Timing on Moving Your Harp for Performance

One of the first lessons harpists learn is how to correctly move their harp. Often times this lesson is learned the hard way.. Purely by experience! (*Even the show Portlandia made fun of this situation! See clip below.) We've come up with a helpful time frame and to do list to guide you through scheduling the steps it takes to move a harp.

One hour before leaving:

• Tune up your harp and play through your pieces. This not only helps you with your performance, but also helps warm up the strings.
•  Bring up your harp cover and dolly if your harp accessories are stored in a chilly basement or garage.

Twenty minutes before leaving:

• Walk through the path you will be taking the harp through and clear any crowded obstacles.
• If weather is extremely hot or cold, start your car ahead of time so the temperature is not so severe on your instrument.
• Pack up your harp cover and dolly.

Tip: High quality with harp covers and movers can make a tremendous difference!

Just before performing:

• Always try and arrive around forty-five minutes early. This allows your harp time to adjust and also gives you time if a crisis occurs. (Strings breaking!)

Tip: Create a filing system of strings by the octave and note so you have your duplicate strings ready to go at the drop of a hat.

• Once you arrive, tune when you uncover you harp and play through some pieces to keep the strings warm, and then tune once more before the show!