Chapter T= wo

Creating, Buying, Borrowing or Stealing a Design

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I think many folks are attracted to building their own harps so they can customize them. Luckily, there are many aspe= cts of harp design that can be altered and still result in a nice instrument. Harp building is kind of a l= oose profession in that regard. For their first harp, most folks feel a lot of trepidation. Selectin= g a proven design can go a long way to soothe the troubled mind of a first time harp builder.

There are several ways to go about selecting a harp design. The best is to actually get your hands on a nice sounding harp and study it. In many metropolitan areas, = you can contact the local folk harp society. Many hold harp circles that = offer a great opportunity to sample the models out there. There are a handful of store= s here in the United States= that sell lever harps. These = stores and some instructors maintain a fleet of rental harps that may include one = of the instruments you would like to see. If you are buying plans, you= may also want to ask the vendor if there is someone in your area that plays one= of his harps, or even better, has built one. Internet groups can provide = useful information on designs – sometimes with heavily biased personal opinions. <= o:p>

Some folks opt to build a small, si= mple harp for their first project – advantages include less string tension, lower materials cost, and smaller investment of time required to complete t= he project. As a proponent= of quick and dirty prototypes, I think there would be fewer failed attempts if builders were willing to be realistic and shoot a little lower - not kill themselves trying to reach perfection on their first instrument.

Here are some details and commentar= y on the three options:

Borrowing or Stealing a Design

Some would argue this is the cheape= st and easiest way to go – simply select a harp that you really like and= then copy it. Many asp= ects of a harp’s design are readily apparent. String spacing, length and composition can be measured with a few simple tools. Proponents of this approach = point out that a successful harp also drew many of its best attributes from past models that its builder borrowed from his predecessors.

ß Lee Gayman decided = to build a harp based on a French sculpture he found. Some builders specialize in buildi= ng harps based on the iconography (sculptures or paintings) of ancient harps.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Even if you have a working example= of the harp you want to copy on hand you are going to have to fill in some blanks. How thick is that sou= nd board? How is it attached to the sound box? What kind of neck joint did = the builder use? Are there commer= cial sources for the hardware, or are you going to have to fabricate that too? =

I think a careful copy of another h= arp can get close in sound – but even when they are made by the same buil= der, there will be subtle differences. There are a number of = crucial design aspects that are impossible or very difficult to measure too –= the thickness and tapering of the soundboard for example. If the board is veneered, its composition, the thickness of the veneer can be hard to divine.

At one point, I was bothered by the possibility that others would try to copy designs I had put a lot of w= ork into. After building th= e same model 3 or 4 times, I realized that these and other subtle distinctions in construction and design can collectively make a significant difference in h= ow the harp will perform. These = are the distinctions that make it very difficult to successfully replicate anot= her builder’s work. S= ome builders vigorously resent plagiarism. I think they are fretting needlessly. I have foun= d it flattering when I find someone thinks well enough of my design to copy it.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

If you are going to copy a harp and= sell it commercially, you really need to be careful – an offended harp builder may file a suit.

Often, professional builders are us= ing tricky jigs, specialized equipment, or materials to make their harps – make sure you study and understand the joints; how/whether they reinforce specific parts and note the materials they use. I found out the hard w= ay that nice fir ply wood from the hardware store is no substitute for the ply= wood most builders use to make thin swoopy necks. Plywood harp necks are usual= ly built from piano pin block stock or die makers ply – for good reason.=

Creating a design
Creating a design from scratch is a significant challenge.    Most designers start with a string band. Joseph Jourdain and others have developed computer programs that can help a builder explore possible string bands. Dan Cady’s Hyper= Harp can even generate the coordinates for most of the harps strings and hardware.   In order to c= onvert a string band to a complete design, the builder needs to carefully think ab= out the stresses in the harp, how strong the different parts need to be, and how these in turn affect the harp sound.    If it is double or cro= ss strung harp, you should try to talk to someone who has built one too.

ß Design plan based on the ancient Scottish Lamont; the design should specify the scantlings for e= ach part, locations for hardware, string lengths, and spacing. Figure out each part will be faste= ned together. Note the belly on t= he soundboard – realize harps are going to deflect as the string load is added.

It is important to plan ahead.   I use a CAD program and spreadsheets to map out string spacing and locations, along with offsets for placing bridge pins, tuning pins, joinery, levers, eyelet locations and soundboard deflection. Jerry = Brown sells a string spacing template along with a guide that would allow a layma= n to draw a harp design using the MusicMaker’s guide, Folk Harp Design = and Construction.   =

Finally, I have included the checkl= ist I use to evaluate a new design in the appendix. You may find this useful in your d= esign efforts.

Buying a Design:

Here in the United States, you can buy plans and kits from outfits like Stoney End, MusicMakers, Cambria, or John Kovac.   Some builders ma= y also be willing to sell plans for their own designs.   Robinson’s harp shop i= s the oldest establishment and has been selling plans since the 1970’s.   Some harp builders are willi= ng to sell plans for their harps.   = Some once offered plans or kits but no longer do so.

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ß The Guild of Americ= an Luthiers sells plans for the venerable Clark Harp

If you are going to buy a design, h= ere are some questions you may want to ask:

–      = Are these just blue prints, or does it include some instruction on the building procedure?   <= /span>

–      = How detailed is the instruction manual – does it include diagrams and pictures?   When was it l= ast updated?

–      = What kind of support will be provided if I get stuck or need help?

–      = Do the plans include a materials list, or list of suppliers?=

–      = Do they offer hardware kits for the design?

–      = Do they include full size templates for locating pins on the neck or eyelets on the soundboard?

–      = What kinds of skills and tools does the designer assume the builder will have? <= o:p>

When I began to offer plans for sal= e I found it could take hundreds of hours to produce clear, readable plans and a manual which clearly and concisely detailed the assembly process.

Most designers are willing to provi= de some free advice on minor design changes.   But the time to ask about th= is is before you buy the plans. Bui= lders should understand that many designers may be reluctant to continue that lev= el of support after the harp builder has decided to make significant departures from the design he bought.

Once you have selected or created y= our design, it is time to begin the sound box.

Copyright © 2007, Rick Kemper

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