Single-Action Harp of Joy for sale in Port Charlotte, Florida

$5,500

Buy It Now! The Douglas-Joy Single-Action Celtic Harp
Current list price of these harps is $6,250
This harp is slightly used and is therefore being sold for $5,500
A ?Colorado Case? carrying case is available for extra charge
This harp is being sold by its builder - Arsalaan (Douglas) Fay
This is an extraordinarily unique harp; the only one of its kind in the world. The Douglas-Joy Single-Action Harp is, virtually, a chromatic harp. All 12 tones (in an octave) are accessible by making use of enharmonic equivalents, which is made possible by the single-action feature.
Experience ? the joy of a medium-sized quality harp; the joy of an easily portable harp (it weighs about 26 pounds); the joy of easily changing keys and playing accidentals with either hand; the joy of taking this harp where a concert harp does not easily go; the joy of playing a glissando with only a few lever changes.
See Arsalaan?s video introduction at:
/watch?v=aK2NsuY-EQk
See more photos of Douglas-Joy Single-Action Harps and their harpists at:
Facebook - Arsalaan?s harp page - photos - harpists
Jocelyn (Joy) Chang, whom the harp is named after, had 5 Douglas-Joy Harps. Her husband, Michael Leese, composed music specifically for this harp and flute (which he plays). Jocelyn (1) and her husband, Michael, shared their beautiful music throughout the U.S. and Europe. Aside from Mildred Dilling, Jocelyn was the largest supporter of this harp.
Description:
?Strings:
?33 strings, 4 octaves (6th octave C to 1st octave G).
? All 33 strings have been specifically manufactured for this harp to provide for: the highest quality sound, and balanced tension throughout the strings ? which produces an ultimately smooth ?feel? and playing experience.
? 19 mono-filament, color-coded, nylon strings
(each with a different diameter), for the treble-range.
? 7 over-spun, color-coded, nylon-wrapped strings
(manufactured to specific length), for the mid-range.
? 7 wire-wrapped, color-coded, wire strings
(manufactured with high-quality, inner-core and wrap), for the base-range.
? Height:
? 44 inches, without the legs; suitable for playing while sitting on a low stool.
? 54 inches, with legs; suitable for playing while sitting on a chair.
? Sound-board: Solid spruce, cut and reassembled, using the traditional technique of running the grain lines perpendicular to the sound-box. This produces the stiffest natural material to withstand the string tension and also produces the most efficient transmission of the strings? vibratory energy into sound waves.
? Ossian string eyelets for best sound transmission ? a unique Douglas-Joy Harp development.
? Sound-box: Unitary construction; unique in the harp-building industry.
? Maple veneers are directly laminated on to a mahogany ?skeleton?.
? This renders a lighter, more resonant sound chamber.
? Neck: 1" maple laminate of 1/8" thick maple sheets.
? This adds significant strength to the curved neck, as compared to using solid maple.
? Solid maple pillar and string bridge assembly.
? Includes removable legs and tuning key.
Special Feature: The Single-Action Mechanism is hand-made, by Arsalaan, out of brass and steel. The common, medium-sized harp, has a mechanical lever (on each string) that raises the tone of that single string one semi-tone. For a harp this size, that would be 33 levers. Generally, these levers would only be accessible to the left hand. This Douglas-Joy Single-Action Harp has only seven levers. These levers are located on top of the neck, in the harmonic-curve, which are equally accessible to either hand. The first lever, closest to the player, is B. Actuating this lever raises all the B strings, one semi-tone, from B? to B. The subsequent levers are: A, G, F, E, D, and C. Actuating each of these levers raises the pitch of all of its related strings one semi-tone. Therefore, this harp requires only one movement to change a semitone on all the strings of a certain note. This is compared to five required movements on a common lever harp. Finally this harp can be tuned to allow for a variety of flat and sharp tones, complimenting a large array of music genres .
Douglas-Joy Harp History:
Except for a few exotic instruments, the harp is essentially diatonic ? like the white keys on a piano. In order to allow for easy key changes (i.e. access the black keys) mechanical levers were added to each string that can shorten the string length - like pressing a guitar string against a fret. Later, a mechanical action was developed that accomplished ?sharping? the strings in octaves. This type of mechanical action has been standard on concert harps since about 1800. The concept of this easily-portable, single-action, medium-sized harp was inspired (in 1919) by world-class harpist, Mildred Dilling: /1983/01/03/obituaries/mildred-dilling-88-a-harpist-performed-for-5-presidents.html
Except for a prototype, built by JF Buckwell, nothing else was done with the newly invented instrument, at that time.
This single-action harp was intended for: 1) concert harpists who wished to have a second instrument that was more portable than a six foot concert grand harp; 2) professionals and serious students who wanted a high quality medium-sized instrument for music that does not require a concert grand harp; and 3) the serious student who prefers a high quality harp. This harp is also particularly suitable for children.
Arsalaan Fay History: Arsalaan became an advanced wood-worker as a young man; and, in 1981, he was hired by Ms. Dilling to build these exquisite harps. Arsalaan has built 70 single-action harps. He has since upgraded and improved the mechanical action, the sound-box, sound- board, and string eyelets.
Should you desire more details on this incredibly flexible and beautiful harp, please contact Arsalaan.
Arsalaan (Douglas) Fay
Douglas Harp Co

dharps [at] juno (dot) com


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