's not because it can only be answered by pedal steel players familiar with the concert harp.

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

Peter den Hartogh · From: Cape Town, South Africa

Because the harp strings are "pinched" by the pedals and not "stretched" it sounds like hammer-ons.

Jack Aldrich · From: Washington, USA

I'm not really that familiar with concert harps, but I do know that there are 8 pedals that have 3 position locks that give the attached strings 3 positions. Harps are diatonic, so to play in any but the "home" key (which I don't know), pedals have to be used. I was told by Jeff Newman a long time ago that Alvino Rey's wife, Elyse, was a harpist, and that gave him the idea for pedals on a steel. Multikords have the same idea, I believe. - Jack
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Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Alan,I've been curious about that too,so I looked it up....The pedal mechanism on a concert harp shortens the string,like fretting,rather than tightening it.Each of the 7 pedals controls all the strings of a particular pitch(one pedal for all the F's,another for all the G's,et cetera) and each pedal can raise its group of strings a whole-step in half-step increments,and it is not possible to slide into an altered pitch.It isn't really a copedant as we understand it,but a method of altering notes so one could play in more than one key.

A concert harp is tuned open to C flat.All pedals down one detent is C natural;two detents C#.As I understand it,that in combination with what we would call picking groups makes playing in different keys possible.I'm sure accomplished harpists do use their pedals during a piece,but it's to change a note rather than a chord.Their advantage is that they use both hands to pluck and can make fatter chords than we do.Ours is that we have a bar and can vary string length almost infinitely.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I've done a few orchestrations for concert harp and spent quite a bit of time working with them. There is a system I have heard referred to as salzedo pedal markings where they notate what the pedals do. Its pretty interesting. And yes, there are pieces where they use the pedals to change notes while they play.

Look up "pedal harp" or concert harp for more info.
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David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

When I was attending FSU (then known as Fuzz-U due to the 65% female/35% male ratio) I had a girlfriend who played harp in their classical program (also highly thought of). I spent so much time tinkling her harp that one day she asked me "Who do you like better, anyway: me, or my harp?"

Alas, I had not yet developed my somewhat late-blooming knack for diplomacy.... Crying or Very sad

I loved that frikkin' harp, though.

I have read that the humidity changes that tend to make guitar frets moody, tend to make harps explode - the bigger the better (explosion).

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

Did you know the Great Spade Cooley Band of the Mid to late 40's carried a full time Harp player, Spike Featherstone. Spike also doubled on Flute in many of Spade's orchestrations.
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John Scanlon · From: Jackson, Mississippi, USA

Yes - no gradual, linear string-bending involved. Start at 1:44 and watch for about 40 seconds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llCZZpbItX8&feature=related
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Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Thanks for the replies. That explains it fully, especially the YouTube video that John Scanlon posted a shortcut to.

The pedals just shorten the vibrating length of the strings, not alter the tension. I have a regular non-pedal harp, and I knew that you could fit manual string shorteners to any or all of the strings, which act like invidual capos, but I didn't realise that all the pedals did was mechanise the shorteners so you don't have to move them manually. That being so, it would be impossible to produce any slurred notes on the instrument like we do on pedal steel.

Bob Guichard · From: Central Texas, USA

I have seen concert pedal harps that achieve the sharping of strings by stretching. The string passes through a rotating cam devise just before the tuning key. With raising only one semitone the resulting changes don't produce the lick sounds we are accustomed to hearing from a pedal steel. Depending on the piece being played if modulations are required then the pedals are used during playing. Sustain on a harp allows the individual string picked to decay rapidly. This acoustic limitation would make lick changes, if they could be made, inaudible.

mike nolan · From: Forest Hills, NY USA

My wife is a harpist.... she does use the pedals to bend notes. It is not part of the classical genre, so you don't hear it that often. There are some jazz harpists out there.
Harpists will also use harmonics and, once in a while, will grab their tuning key and do a bit of slide work.....

Erin is one of the very few rock/pop harpists.... and she can sing while playing.
here's a live track with some harmonics.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG28_RZLBfo

Roual Ranes · From: Atlanta, Texas, USA

I saw a clip one time with a harp taking the place of a pedal steel and they were doing the licks....wish I could remember who........definitely a country group.

Peter Huggins · From: Van Nuys, California, USA

Ladeez and Genelmen, Curly Boyd, the Hillbilly Harpist !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GrG_hmYgdU

Featuring Roberta, the Robot Drummer Razz

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Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

I always did think a harp made gorgeous music.Years ago I saw a pic of a harp that had pedals and of course began thinking that if harp pedals could operate like PSG pedals,there could be some cool things going on.They don't,of course,but if a steel guitar builder and a harp builder got together with a serious budget and lots of time.... Idea

Mark Butcher · From: Scotland

This link has blonde twins, cows, cowboy country and their playing Ghost riders in the sky! You even see a cowboy boot doing a pedal 'bend'

I fear they are serious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5mOtXCBTs0

Mark Butcher · From: Scotland

This link has blonde twins, cows, cowboy country and their playing Ghost riders in the sky! You even see a cowboy boot doing a pedal 'bend'

I fear they are serious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5mOtXCBTs0

Peter Huggins · From: Van Nuys, California, USA

The Monkees: The Devil and Peter Tork
Where Peter sells his soul to play the Harp.

http://youtu.be/sfSj5PJ78ks
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Bob Watson · From: Champaign, Illinois, U.S.

I've been interested in Pedal Harps since I was in my early twenties and saw a friend of mine's older brother play harp at my friends wedding. I live in Urbana Illinois which is where the University of Illinois is. The U of I has a great Harp program. About ten years ago I started going to Harp recitals, the first one being a harp player named Ann Yeung, who is an associate professor of Harp at the U of I. She is a wonderful player. I'll go hear the student recitals when I can. Its a beautiful sounding instrument. When I lived in Nashville I used to go hear a harpist named Lloyd Lindroth play at the Opryland Hotel. He was a great player and would play all sorts of music, from pop tunes to Jazz standards. He was another great player. There is going to be an international Harp competition in Bloomington Indiana this summer. A harpist named Susan McDonald is the Harp Department Chair there and she is a very well respected harpist with a long list of credentials. Here's a link....
http://music.indiana.edu/departments/academic/harp/
If they weren't so expensive I would probably own one. I think that the fact that they have pedals is why I've always been infatuated with them. A very cool instrument!

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Nice blue hammer-ons.Thanks,Donny.

Ron Randall · From: Dallas, Texas, USA

FWIW

I watched a film "Harp Dreams" on Netflix. A documentary about a 6 day competition with very accomplished players.

There is a tiny short segment about how the harps are "diatonic" and can play in all keys.
One player missed a change as her shoe slipped off the pedal.

Interesting film, more about the players than the instrument.

Ron

Bob Watson · From: Champaign, Illinois, U.S.

Donny, thanks for posting that video!

Bo Borland · From: South Jersey -

Now that is just flipping great!! His left hand blocking is sweet ..

color coded string to keep his place.. hands like on a piano ..

I wonder if Harpo Marx played like that too? Jimbeaux?

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