120 !!Chapter 6
the same sound. In an orchestral setting, the harp blends especially well
with strings and woodwinds. It is also a beautiful solo instrument and a
valued member of small combinations.
The harp is not considered a chromatic instrument. (The orchestrator
must understand the technical limitations of the instrument in order to
write chromatically.) A harp can play chords, single notes, arpeggios (bro-
ken chords), and glissandos (fingers sliding across the strings), which cre-
ate a beautiful shimmering effect. A glissando (gliss), with the pitches
alternating from high to low, low to high, or in random motion, is the sig-
nature sound of the harp. To be most effective in an orchestral setting, the
harp should be used sparingly.
Range:The modern harp is nontransposing instrument. It has seven
pedals, one for each scale degree. Each pedal represents a note in the dia-
tonic scale. When the pedals are in their natural position, the harp is tuned
in the key of C-flat. If the pedals are depressed to the second notch, the
instrument is tuned in the key of C. If the pedals are depressed to the third
position, the harp is tuned in the key of C-sharp. It takes time to adjust the
pedals; therefore, a composer/arranger must take this into consideration
when writing a harp part. Since the harp is complicated, if there are techni-
cal questions, consult with the harpist. Be aware of the most appropriate
enharmonic spellings of the notes to make it easier for a harpist to change
the pedals. Most harpists mark pedal changes on their parts. The harp is
played with four fingers on each hand, and consequently the arranger
should not write chords with more than four notes. Placing a small zero
above a note(s) indicates harmonics. Harmonics sound one octave above
the written note(s). The lowest open string is C-flat, one octave below the
C-flat located on the second leger line below the bass clef; the highest note
is G-sharp, one octave above the first space above the treble clef (see exam-
ple 6-23).
Example 6-23 Harp range.Synthesized Strings
There are many restrictions when programming synthesized or sampled
strings. Because live string players use numerous bowing techniques and
perform with a great deal of emotion, it is very difficult to duplicate the
same sound on synthesizers or samplers. The following are several ways
to make synthesizers or samples sound ‘‘real’’ on a recording.