![]() ![]() ![]() From the train windows, we could see hundreds of swans in the snowy fields as we headed north passing Cambridge, the towering spires of Ely Cathedral and the Norfolk Broads (Britain's largest inland canal system). The factory is a ninety-minute train ride from London's King's Cross Station to the small town of King’s Lynn, located by the North Sea. By day's end we had absorbed more string facts than we could have imagined. Part of a technicians' continuing education is to understand all aspects of the harp, including the forty-seven strings. The highlight of this year's meeting, hosted by company executives Carolyn Clarke and Rosina Russell, was a journey by train through the English countryside to tour the Bow Brand String Factory. Four years ago our guild met in Italy at the Salvi factory, and at that time, I wrote an article which was published in the AHS Journal (Summer 2008) called “What's the Buzz?! The Art of Harp Maintenance.” In it, I described the detailed discussions at our conference meetings, who's who in the Guild and the myriad issues that harp technicians encounter. In an instrument designed to amplify sound these noises can be maddeningly irritating. As harps age, they may require replacement of parts, structural gluing, dismounting of the action for re-riveting, as well as the endless search for and elimination of elusive buzzes, clicks and squeaks. More challenging is the art of diagnosing and solving unique and unusual problems. It is relatively straightforward and consists of re-felting, oiling, pedal rod adjustments, disk intonation and noise control. ![]() These same technicians also become the liaison between the harp community and the factories, providing valuable feedback.īasic harp maintenance, aka regulation, is like your car's lube, oil and filter. Road technicians must deal with all manner of maintenance issues using their tools, skills and ingenuity to correct problems on the spot. Our conferences bring together both the factory technicians and road technicians who travel the globe maintaining and regulating the instruments. Many began their careers at either Lyon & Healy or Salvi in an apprentice program in which they learn all the technical aspects needed by regulators such as the assembly of levers and pedals, the installation of pedal rods and actions to the final regulations for intonation and noise control. The guild was formed to identify harp technicians that have been trained to service both Lyon & Healy and Salvi Harps, as well as to keep them abreast of the latest developments.The Lyon & Healy/Salvi Technicians Guild Members are either full-time factory employees or self-employed and working independently. #LYON AND HEALY HARP CLIP ART HOW TO#Our meetings are a valuable opportunity for regulators/ technicians to learn how to solve problems around the inevitable changes that occur to a harp over its lifetime. Meeting highlights included sharing of the participants’ extensive experience in harp maintenance, repairs and the latest design improvements. Hosted by Bow Brand Strings of the UK, technicians arrived from the USA and Europe, along with a number of spouses, braving the cold and snowy conditions to both work and socialize in this exciting city. For three days in February 2013, the Lyon & Healy/Salvi Technicians Guild converged on London, England, to meet for their bi-annual continuing education conference. ![]()
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