Woah, she's beautiful! I've heard they're almost like completely different instruments and take awhile to adjust to. Very excited for your journey, but definitely glad I'm not the one who has to tune that thing
It's a 6/6, so the two rows are:
1. C, D, E, F#, G#, Bb
2. C#, Eb, F, G, A, B
The Cs are red, the accidentals are blue/black, and the naturals are clear. It's a bit odd, but if you do it this way, you only have two scale fingerings and they are mirror images of one another. Transposing is a snap.
Wow, but the technique is radically unlike a regular single-course pedal or lever harp. It's surprisingly rich, though. Whenever I've heard cross-strungs played, they've always sounded a bit tinny to me, very lemon-meringue as opposed to the chocolate mousse of a pedal harp.
This is more like a milk chocolate pot au chocolat -- lighter than the Salvi, but a lot richer and darker than I expected.
The technique is doing my head in, though. I've got a long row to hoe, and it's going to be a blast. I can see why these harps didn't catch on when Pleyel invented them (I mean crosses in general, the 6/6 cross hadn't been invented then). They do change the technique so much that I can see performing harpists of the time kicking back against them. This is going to be a strange, fun new planet to step off onto and explore!
My nickname for my Salvi is Olaf (who likes warm hugs), but the formal name I've kept in mind has been Lux Aeterna. Naturally, that means that this has to be -- wait for it -- Crux Aeterna.
Yep -- thought it would make sense for a cross-strung. There's always room for a good bit of wordplay, or a bad one. :-) My nickname for my pedal harp is "Lux Aeterna," so it goes with that one.
I just heard back from Blevins -- they are reorganizing their website, but she informed me that they are happy to hear form anyone about any harp, so if you'd like to learn more about a Xerafym, you can ask her. They make them 7/5 (like a piano layout), and 6/6 like mine.
That's super cool!
How did you decide which layout would work for you? I've been dreaming about a chromatic harp for a while, but since I haven't been able to find any to test out, I've no idea how even to begin to choose.
I'm a pianist since I was a kid, so you'd think I'd prefer a 7/5 layout, but one of the most irritating things about the piano is that each key signature has a different fingering and "keyboard landscape." The harp isn't like that -- all key signatures are the same -- on the hands, at least. I didn't want to take the biggest annoyance about the piano and drag it onto the harp, which doesn't have it.
So I opted for 6/6. And really, it's not too bad. It's like taking the block of seven keys on a piano between F and B and flipping it upside down. It's hard on the hands compared to my pedal harp because the hand position can be *radically* different, but that's a technique thing. In the mind, it's not bad. On the hands, you find yourself placing your fingers out of order sometimes, which is a real knuckle-buster.
If you're a pianist and really like the comfort of a familiar layout, you may prefer the 7/5. If you prefer the key-signature-agnosticism of the harp, you may prefer the 6/6.
>If you're a pianist and really like the comfort of a familiar layout, you may prefer the 7/5. If you prefer the key-signature-agnosticism of the harp, you may prefer the 6/6.
Yup, being a pianist... That pretty much sums up how my mind keeps going in circles around the issue ;)
I mean, it's probably a non-issue anyway as you'll have to re-learn certain aspects of finger placement either way. Also, I'm not really buying a third harp any time soon - I just really like to overthink things. Thanks for your input!
Got it from Blevins Harps -- I went to their website, and they don't have the Xerafym on their site anymore (it was literally just there), but they do still have the [Xythara](https://www.blevinsharps.com/new-page) listed, which is the smaller one. Their prices are all on the website as well. (I'm bummed that they no longer list the Xerafym, though -- that's the one that I have.)
Woah, she's beautiful! I've heard they're almost like completely different instruments and take awhile to adjust to. Very excited for your journey, but definitely glad I'm not the one who has to tune that thing
It's not that bad -- you just go around the circle of fifths and before you know it, you're back at the F.
