Gift Ideas
Looking for gift ideas for the harpist in your life? It's always great to encourage someone who's playing the harp, but many times parents or spouses have no idea what a welcome gift might be. The below suggestions cover all kinds of items, from practical to fun. I've included a short description both of the item and of how it's used, to help you gauge how well it might suit your harpist.
Where possible, I linked to Amazon.com. (Most of the amazon links here are affiliate links, so any purchases through them are appreciated.) Some of the more unique items are not available on amazon, so I linked these to a variety of speciality harp supply companies.
Tuning Equipment
This is a common tuning key that fits many harps, especially those made by Lyon and Healy and Salvi. Different brands of harps have slightly different sized tuning pegs, so if you're in doubt as to whether this one will work with your harp, I'd suggest purchasing a tuning key directly through your manufacturer.
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This tuning key works with many, but not quite all, Celtic harps. It fits smaller tuning pegs than either of the two above.
Korg Electronic Tuner
Never want to misplace your tuning key again? This tuning key holders attaches to the back of your harp so you can keep your tuning key right there, ready and waiting at all times. It's especially useful if you move your harp out of your house fairly often and want to be certain that your tuning key is with you.
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You can download a free electronic tuning app quite easily, but if you want to have a physical tuner to use with your harp, this is a standard chromatic tuner. Some people find that physical tuner picks up the sound of the harp better than an app.
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One really nice thing about a physical tuner is that you can plug a tuning pick up mic into it. Anytime that you have to tune in a noisy situation (such as before an orchestral rehearsal), a tuning pick up mic is invaluable. You plug one end into your electronic tuner and clip the other end on to your harp, and then it only picks up the vibrations of your harp and no other noises.
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Metronomes
There are a wide variety of metronome apps out there, many of which are truly excellent. However, you can also purchase a physical metronome if desired. This is a very standard metronome.
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Korg Electronic Tuner and Metronome Combined
If you need both a tuner and metronome, you can buy a combination device. Less electronics to keep track of!
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This is considered the Cadillac of metronomes. It has an amazing number of features and possibilities.
Benches
Although this is a keyboard bench, it works great for the harp. It's both foldable, for ease of moving, and adjustable to different heights, which is important for harpists.
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On Stage Padded Keyboard Bench
Very similar to the above bench, only with a lot more padding.
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On Stage Extra Wide and Extra Padded Keyboard Bench
As people get older, or start practicing more, sometimes they want an even more comfortable bench. I spend hours every day sitting on this bench and love it.
Manhasset Music Stand
On Stage Padded Keyboard Bench
Music Stands
This basic music stand is lightweight, foldable and easily transportable.
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This is a classic orchestral music stand. It's much more solid than the above stand, and can easily accommodate heavy music books. Most professional musicians, music schools, and orchestras use this stand.
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Manhasset Traveling Music Stand
This is Manhasset's version of a traveling music stand. Because it still has a solid metal desk to it, it doesn't fold up into a very small size. However, if you want a durable stand that is easier to transport than the standard Manhasset, I'd recommend it.
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As music gets longer and more complex, page turns can become an issue. These stand extenders allow you to lay out three or four pages of music on your stand easily.
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This is a standard battery-powered stand light. If you're playing in places with poor lighting, such as an orchestra pit or a restaurant with mood-lighting, it can be quite difficult to see your music. A stand light is a great solution to these situations.
Harp Carts
This is a common harp cart, and it works well for transporting large lever harps or pedal harps. A harp cart isn't needed unless your harp is either too large to carry easily or you move it so frequently that carrying it is exhausting.
K-2 Harp Caddy
Personally I use one of these six-wheel harp carts when moving my harp. It works well in general for transporting a harp, and is amazing when going up and down steps, so much so that I can and will go up and down full flights of stairs with my harp by myself.
Miscellaneous
A cute treble clef bag, nice for transporting music to and from lessons.
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Many students are asked to bring a notebook with them to lessons. I have a couple of students with this particular notebook, which I love because it includes notebook paper on one side and staff paper on the other side. I can jot down practice ideas for them using both words and musical examples.
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Musicians always mark their music in pencil rather than pen, and these treble clef pencils are particularly adorable.
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Really cute pencils with harps on them!
Sylvia Woods Harp Center offers a nice selection of harp jewelry, including necklaces and earrings.
Lesson Notebook