| Tim Rued's Harp page |
| Tim Rued PO Box 5554 Santa Rosa, CA 95402 USA tim@folksweden.com or timrued@aol.com (209)609-6183 |
I have lived as a folk musician since my
early teens. My first instrument was
piano, but I gradually took up more
and more: first ukulele and guitar, then
mandolin, banjo, and ultimately fiddle
and nyckelharpa. Along the way, I
tried to play something on just about
any instrument I could get my hands
on, with greater or lesser success: I
learned to play clarinet, but failed
miserably trying to play my
grandfather's old flute and piccolo.
An instrument I had never had the
chance to learn, though, was the
harp. The fiddle dominated my music
choices, and the investment in a harp
was more than I thought practical.
A number of years ago, though, my
cousin offered me the harp she had
acquired from our Great-aunt about 10
years earlier. I promised to learn to
play it, and practiced diligently to learn
tunes and techniques, and eventually
became good enough at it to play at
events, complementing my fiddle
playing.
My old harp is something very special:
neither a Celtic harp, nor a classical
harp, nor a Paraguayan harp - it is an
antique single-action pedal harp.
These harps were popular through the
19th century as parlor harps. They
were more advanced than plain harps,
in that accidentals could be played
using the pedals. Most pedal harps
are "double-action", allowing easy
playing in any key.
It was built around 1915, with the
brand "Stahl, Milwaukee". It was
probably manufactured by the Lyon
and Healy company, still one of the
most respected harp makers in
America.
I also have a Celtic harp - that is, a
lever harp in the old Celtic design. It
is diatonic, but the levers allow
individual strings to be adjusted to play
in different keys or to play occasional
accidental sharps and flats.
My repertoire is mostly old songs and
fiddle tunes. I play a number of Irish
and Scottish melodies, Swedish as
well, and 19th-century American songs.
A harp large and cumbersome
compared to the fiddle, but I still have
managed to get it around and play for
various occasions. When I play at
weddings or parties, the harp can be
part of my presentation, along with
appropriate music on the fiddle or
nyckelharpa.
early teens. My first instrument was
piano, but I gradually took up more
and more: first ukulele and guitar, then
mandolin, banjo, and ultimately fiddle
and nyckelharpa. Along the way, I
tried to play something on just about
any instrument I could get my hands
on, with greater or lesser success: I
learned to play clarinet, but failed
miserably trying to play my
grandfather's old flute and piccolo.
An instrument I had never had the
chance to learn, though, was the
harp. The fiddle dominated my music
choices, and the investment in a harp
was more than I thought practical.
A number of years ago, though, my
cousin offered me the harp she had
acquired from our Great-aunt about 10
years earlier. I promised to learn to
play it, and practiced diligently to learn
tunes and techniques, and eventually
became good enough at it to play at
events, complementing my fiddle
playing.
My old harp is something very special:
neither a Celtic harp, nor a classical
harp, nor a Paraguayan harp - it is an
antique single-action pedal harp.
These harps were popular through the
19th century as parlor harps. They
were more advanced than plain harps,
in that accidentals could be played
using the pedals. Most pedal harps
are "double-action", allowing easy
playing in any key.
It was built around 1915, with the
brand "Stahl, Milwaukee". It was
probably manufactured by the Lyon
and Healy company, still one of the
most respected harp makers in
America.
I also have a Celtic harp - that is, a
lever harp in the old Celtic design. It
is diatonic, but the levers allow
individual strings to be adjusted to play
in different keys or to play occasional
accidental sharps and flats.
My repertoire is mostly old songs and
fiddle tunes. I play a number of Irish
and Scottish melodies, Swedish as
well, and 19th-century American songs.
A harp large and cumbersome
compared to the fiddle, but I still have
managed to get it around and play for
various occasions. When I play at
weddings or parties, the harp can be
part of my presentation, along with
appropriate music on the fiddle or
nyckelharpa.
Pleasanton, California, September 2010