Exploring the
ORCHESTRA
Harp
Musical Section:
Strings (<p style="font-weight: 400">Instruments that produce sound by means of vibrating strings. Other instruments in this family include: violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, guitar.</p>) . Other instruments in this family: Cello, Double Bass, Viola, Violin
About the Harp
What it looks like
A harp is a big, beautiful instrument with lots of strings that you play by plucking with your fingers. It looks like a large golden triangle, and the strings are all different lengths, so they make different sounds. The shorter strings make higher notes and the longer strings make lower notes.
The harp can create sounds that are soft and dreamy. That’s why it is often used in TV shows and cartoons when there is an angel.
Did you know? The harp is one of the oldest instruments on Earth, showing up in ancient civilizations thousands of years ago, including in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The harp existed long before violins or pianos.
How to Play
Mini Maestro
Sitting down, you lean the harp on your shoulder and use your fingers to pluck the strings. Long strings make low sounds. Short strings make high sounds.
The classical harp has 47 strings and 7 pedals, which can make a note sharp (higher) or flat (lower.)
Young Maestro
Sitting down, you lean the harp on your shoulder and use your fingers to pluck the strings. Long strings make low sounds. Short strings make high sounds.
The classical harp has 47 strings and 7 pedals, which can make a note sharp (higher) or flat (lower.) That’s how harpists play in different keys without retuning every string by hand.
Harp strings are color-coded. To help players navigate, harp strings are often colored: For example, the note “C” is a reserved for red strings. F strings are blue or black, etc.
A Harp is More Than a Bunch of Angels
You’ve probably heard the harp in cartoons representing angels on fluffy clouds. But the harp can do a heck of a lot more than that. In his ballet, The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky uses the harp to create a sense of wonder and magic. French composer Debussy uses the harp to suggest water and light in his piece La Mer. And Berlioz uses the harp in his Symphonie Fantastique to represent a fancy ballroom full of elegant dancers.
