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To: clairseach@...
From: simon@...
Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 23:56:48 +0000
Subject: Re: [clairseach] Electric Harp

Hi Johnny, hope all is well with you

I looked into micing mine up a while ago but never did it so take
this all with a grain of salt, it is just what I've seen other folk
do. I'm sure others have more practical experiense. I wonder if going
through effects wants a more serious setup on the harp than just
making it louder through a PA system?

Ruth Wall uses a kind of wee mic on a stalk, the mic is about 1 inch
big, she sticks the stalk onto the soundbox with something like
blutak so the mic points at the lower soundhole.

Paul Dooley has a transducer pickup stuck onto his soundboard at the
bass end near the strings

I rekon a normal mic on a stand would be too much hassle, you need
something stuck to the harp. I have seen soundboard transducers that
are designed for guitars etc, some have a sticky pad so they just
stick on. You'd want to fiddle around to find the best spot. (perhaps
even the back board?)

Dave K's system seems to have a pressure sensitive pickup built into
each string shoe, to do this you'd have to take off each string,
remove the shoe and put in one of these, and anyway it might sound
too 'clean' and not ringing and harpy enough.

There is also a system that is a stickon transducer type pickup in
the form of a long thin strip that you can stick down alongside the
strings? Not sure where I saw that.

Good luck. Anyone on here who hasnt listened to Fitkin & Wall "Still
Warm" you should, I have copies in the Emporium. Serious electronic
harp rock with a HHSI Student Trinity on one track...

Simon

On 1 Feb 2008, at 22:20, Johny wrote:

> Folks,
>
> I would like to experiment playing my harp with a guitar effects
> pedal board... I am sure our
> ancestors would have loved playing with this stuff if they had the
> means! : )
>
> Can anyone here give advice on miking up a harp... I know David
> Kortier does harps with full
> electric pick ups... I am not so keen on this for my harp... I am
> thinking it might work with
> just a a standard microphone held to the sound box...as you would
> put an acoustic guitar
> through a PA... the other option is a smaller clip on mike but this
> I imagine would have to be
> put on a sound hole and thus be too bass or treble orientated...
>
> Any way...just thought I would throw the idea out to hear if anyone
> has any experience or
> ideas in this field...
>
> Cheers
>
> JP
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>