What are the features and advantages of Lap harps?
Plucked Psaltery lap harps Plucked psaltery lap harps have been around for centuries. The Old Testament mentions them. A psaltery lap harp consists of 15 metal wires strung across a flat soundboard. They are relatively cheap and have one great advantage for novice or casual users: you don’t have to be able to read music to play them. The plucked psaltery lap harp usually has music cards that can fit under the string area which show how to play a song. By following along the song is created. Plucked psaltery harps are therefore ideal as a first instrument for very young children. But adults who want to make music without having to spend time learning to play or read music will also enjoy them. However this simplicity does mean that the harp is tuned to a single key (usually G) and has a range of only two octaves. Folk lap harps These lap harps have the familiar shape of their larger cousins. They can play a wider range of music than plucked psalteries – by using sharpening levers, a top
