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Press
Watford Observer - 10th March 06 - Harping on with a passion
by EMILY HASSALL
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A CHORLEYWOOD musician is so keen to encourage others to learn the harp that she has taken matters into her own hands - and started making her own instruments. Steph West, 24, of Orchard Drive, has been playing the harp for five years. On Monday, she held a taster session at Chorleywood Community Arts Centre to give people the opportunity to turn their hand to playing the harp. She said: "Harps are often very expensive instruments, so people do not want to invest the money into something they are not sure they are going to enjoy playing. "I thought it would be nice to make harp playing accessible to everyone."
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• Harps became popular in Egypt as far back as 1500 BC and may have been present
in Mesopotamia (present day Iraq) as far back as 2500 BC.
• Celtic traditional harps had wire strings, and were plucked with the nails. Their sound was almost "bell like".
• Harpo Marx, the mute brother of the famed comedy group the Marx Brothers, was
supposedly an accomplished harpist who almost always found a point in a movie to
play the harp.
• The term "harp" originates from a word meaning "pluck".
• A large classical pedal harp starts at £6,000, while the cost of a clarsach harp, which is a modem folk harp, starts at £1,500.
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Steph also makes her own harps, using a design that she is confident has a good
sound and suits both adults and children. She has sold her harps to individuals
and they have also been used for workshops.
Steph will now hold weekly harp lessons in Chorleywood on Monday evenings, from 7pm to 8pm, and hopes to encourage more people to share in her passion. Steph, who grew up in Chorleywood and attended St Clement Danes School, began learning the harp when she was at Birmingham University, studying early music.
She said: "I enjoy the tactile nature of the instrument. "It suits the way I think about music; the traditional Celtic harp repertoire suits how I love to play. "I clicked with the harp immediately, it made complete sense to me. "I love arranging and improvisation, so an instrument with all the notes laid out under my fingers is excellent. "I have a passion for early and traditional music, areas in which the harp
has historically played an important role."
Steph said about 50 years ago interest had almost died out completely She said: "But thanks to a few teachers in Scotland and Ireland the Celtic tradition has been revived."The harp is a national emblem of Ireland, but I think there are actually more Scottish harpists than Irish ones." For more information on lessons, or if you would like to attend a taster session run by Steph log onto www.featherwoodinstruments.co.uk.
Steph will be playing traditional Irish music to celebrate St Patrick's day on Friday March 17, at the Land of Liberty Peace and Plenty in Heronsgate, from
8pm. Entry is free.
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