Benjamin has three harps, a Pilgrim Clarsach & a Camac Electroharp both of which are lever harps, and a Lyon & Healy 44 String GP pedal harp.

Why have three harps? Well for the non harpist, the following will, I hope, make some sense.

Without being to precise Lever harps, Folk harps & Celtic harps are really just different names for a the same instrument and they fall into a group known as Non-Pedal Harps. Most have 34 strings but it can vary anywhere between 20 & 40. Normally they are tuned into a basic key, such as C or E flat.

They are called lever harps because they have small levers on each individual string which are used to change the key of the instrument and provide the semitones. Sometimes you simply set the key at the start of each piece but in many pieces the performer has to change some levers while playing.

In the Handel Harp Concerto, with the version Benjamin plays, he needs to make 52 lever changes using he left hand while still playing! It is very impressive to watch.

Unfortunately in the UK, Wales in particular, the lever harp seems much neglected and often used solely as a "beginners" harp before going onto a Concert Harp (pedal harp) but lever harps are used by professionals all over the world and give a wonderful sound in the hands of a competent performer.

The Pedal Harp or Concert Harp normally has between 41 and 47 strings, with 7 pedals around the base of the instrument which are changed with your feet. One pedal controls all the A strings, another all the B strings, and so on. Most are double action so one can get the sharps and flats. In a way the pedals can make changing key a lot easier but certainly they are essential for the chromatics needed for a lot of jazz and blues.

The Clarsach has been the best known small harp in the UK for the past twenty years and is prized the world over.

The concert gauge stringing gives this instrument a unique resonance and also makes it superb as a beginner's harp.

Strings: 34
Range: 1st A to 6th C
Height: 109cm
Extreme Width: 69cm
Weight: 8.2kg

Benjamin had his Pilgrim Clarsach harp on his fourth birthday, but did not start having lessons for another six months.

This harp was used for three of the tracks on Ben Jamming - his CD single in aid of the BBC Children in Need appeal.

In December 2005 Benjamin used this harp for his ABRSM Grade 8 examination. He obtained a Distinction (141/150).

Benjamin still uses this harp for folk music.

In April 2003 while at a Harp Festival, Benjamin tried one of Camac's world famous Electric Lever Harps and was enthralled. Unfortunately the model he tried was on its way back to France because a delivery driver had knocked it over damaging the main structure and new new ones were going to be available for some time as Camac were about to redesign the instrument with new levers and a new look.

Camac and their UK distributors Telynau Vining Harps very kindly leant the damaged harp to Benjamin. It was on this harp that he recorded two of the tracks for Ben Jamming.

As is customary we sent a copy of Ben Jamming to Camac Harps - The response was rather unexpected. Jaquez Francois, President of Camac Harps, returned the deposit we had paid for the new electric harp and said that Benjamin would have the first new model to be made as a gift from Camac!

The harp arrived in early 2004, painted in Benjamin's favourite colour and with the Camac logo replaced by the words "Ben Jamming"

This harp is great for Benjamin's more modern music such as Misty, Into the West (from Lord or the Rings) or any of the wonderful compositions such as New Blues and Nataliana by Deborah Henson-Conant and is ideal for larger concert venues and his fund raising events.

The Camac Electric Harp does not have a sound board, so it must be used in conjunction with speakers.

Benjamin uses a very small dB monitor speaker for practice and at many public events with good acoustics such as the massive foyer of The Wales Millennium Centre. But in other venues, such as at dinner dances, in rooms with a lot of background noise, rooms with poor acoustics or if he wants to use digital effects he uses a Yamaha PA head and speakers.

Although Benjamin loves his lever harps, he was becoming more and more desperate to also have a Concert Harp. This would enable him to do more solo Jazz & Blues and be considered for youth orchestras. It would also put him on an even platform at competitions, most of which do not separate pedal & lever harps into different classes.

Our first thoughts were to look at Pilgrim & Camac Harps as their lever harps were both so fantastic. But unfortunately, because of Benjamin's small stature, neither had a harp suitable for a harpist of his ability at his size! Benjamin needed at least 44 strings, so this reduced the models we could consider. While both companies have excellent 44 string Concert Harps, for students playing at Benjamin level, he was about a foot too short to even attempt to use them. The biggest problem being the balance at his height meant there was too much weight on his shoulders (there should be none) but also on some he could hardly get his arms around the the sound boards, let alone reach the pedals.

We looked at some other makes such as Salvi and it was much the same. We then happened to be going to London so called in at Holywell Music and tried the 85GP. The balance was perfect, no weight on his shoulder and the sound board was not too big. the only problem was the pedals. There is no point in having a pedal harp if you can't use the pedals, but as luck would have it Lyon & Healy were able to supply a set of pedal extensions, which allow Benjamin to reach them without standing up!

The extensions were removed in April 2007 - once he had grown enough to be able to reach the pedals!

Benjamin's pedal extensions were ordered with his Lyon & Healy from Holywell Music, London. but they are made by Kolancy Music who are based in Denver, Colorado, USA. Below we repoduce some text from their web site together with a link to the ordering page on their web site.

FOR ANYONE WHO TEACHES HARP TO CHILDREN
Solid all metal construction.

Length adjustable by removing or adding 3" threaded sections. 9" maximum

This product does increase the risk of damage to the pedal assembly. Most users feel that the educational benefits outweigh the risks.

Manufacturer not liable for any damage.

Place pedal in natural or sharp for easier installation.

Each section of threaded rod has a lock nut included. After adding the right number of threaded sections for the height you need, tighten the lock nut against the coupling nut.

Shipped with one 3" threaded section.
Extras are sent free of charge on request.

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Kolacny Music