Sharping
Levers Used on Caswell Harps
Sharping Levers come in a number of different types, from the cheap to the sublime. They turn into the string to "fret" it up in pitch one half step, thereby sharping the string from a C, for example, to a C#. This allows the player to change keys without retuning. Their ease of use and accuracy are critical.
I currently use three styles of sharping levers: Loveland, De La Cour, and Caswell Sharping Blades.
(Click here for more info on the various configurations, and some obsessively exhaustive charts on lever use.)
Loveland Sharping
Levers are a flip-up type used by many harp
makers. They capture the string by pressing it
against a steel bar with a plastic handle. They were
the first flip-up type lever broadly available which
allowed for good tonal response at a reasonable
price. They slightly displace the string laterally.
De La Cour Sharping
Levers are a new lever from France. Caswell
Harps is the first to use these fine cam-style
flip-up levers. They capture the string in a manner
similar to pedal harps, by rotating a pair of pins
into the string. This leaves the string in its
original alignment (an innovation by one of my
heroes, Sebastian Erard). They are beautifully made
and available in several finishes.
Caswell Sharping
Blades were designed by me in the 1970s
(before Lovelands were available). They have among the
clearest sounds available, but are slower and more
finicky to turn into the string. Due to this, the
flip-up types now dominate. However, this blade was
the first, and remains, one the best for use on the
metal-strung harps, such as the Gwydion, as well as
harps with very narrow string spacing.
Sharping Levers come in a number of different types, from the cheap to the sublime. They turn into the string to "fret" it up in pitch one half step, thereby sharping the string from a C, for example, to a C#. This allows the player to change keys without retuning. Their ease of use and accuracy are critical.
I currently use three styles of sharping levers: Loveland, De La Cour, and Caswell Sharping Blades.
(Click here for more info on the various configurations, and some obsessively exhaustive charts on lever use.)