Harpmakers, am I correct?
Deb Knodel
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To: harp @ MIT.EDU @ UGATE
cc:
From: EMARGERUM @ mecn.mass.edu @ UGATE
Date: Wednesday August 21, 1996 12:47 PM
Subject: Re: Harps and sunlight
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Date sent: 21-AUG-1996
I have read about never exposing a folk harp to direct sunlight. Fact
orfiction?
If this is so, how do the people in Paraguay march with their harps?
(and on this one,
The major effects on a harp from sunlight would be a potential color
change in the finish and, in the case of gut and nylon strung harps,
embrittlement of the strings. Neither of these effects would be
instantaneous, but would be noticeable only after extended exposure.
I have always been interested that the strings of musical instruments
are either wire or, if not wire, protein (gut, silk, hair) or an analog
of protein (nylon). A modern relative of nylon which does not seem to
have been investigated as stringing material is Kevlar, which I think
might be worth looking at. Perhaps we could get the NRA to fund a
bullet-proof harp project? :-)
Ed Margerum
emargerum@mecn.mass.edu
"Just because it's ridiculous, doesn't mean that it's untrue."