Humidity

 Check out this snazzy harpy humidifier!

This fall Rowan and I moved from a 'well ventilated' 100 year old farm style house to my daughter's, which is warmer and has newer windows and a heat pump. 

i.e: indoor air that's too dry!

Rowan Luchair

I noticed my Kemper 34 String Luchair harp Rowan wasn't holding its pitch as it has, and several of its upper register strings broke spontaneously ...   so I ordered new strings (and 'Valley of the Dragon' by Sharon Thormahlen and Rosiee Thor), then looked up articles on harp care and humidity! Purchasing one ready made would have been 10-20$ for just one instrument,  so...

Check out this DIY instrument humidifier that I crafted - I got water beads from our local Joanne's (about $4 with a coupon) and used some small containers from the recycling bin, a skewer  to poke holes, and a hot glue gun to craft one. Viola!! 

The strings held their pitch overnight and I think it sounds brighter already! We're so happy! 

I plan to get tubes to make more, both for my other 2 harps and for a couple of friends (one with a Ukulele!) It seems like a great and inexpensive solution for crafting humidifiers for multiple instruments! 

Here's the tutorial on this simple DIY project

Harp humidifier

I added the backpack tag on plastic line (like the button in Paul's 2nd video - link to that one is in the video's comment thread) for ease of removal. It fits through the lowest soundhole, and sits on the harp base.

We'll be playing for the church Christmas concert this weekend, and have done a couples of gigs for the Soroptomists Women Who Wine events, which replace the holiday tour of homes they hosted for many years. 

Hope you're well this season!

🎶 Nadya and Rowan Luchair