By Betsy Paine
 
Rental Harps
If you are renting your current instrument, please remember at all times that you need to care for this instrument just as if it was your own. You will be expected to return it in the same condition in which you received it, including all strings in place, all levers in working order, no superficial scratches, scrapes, dings, etc. Remember that you will be responsible for any damage done to the harp, up to and including replacing the instrument in cases of extreme damage, so it is important to take care of it properly.
Broken Strings
It is very important that broken strings be replaced as soon as possible, and you must use the proper type of string. If you have a set of replacement strings, use those. If you need a replacement strings, please contact Melody's Traditional Music and Harp Shoppe at (281) 890-4500. Tell them exactly what kind of harp you have (maker, model name, and number of strings) and which string you need. If you have a Lyon & Healy harp, please have a string chart so you will know the octave to order, if you have any other kind of folk harp, count from the very top (shortest string) of the harp to determine which string you need. If you do not know how to put on a new string, take your harp with you to your next lesson and have your teacher help you, or take it to Melody Music so they can show you how to put the new string on properly.
Clean Hands, Short Finger Nails, and No Jewelry!
Before practice, lesson, or performance time, be sure your nails are trimmed short and smooth. Also, be sure to always wash your hands before playing the harp. Anything sticky is obviously not good, and even the natural oils from your skin will react with the finish of the harp and with the strings (particularly gut strings). Also, be sure to remove your rings, watches, necklaces, and bracelets before sitting down at the harp. Jewelry can scratch or gouge the surface of the harp. Necklaces can buzz against the back of the harp and can also scratch or ding the wood. Also, avoid wearing clothes with beaded ornamentation on it as the edges of the beads can be very sharp and can rub fine scratches into the finish of the harp.

Cleaning
The harp should be cleaned only with a very soft, 100% cotton cloth. Do not use wood cleaners or conditioners on the harp that contain lemon or orange oil as these can soften the glue joints on your instrument over time and can change the color of ornamental images on the harp. Special polishes are available for harps, but it is best to contact the maker of your particular instrument to find out how to best care for that particular type of finish. It is also a good idea to keep a clean, soft cotton cloth handy to wipe the strings with when you are finished practicing. This is particularly important with gut or metal strings but can also be a good maintenance habit to use with nylon strings as well.
The Harp in Your Home
One "rule of thumb" that some people use in caring for their harps is the idea that, if you are comfortable, your harp will be too. This is perhaps too simple an idea, but it is basically true. If you are too warm or too cold in your living room, or if there is hot sunlight or a cold draft coming from a nearby window, your harp will not be comfortable. So, here are a few basic ideas to keep in mind when choosing the location in your home where your harp will live.
1 Your harp must be situated where you have room for it and a chair, music stand, music, tuner, etc. A storage box or small chest of drawers is great for holding all the things you need to have close to your harp.
2 The harp should be placed where it is very unlikely to be knocked over or bumped into and also where it is unlikely to have anything dropped or spilled on it. It is ideal to be able to back the harp up into a corner when it is not being played.
3 The harp should be protected AT ALL TIMES from all pets and from young children. If you have cats in the house, be careful about putting a cover on your harp, as cats like to think they can climb a covered harp and can pull it over on top of themselves in the process! If at all possible, keep the harp in a room that can be made inaccessible to kids and pets.
4 The harp likes to be kept at a fairly constant temperature and humidity. 50% humidity is ideal. A simple inexpensive humidity gauge should be kept in the room with the harp. In homes with central heat and A/C, it is often necessary to add humidity to the air with a room or instrument humidifier (ask Melody Music about these!) so that the wood of the harp does not get too dry. We often think that our harps are fine just because we live in a humid climate, but when you have heat and A/C, it takes that moisture out of the air. Mary or John at Melody Music can help you decide whether you need to add humidity to your harp's environment.
5 Do not place the harp where it will be in direct sunlight at any time of the day. This is a big no-no!
6 Do not place the harp where it will be subjected to drafts from open doors, windows, A/C vents, heaters, etc.
7 If you plan to be away for a weekend, put the cover on your harp and leave your thermostat set at a comfortable temperature.
I know that it sounds like harps are pretty picky instruments, and they are, but many of these items are a matter of simple common sense. Remember that variations in temperature can affect how well your harp stays in tune, the life of your strings, and the life of the harp itself. Keeping these things in mind as you care for your harp will help to ensure many years of enjoyment from your instrument and will help you care for a rental instrument properly.
Transporting the Harp
1 DO NOT LEAVE A HARP IN A VEHICLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! Even a few minutes in a hot car can cause a harp to literally explode as glue joints soften and wood cracks!
2 Put all levers down (or pedals in the flat position) and cover the harp completely by putting it in its own padded travel case or by wrapping it securely in a blanket or sleeping bag. (If you use a sleeping bag, be sure to keep metal zipper parts away from the wood of the harp!)
3 Particularly in Houston heat, it is very important to moderate the temperature inside your car if at all possible before loading up the harp. Park in the shade, roll down the windows, and turn on the A/C before loading the harp. If it's cold, run the heater for a while before putting the harp in the car.
4 When transporting the harp, always have a hand on the instrument! Do not leave it to stand up in a padded case or on a dolly or on wheels built into its case.
5 Always lay the harp on the side WITHOUT the sharping levers, with the levers facing up. In almost all instances, this will mean that the column of the harp will be on the left as it is laid down flat. This is important so that levers don't get bent or broken. Smaller harps can also be laid down on their backs (on the sound box) and can be transported this way, so long as it is protected from tipping over!
6 Place the harp flat on a padded surface. A mattress is ideal, but a folded blanket or bedspread works well also.
7 Don't put anything on top of the harp or where it could fall onto the harp while the vehicle is moving.
8 Obtain and use a "Space Blanket" to cover the harp when transporting it in hot weather (again, call Melody Music for these).
Tuning the Harp
1 The harp should be tuned daily, if possible. This will help keep the harp under even tension and will also help develop your own ear for tuning as time goes on. Also, harp strings are designed to resonate best at concert pitch, so keeping the whole harp consistently tuned to concert pitch will make the whole instrument sound better.
2 When moving from string to string, be sure you have the tuning wrench on the pin for the correct string. If you continue to turn the wrench, but the string you're plucking isn't changing pitch, you are probably turning the pin for the wrong string and are likely to break that string! Use the "Up and Over" method of locating the correct pin. Follow the string up to its bridge pin and tuning pin, and then look across the top of the harmonic curve (neck) to locate the correct pin to put the tuning wrench on. This is a simple mistake to make, but it's also easy to avoid by just paying attention to what you're doing.
3 On most harps it is a good idea to push in gently on the tuning pin (toward the neck of the harp) as you tune a string UP (to a higher pitch). This helps keep the tuning pin firmly set in the neck of the harp. Do not apply pressure when tuning a string DOWN (to a lower pitch)! Also remember that most tuning requires only very slight adjustments, not great big, full turns of the tuning pin. Use caution when applying pressure to zither pins.
4 DO NOT leave the tuning wrench on a tuning pin at any time! This is a really good way to damage a soundboard when the tuning wrench drops off the tuning pin.
QUESTIONS?
Firstly, ask your teacher if you are unsure about any of the above tips. For more information you may contact Melody's Traditional Music and Harp Shoppe at (281) 890-4500 or at http://www.folkharp.com.