Celtic Harp

About the Sound and Character

The sound of the Celtic harp is magical, transparent, silvery, and very warm. Due to lower string tension than a symphonic harp, its tone is softer and ringing, associated with elven magic, nature, and fairy tales.

Structure and Features

It features a characteristic triangular shape with a curved pillar. It consists of a soundbox and a tuning frame strung with 22 to 38 strings (made of nylon or gut). A key feature is the levers (small switching blades on each string) that allow the string pitch to be raised by a semitone during performance.

Genres

• Celtic (Irish, Scottish, Breton) traditional music
• New Age and neofolk
• Acoustic bard rock and fantasy soundtracks