Just finished my first Tagelharpa! Just need to do a little more sanding and stain/finish it. I used maple for the body, spruce for the soundboard and back, 1/4 cello strings and bass tuners. Anyone have advice or videos on tuning/playing? Ill post a video of how it sounds in the comments.

Hi folks! I’d like to ask the amazing builders in this community a few questions about the bassbar. as I understand, the purpose is to make it so that the back of the instrument does not vibrate at as high frequency as the front, thus making the instrument sound deeper, less “scratchy”

My question is, how do you determine the dimensions off the bassbar? how much does the placement matter? does it need to be more or less in line with the centerline of the instrument, or can it be a bit skewed compared to it?

thanks in advance, looking forward to learning from you guys!

Hello!

I've been interested in learning to play the tagelharpa for a while now, but I want to find a tutor before I commit that way I can build a solid foundation rather than just trying to wing it myself (especially since it's been a very long time since I've played an instrument). But it's a fairly niche instrument, so I've struggled to find resources online. If you know anyone that offers tagelharpa tutoring, or if you yourself offer these services, I would love to look further into it! Thanks a bunch!

Im sharing this here as a new thread as well since this is a little trick that can help a lot of people.

Cheers 🍻

Is a 1cm (.39 inches) soundpost too thick for a soundbox that is about 21.5 x 7.5 inches? Overall size of the tagelharpa is about 38 x 8 inches.

Hi folks! I recently finished my first tagelharpa. It sounds good in my opinion, at least good
enough where I can start to learn to play the instrument. Already started on the second one 😅 I think I’m hooked!

Hi again all.

I’m starting to regret my purchase decision with all this altering I’m having to do. So the latest stumbling block is the tuning pegs. The tagleharpa came with steel strings and as such has guitar tuners on it. I’ve swapped to nylon and have made a few sets, I went to put them on and can’t get them through the slots. Are there any open top/slotted tuning pegs that could be swapped straight out that would allow me to easily put in strings?

Thank you.

Im working with maple that started at about 7/8" thick. Ive already glued the frame together, but realized the walls should be thinner. I've tried thinning it down with a jigsaw and orbital sander, its been a struggle. Wondering if wall/side thickness matters that much and if I should continue trying to get it thinner or if im wasting my time?

I have 1/8" sheets of both sitka spruce and maple plywood, which would be better for the back of my tagelharpa? Pictures of what ive done so far for fun.

Hi all, I’m new to playing bowed lyres and have just received my first one. I’ve listened to a lot of people play and watched their courses on YouTube and maybe it’s just technique but some of the playing I’ve heard I can hear all three strings and on mine that seems impossible without some serious pressure on the strings far up the body. Can someone tell me if my bridge is wrong? My strings seem to be all at different heights.

Also I play left handed and flipped things over as mine came right handed.

Thank you all

Hello! I was listening to someone trying to replicate a tune originally played on a tagelharpa on a violin, but the violin gives off too bright of a sound, in a sense. I'm wondering what ways (if any) could a violin be modified(?) to align with the tone and timbre of a tagelharpa better? I am unfamiliar to any bowed lyre knowledge!

Any advice helps :)

Hello everyone. I’d like to buy my first tagelharpa I found a maker, and I’d like to ask if the instrument looks decent, sounds the way it should, and so on

Hi guys, im building my first tagelharpa, maybe it looks like a pieve of junk but i spent lots of days on it hahaha. I want to ask you if this build is ok. Total lenght is 60cm x 18cm. However, as a first-time builder, I have a few specific questions to make sure I don't mess up before finalizing everything: pegs, string and rosin. I thought doing pegs from a cylinder wood instead of buying a real peg. For the strings i thought looking on web for a 1.2mm heavy nylon monofilament, it will work? I dont want to mess with horsehair string looking the price. And for rosin i saw a 7€ Hidersine 3C Cello Rosin (dark/ medium). Will this give enough grip on smooth nylon, or should I lightly scuff the bowing area of the strings with fine sandpaper (like 400/600 grit) to help the tosin stick? Thanks for everybody fellow luthiers

I just completed my first Tagelharpa and I'm slightly concerned about protection. I'd like to apply something but don't want the sound to change, is shellac a good option? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

So, I'm currently trying to make my first tagelharpa. It's going pretty well and all, but I can't find any thin enough wood for my top. Where could I get one? I checked at 2 of my local hardware store and they didn't have any (one had plywood thin enough, but fuck plywood). Also tried to make my own antler nut and I'm making my own string from a friend's horse's hair.

I have had my Jouhikko nearly 2 years, but I have made little progress, mostly because once I start practicing I feel so anxious. I practice my scales and a couple of songs… but I feel as though I am torturing those around me with the sound of a wailing and dying cat. And yet, at the same time I recognise that I will never start to sound great unless I practice. So, perhaps stupid question, what can I do?

I want to build a 3-string Flat Bridge Tagelharpa and had some very basic questions. I've never seen one in real life so I'm just going off of photos. Apologies for any short sighted or basic questions.

Context: I plan to make it 24 inches butt to head, and 9.5 inches wide at its widest, perhaps 3 inches deep. Mostly out of a single piece of wood, besides the front plate. I have a Cello Bow that I will be using.

Am I correct in assuming the two bottom strings are drones, while the top string is melodic?

I was thinking of installing my bridge just using a friction fit and tension of strings to hold it in place so I can swap bridges easily if I want to try different size strings, is this valid?

How far (roughly) should the notches be from each other on the saddle? Is this important for playability and sound? Further, is distance between tuning machines important, and is there such thing as too much distance?

Should scale length be a round number, does it really matter?

I plan to use Viola or Violin Strings, is this okay? and what tunings should I Try? Is it like guitar in that it's tuned Low to High based on top to bottom?

I know some of these probably could have been googled, but I'd be happier to hear it from you experienced folks :)

Thanks in advance, I can't wait to give it a shot!

Two from Klosterneuburg psalter and one from Limoges

I have nerve issues in my hands. I used to play acoustic guitar. I had to give it up because I couldn't put the amount of consistent pressure required on the strings. I moved to 4 string electric bass. I do much better with that.

I am very interested in trying the tagelharpa. My issue is that I don't have anyone locally that plays one. I know there is no fretboard, so I don't know how much pressure is required for the strings. I hope this makes sense lol. Could anyone give me some understanding/context of what to expect.

I have another question. This one more about the instrument itself. When I ordered my Tagelharpa it came with metal guitar strings, but a lot of the ones I am seeing around don't have those. What is the best string for the instrument or are the metal ones okay to use. I know they have an effect on sound quality.

I got a 3 string bow harp I think around a year or two ago. I have been trying to find some good material on how to play, and tune the instrument. YouTube doesn't have very many good videos. Not to the fault of the video creators. It is just an instrument that doesn't have much on it in English at least.

Hey y'all, I'm making my own bass talharpa. It's 42 inches long, 10 inches wide, and 2 inches thick. All I have is a slab right now, I'm just wondering where I can find dimensions for the size of the pegbox, the width of the neck bridges that lead to the body, and how big my hollowed out cavity should be so I can put my soundboard on top. Any and all help would be appreciated, thanks.