Folk harps, sometimes referred to as Celtic or Lever harps, are usually smaller than their orchestral pedal harp cousins. Unlike pedal harps, changing the pitch of a string on a folk harp is accomplished by manually manipulating a lever that raises (or lowers) the pitch of the string. A fully levered 29 string folk harp would have 29 levers, one lever per string. More about levers below.

Folk harps are known for a sound that suits itself well for a wide variety of music genres.

The harp to the left is the very first harp I made. It is called a Studio Harp. It has 29 strings (four octaves,) If you want a medium sized harp to learn on or play, with a nice sound, and that is pretty easy to transport, this would be a good choice for you. The base price of this harp is $750 in your choice of walnut, cherry or mahogany. If you have any other hardwood in mind, I would be happy to quote a price for that harp. This harp looks great with a darker wood sound box and a lighter neck and arm. The harp to the left has a walnut sound box and legs and a maple shoulder, neck and arm.

Its range is from A two octaves below middle C (A2) to A three octaves (A6) above middle C. Optionally, you could have the harp strung from G two octaves below middle C (G2) to G three octaves above (G6).  Note this stringing uses 5 wire wrapped nylon strings for the bottom 7 strings.

The harp to the left is called a Shepherd Harp. It is a bit smaller than the Studio Harp above. The Shepherd Harp is a 22 string 3 octave “lap” harp. It has a beautiful sound and is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It is a perfect harp to test the harp waters to learn to play. Standing about 37 inches tall from base to tip of the neck, it is easy to transport, even when built using heavier woods such as red oak. Click here to see size difference between the Studio and Shepherd harps. The base price for this harp is $550 in your choice of walnut, red oak, cherry or mahogany. If you have any other hardwood in mind, I would be happy to quote a price for that harp. Its range is from G just below middle C (G3) to G three octaves up (G6.) The harp to the left is made with a cherry shoulder, neck, arm, sound box and base. Over time it will develop a deep familiar cherry red.

Allow me to custom build you a Folk Harp

Contact me today at 513-491-8802, by email at prdierks@spdierksllc.com or use the contact form to ask any questions, discuss the construction and schedule the  delivery of your new harp.

Folk Harps

One year later