Technical

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WHAT IS IT?

The Saia do Harpa, a skirt harp is a prototype of a musical instrument.

The conical shape of the instrument is based on the chords groups similar to the trapezoidal shape that lap harps usually have. That is also where the name Saia do Harpa is derived from – a Skirt Harp.

This Skirt Harp is like an orchestra, which allows a wide variety of sounds, with plenty of variations in tone color, playing techniques, and numerous players around it.

And for I have 2 skirts I have a bigger orchestra and more joy for it is more played with friends.

WHAT GIVES SOUND FOR IT?

The first  Skirt Harp has 40 chords which are divided into five sectors, each sector consisting of 8 groups of chords. Each of those groups have chords in different thickness. Zithers, guitar and bass chords are all used. Second skirt harp can have up to 100 chords.

Broken guitar strings can be re-used as bass strings for the Skirt Harp because it has shorter distance between the holders.

The shell of The Skirt Harp is made out of copper, which gives a sharper sound compared to the classical or traditional harps that are made out of wood. Folk musicians have established standards for wood because metal was previously not so easy to get and neither was it easy to work with.

KNOW HOW!

The Skirt Harp can be played with fingers, sticks, bows, etc.

The Skirt Harp can be played alone because the instrument is sitting on the hips so that the player`s hands and fingers reach all the 40 strings around the skirt. Alternatively, if it is placed on the ground then up to 5 people could all play together on the five sectors.

FOR WHO?

Aimed at both  for amateurs or professionals, for  bands, orchestras, music makers, music writers, folk artists, social events, and for the ones who like to dance while making music.

MATERIALS

Copper, steel, wood, various  strings.

THE FORM

Conical construction. Narrowest part of the slender is oval. Enclosures are approximately 20 cm in diameter. Another opening is larger in diameter, approximately 90 cm.

The top opening is not horizontal but slightly diagonal.

The copper sheet sits on a wooden structure that holds it together and functions as the holder of strings.

Tuners out of steel are screwed and the system has a negative inside the wood, so that the distance between the structure and tuners can be changed. It is also possible to change the set of the tuners slightly in oval shape to be able to play with the bow string more comfortably.

String ​​locations:

1. skirt harp

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