Stephanie's "Little Lessons"

#54: Buzzing- Unit 1 - Seasonal Quirks

Have you ever noticed that your harp seems to develop buzzes and little quirks during the winter season? I have been getting a lot of requests regarding these problems so, even though I am not a technician, following is the product of my many years of coping with these pesky problems.

Buzzing usually implies that something has shifted. Perhaps the neck is bending a little, perhaps the soundboard has risen some, perhaps the column is bending---or---perhaps the wood is simply expanding or contracting due to weather. Humidity will cause wood to expand, dry heat will cause it to contract. Things give a little and they may also return to normal during the next season, all by themselves. The simplest solution to weather related quirks is to provide stable humidity in the room that contains your harp. In the winter you may need a humidifier.

I prefer and recommend the newer types of humidifier that contain a kind of paper honeycomb filter. They come in a variety of sizes and the filters are replaceable. I got mine at Sears, but they are available in most discount type stores like Walmart.

I do NOT suggest the table top variety of humidifier that creates white, gritty dust. That is not at all good for your harp's mechanism, its wood surface or your lungs! If you use the kind that blows out a stream of steam such as might be used in a babie's room, keep it far away from the harp and pointed in the opposite direction! You do not want that stream of steam warping your wood.

In the summer, you may find it good to provide your harp with a dehumidifier. My studio is on the lower level of my home which is cool even on hot days. But the humidity level gets very high. Though humidity does not have the same devastating effect on wood as dryness, a de-humidifier is a good idea and it may avoid some of the pesky buzzes and quirks that your harp uses to convey to you its discomfort and unhappiness.

You paid a fortune for your instrument. Invest a little more in its healthy environment and you will reap the rewards of a happy harp.

If that does not work see if the buzzing is caused by the vibrating string touching the material of the lever. If the buzz is caused by the string being too far forward of center, you may be able to insert a very thin piece of shim between the lever mechanism and wood of the neck, thus pushing the lever outward a little. This is an easy adjustment. If the string is too far behind center you might have to have the bridge pin adjusted. Just below the tuning pin there should be a metal pin upon which the string rests before it goes down through the lever mechanism. That is the bridge pin. It aligns the string down through the center of the mechanism.

A somewhat more drastic cause of the buzzes may be that your sound board or your neck has cracked. Close examination would allow you to determine this.

I hope this helps. If not, contact the maker of the harp and ask for help.

See you next month.

Stephanie

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