Advice on Levers

 
Full levers:  If you have the money and don’t mind a little extra weight, get full levers. Then you can play in any key, and do cool things like set the levers on the right hand side of the harp differently from the left. You can do pentatonic tuning, Lady Godiva Tuning, and Aladdin Tuning (see Lorraine video). Levers on 58 strings adds a lot to the cost.  But a fully levered Lorraine is still a BUNCH less expensive than any other floor harp I have.  Just C and F levers:   Certainly get some levers if you will be playing with other musicians, or you have tunes you want to transfer to double.  The F&C Packages are a great deal.  Carolyn’s special “Lady Godiva” lever. This is ONE lever added on the right hand course of strings, the G above middle C.  This allows you to play Shakespearean, Olde English, and Jewish tunes tunes and it a total BLAST.   No levers:  Don’t put off the purchase of a Lorraine Double if money is an issue for you.  The sound is so rich and versatile that there is nothing wrong with a lever-free double and mine will keep me busy for years. I know other double strung players who only played in C and modes for years. Physical issues make it better for me to have the lightest harp possible leaning on my shoulder or in my tote bag.  I LOVE my lever-free harp. But I will buy a levered one too, for the benefits listed above. You can have Truitt levers added later by any luthier or local woodworking professional.  Order levers from Gary Stone and he is generous to send written instructions and spend some time on the phone giving extra tips to your local person. To play Middle Eastern sounds: Get F and D levers. This opens up what I call the “Aladdin Tuning.” FUN!!! I’ll do tutorials that show this and many things to do with it. For the small harps, Brittany and Eve, I recommend F and D levers plus the Lady Godiva lever. It vastly expands what you can do with that smaller range, while hardly adding any weight. You can play in C, G, Aladdin, and Lady Godiva tunings. Types of levers: Truitts are more tonally accurate than Lovelands. Truitts are beautiful gold, pictured above. Lovelands are least expensive but mute the sound of the string somewhat when engaged. Camacs are the most tonally accurate of all, and Gary Stone is the only double strung maker to offer them. They move very smoothly and have blue and red bands that make them extremely easy to locate. They are a sensual teardrop silver colored shape, very nice to the touch. Camacs are my personal favorites. They are same price as Truitts. Call me and we can talk about your needs and I can recommend a lever configuration just for you. 828-649-1983./Users/smilingharp/Pictures/iPhoto%20Library%20August%202016.photolibrary

Contact:

smilingharp@gmail.com

828-649-1983

Carolyn Deal