The best harp for children will be the right size, affordable, and play well. There are many inexpensive and toy harps on the market, but the best harp for kids will be of the same quality as a professional, adult-sized harp but scaled down so that a child can play it easily. Because few brick-and-mortar music stores sell harps for children, you’ll have to rely on online retailers or catalogs to find a child-sized harp.
Consider how much you’re willing to spend on a harp for kids before you start shopping. When faced with a child who wants to learn to play an instrument, many adults make the mistake of buying the cheapest instrument they can find. The argument is that the instrument will bore the child, preventing the adult from wasting too much money.
The issue with low-cost instruments is that they are low-cost to manufacture. A cheap harp for kids is typically harder to play and keep in tune, and the sound quality is poor, discouraging even the most enthusiastic students. It is preferable to purchase the highest-quality instrument that you can afford.
If a high-quality instrument is out of your price range, consider renting for the first three months and then negotiating a monthly payment plan with the vendor. If you decide to buy, many retailers will deduct the cost of the previous month’s rent from the total cost of the instrument. Another option is a high-quality lap harp, which are much less expensive than their larger cousins, the lever harps.
Typically, a lap harp has 20-30 strings. It sits in the musician’s lap while he or she is performing. Complex music can still be played on these instruments, but the pitch of the strings is not very low due to their small size. Because each string must be tuned individually, switching from one musical mode to the next is not possible. This style has the advantage of being both inexpensive and portable.
A lever harp is a floor-based instrument with 30-48 strings. To play the harp, the musician sits in a chair or on a low stool. The lever harp has a wider sound range than the lap harp, with a strong high and low end. Most lever harps allow the musician to change the pitch one or two half steps, allowing them to play in a variety of musical modes. Students should have little trouble transitioning to a larger size when they outgrow the lever harp because they are shaped more like an orchestra harp, or full-sized harp.
The best way to determine quality when shopping for a harp is to play it or have someone else play it for you. If you aren’t a harpist, consider hiring a harp teacher to accompany you and assist you in selecting the best instrument. At the very least, pluck the strings and listen for clear treble and full bass strings.
It’s important that the wood is just that: wood. Poor quality is usually indicated particle board or pressed wood. Although some hybrids use laminate or plywood, the best harps for children are made from maple, birch, or spruce. Harps are commonly available in a variety of finishes, all of which have little effect on the sound.
Some harps have artistic carvings on them. Make sure you don’t become enamored with the instrument’s beauty to the point where you overlook its practical qualities. A beautiful instrument must also be playable and affordable. True enjoyment comes from playing the instrument rather than looking at it, so a simple instrument with a great sound is preferable to a beautiful instrument with a mediocre sound.