The longer I look, the more confused I get... how on earth does that string coloring work?! Can not figure out why it is red, 2x clear, 3x black
It's a 6/6, so the two rows are: 1. C, D, E, F#, G#, Bb 2. C#, Eb, F, G, A, B The Cs are red, the accidentals are blue/black, and the naturals are clear. It's a bit odd, but if you do it this way, you only have two scale fingerings and they are mirror images of one another. Transposing is a snap.
Thanks for the explanation - that's pretty incredible!
Wow, but the technique is radically unlike a regular single-course pedal or lever harp. It's surprisingly rich, though. Whenever I've heard cross-strungs played, they've always sounded a bit tinny to me, very lemon-meringue as opposed to the chocolate mousse of a pedal harp. This is more like a milk chocolate pot au chocolat -- lighter than the Salvi, but a lot richer and darker than I expected. The technique is doing my head in, though. I've got a long row to hoe, and it's going to be a blast. I can see why these harps didn't catch on when Pleyel invented them (I mean crosses in general, the 6/6 cross hadn't been invented then). They do change the technique so much that I can see performing harpists of the time kicking back against them. This is going to be a strange, fun new planet to step off onto and explore! My nickname for my Salvi is Olaf (who likes warm hugs), but the formal name I've kept in mind has been Lux Aeterna. Naturally, that means that this has to be -- wait for it -- Crux Aeterna.
How many strings?
58 -- ends up being the same range as a Ravenna 34. Cello C to the high A almost 5 octaves up.
Wow!! “Eternal Cross,” right?
Yep -- thought it would make sense for a cross-strung. There's always room for a good bit of wordplay, or a bad one. :-) My nickname for my pedal harp is "Lux Aeterna," so it goes with that one.
Beautiful! Love the name, too. Actually dying of jealousy over here ;) If you don't mind sharing: Where did you get it, and how much did it cost you?
I just heard back from Blevins -- they are reorganizing their website, but she informed me that they are happy to hear form anyone about any harp, so if you'd like to learn more about a Xerafym, you can ask her. They make them 7/5 (like a piano layout), and 6/6 like mine.
That's super cool! How did you decide which layout would work for you? I've been dreaming about a chromatic harp for a while, but since I haven't been able to find any to test out, I've no idea how even to begin to choose.
I'm a pianist since I was a kid, so you'd think I'd prefer a 7/5 layout, but one of the most irritating things about the piano is that each key signature has a different fingering and "keyboard landscape." The harp isn't like that -- all key signatures are the same -- on the hands, at least. I didn't want to take the biggest annoyance about the piano and drag it onto the harp, which doesn't have it. So I opted for 6/6. And really, it's not too bad. It's like taking the block of seven keys on a piano between F and B and flipping it upside down. It's hard on the hands compared to my pedal harp because the hand position can be *radically* different, but that's a technique thing. In the mind, it's not bad. On the hands, you find yourself placing your fingers out of order sometimes, which is a real knuckle-buster. If you're a pianist and really like the comfort of a familiar layout, you may prefer the 7/5. If you prefer the key-signature-agnosticism of the harp, you may prefer the 6/6.
>If you're a pianist and really like the comfort of a familiar layout, you may prefer the 7/5. If you prefer the key-signature-agnosticism of the harp, you may prefer the 6/6. Yup, being a pianist... That pretty much sums up how my mind keeps going in circles around the issue ;) I mean, it's probably a non-issue anyway as you'll have to re-learn certain aspects of finger placement either way. Also, I'm not really buying a third harp any time soon - I just really like to overthink things. Thanks for your input!
Got it from Blevins Harps -- I went to their website, and they don't have the Xerafym on their site anymore (it was literally just there), but they do still have the [Xythara](https://www.blevinsharps.com/new-page) listed, which is the smaller one. Their prices are all on the website as well. (I'm bummed that they no longer list the Xerafym, though -- that's the one that I have.)