Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?

Subject: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST,Michael F
Date: 28 Sep 17 - 09:27 AM

As I am learning to play Autoharp, I see my celtic harp bretheren have coloured strings. I'm wondering if anyone has tried and knows how to colour Autoharp strings. Would just metal paint work?

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 28 Sep 17 - 10:57 AM

If you really need visual cues, put little stickers on the soundboard. Frame harpists can't do that because they don't stick to air.

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST,nickp cookieless
Date: 28 Sep 17 - 02:07 PM

If you really have to then permanent Sharpies might help. It won't be permanent permanently (!) but might help while you learn

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: Raggytash
Date: 28 Sep 17 - 03:08 PM

Painting strings will only serve to ruin the resonance of them. The only sure fire way to learn is practice, practice and more bloody practice. :-)

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Sep 17 - 04:00 PM

Apologies for being a pedant Raggytash, but that would be practise.

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: Raggytash
Date: 28 Sep 17 - 04:04 PM

True .............. In my defence I've had more than a pint .... or three

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Sep 17 - 04:25 PM

Fair enough!

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: Bill D
Date: 28 Sep 17 - 06:47 PM

c or s DEPENDS on where you live.

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 09:04 AM

Where I live, we assume that "more adjective practice" is the only spelling that makes sense. "Practise more!" would make a good imperative in British English, and in some regions, e.g. Australia, "bloody" can be inserted anywhere, e.g. "kangabloodyroo".

Depicting strings (of musical instruments) in oil paintings can be a problem. Some painters used to scratch them with a knife, so that the bare white canvas shows through. But then, which self-respecting painter would paint an autoharp?

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 11:42 AM

Hi, Michael F. How about trying this?

Buy a reel of red vinyl tape and a reel of blue. Cut thin strips crosswise and put them on the C and F strings where you can see them while playing. If they don't work, they can be removed.

I visualize strips of tape which go around the string and have a little tail coming out of the front of the autoharp. Let's hope this doesn't start a big debate on how to spell 'visualize'.

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 11:58 AM

I thought the whole point of an autoharp as an accessible easy-play instrument for the masses,
was there was no need to know what notes the strings were...???

[providing someone tuned it..]

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 12:05 PM

Depends if you want to play it like this or not, I suppose...

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 12:10 PM

GUEST - yeah.. but at that level you wouldn't need coloured strings or sticky tape...

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 08:38 PM

ANYTHING you apply to the strings will lower the pitch and resonance.

I assume you are using "finger-picks" to augment the standard "key barring" of the strings.

Sincerely,
GARGOYLE

I can "see" why this may we useful, however, a few hours of practice will quickly allow you to achieve your goal. For very young children, perhaps, a three color scheme of colors may be useful on the "key bars" but should quickly be removed as they learn simple choosing.

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 08:52 PM

If you MUST color the strings it should be done at the post wrappings.

Sincerely,
GARGOYLE

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 09:08 PM

Ask your friend's with colored strings....

How THEY Did Their's

The community is small and everyone shares.

Sincerely,
GARGOYLE

When you find out please share your new found knowledge within this thread.

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 10:35 PM

Guest, thanks for the link to Harvey Reid.   Nice to listen to.

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 01 Oct 17 - 07:50 PM

Harp strings may be supplied pre-coloured, red for C, black for F. If the colour is integral to the material (nylon or Nylgut) it will be permanent. The colouring on gut strings can wear away over time.

I presume the autoharp would have wire or wire-wound strings? Sharpies as suggested above would achieve the same effect, but may require refreshing from time to time.I cannot imagine that the ink would significantly affect the tone. Paint would not be a good idea.

Ross

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 02 Oct 17 - 01:44 AM

'Practise' is a verb - "I must practise more on my piano".
'Practice' is a noun - "Time for my piano practice'.

http://www.future-perfect.co.uk/grammar-tip/is-it-practise-or-practice/

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: Mr Red
Date: 02 Oct 17 - 03:28 AM

In my defence: I am not aux fais with autoharp string availability,
but surely there are brass wound and copper wound strings out there, by choosing different ones for certain notes (black notes?) it would help. It would mean changing some strings and tuning them.

A sharpie would be a good alternative, on wound strings because the colour would only rub off on the ridges and there would still be some colour visible. Lessening as you gain experience and need the colour less.

As for changing the pitch - if you have perfect pitch you don't need the Sharpies. And for the minor change in frequency - you can re-tune.

non-wound strings you would have to mark the posts and the button bridge as well - and get used to parallax. Some colour would remain but not be that useful.

Sorry to harp on - I am in auto.................

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: CupOfTea
Date: 03 Oct 17 - 06:02 PM

If it's to give you a clue which string is which in plucking, You might try a permanent marker like a sharpie that is transparent on metal and isn't heavy like paint to dampen the strings. I'm not SURE that it won't clog/dampen, but trying it out on a seldom used string is how I'd do it (like a G#). For visual clues, you don't necessarily have to color up the entire string, perhaps bars ans spaces. I suspect the marker will wear down easily, too. Might try this out with my third in like Autoharp to see how it works. The idea intrigues me.

Joanne in Cleveland

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: GUEST,harpgirl
Date: 05 Nov 17 - 07:07 AM

It would only make sense to paint the octaves a similar color.Chord bars damp the notes and I doubt you could use the visualization of colors to make a cleaner note. But you might be able to colorize the strings in a chord like DF#A the same colr. Visualized string colors works better without chord bars. It would have been done already if it made playing autoharp easier! It?s easy enough already. JM2C.

Subject: RE: Autoharp - Anyone How to paint strings?
From: leeneia
Date: 05 Nov 17 - 04:13 PM

There are people who play entire songs on autoharp, both melody and chords. It can't be that easy to do.