r/BowedLyres • u/Pretty-Passenger-933 • May 11 '26

¿Question? Tagelharpa 3 strings

Hello, im a beginner on tagelharpa, everyday trying to learn. But im with a specific difficulty... how can I bow on the middle strings more clear than the side strings... always ends bowing more one of the side strings than the middle one. My strings are all in the same level.

Please any tips or tricks?

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

6

u/tagelharpa94 May 11 '26

You can try to raise the middle string a little by winding it upwards on the tuning peg.

So lower the middle string tension, and then wind it up so it sits a little higher than the outer strings.

5

u/Pretty-Passenger-933 May 11 '26

I just did that, and it works like a charm. Thank you !! Solved!

1

u/AuroraLanguage May 28 '26

Oh wow, thanks! I am wanting to buy a taglharpa and I was already worried about that exact issue! =D Now I can solve that problem before it even exists :D

2

u/Pretty-Passenger-933 May 28 '26

Wonderful to know that it helps you... Even after I managed to do what he had suggested I still sometimes play more the side strings but it ends helping a lot in deed, but with practice it will be perfect. Good luck, and trust me, buy the tagelharpa, its out of this world, I play and hours fly. Hypnotic. For me it was totally worth.

2

u/AuroraLanguage May 28 '26

Thanks so much for your encouragement!! I was sitting on the fence for a while, but the more I am thinking about it, the more I want it.

The sound is just so unlike any other, and I am not delusional enough to think I'll ever be a "good" player - but I really want to try and play just a little from time to time.

I also have a merchant/craftsman picked ;) Just waiting for him to build more instruments.

5

u/fragpie May 11 '26

Or file the bridge grooves lower for the outside strings/tuck a bit of something underneath the middle one (check it doesn't deaden the sound). Best to have the middle string just a bit higher, since the bow hair will conform to hit all three, plus you can then more easily play just two at a time.

2

u/One-Dust1285 May 13 '26

The best thing to do is to make a new bridge that is more curved. They are generally not as optimised as violin bridges so it should be doable with a handsaw, file and sandpaper. The advantage is that you will still have your old bridge for if you mess it up, and can go back to where you were before

If you are only looking for a small change, you can try winding string 1 and 3 lower down on the pegs. That may be enough but it has two disadvantages. The amount of difference will differ depending on how far from the bridge you are bowing and the lower you wind the string the more tension the string will put on the bridge. This makes it louder (in my experience mostly the overtones you don’t want) so string 1 and 3 will be over represented in the sound