Harp& Psaltery Gallery

"Mini" Clarsach

Original design, influenced by early Celtic harps.
Salvaged Douglas fir, maple, and black walnut.

The clarsach is a wire-strung harp that dates from the 1300's and came from Ireland and Scotland. Early instruments were strung with gold or silver strings and later with bronze or brass. My clarsach is smaller than the originals and strung with steel. I crafted this small 18-string harp as a beginner's instrument, but the beautiful tone makes it a wonderful piece for everyone, beginning and experienced players, to travel with and play.

SOLD

Wing Psaltery #3, Angel Wing

Design based on miniature in the Pasionale of Abdis Kunigunde, 1320.
Maple, recycled Douglas fir, soundhole carving of black walnut, head carving of Tagua nut

On one of my many internet research travels, I came across a small picture from 1320 of an angel playing a psaltery that was in a shape very similar to the angel's wings. In the picture, the psaltery is a larger than mine, over 3 feet long (in comparison to the size of the angel), and seemed to have strings running in two directions, both vertical and horizontal. Trying to layout the strings that way prooved difficult, so I opted for the vertical setting only, like my other wing psalteries.

The tone is exceptional. Comes with stand.

SOLD

Hog-nose Psaltery "The Templar"

Design based on historic originals. Recycled maple and Douglas fir. Soundhole of black walnut with "Templar" head carving of Tagua nut.

My latest "standard" diatonic hog-nose psaltery has single strings spanning 2 1/2 octaves. The maple back was resawn from a portion of a 1970's coffee table. The Douglas fir top is wood salvaged from a demolished Portland warehouse. Comes with stand.

SOLD!

Psaltery #1

Based on traditional design
Maple, Douglas fir

For my first hog-nose (or pig's snout) psaltery I made an 18-string version based on designs seen in many European frescos, paintings, and carvings of the Medieval and Rennaisance periods. Psalteries can be played while standing, cradling the instrument in your arms with the "snout" pointed down, or played on your lap while sitting. Psalteries are occasionally called lap harps. Psalteries are bright sounding and the strings sustain for several seconds allowing beautiful harmonies to sing out.

Collection of Dora L. "Lu" Hart, Cheyenne, WY

Psaltery #2

Based on traditional design
Maple, recycled Douglas fir, soundhole carving of Eastern black walnut

To extend the scale I added two lower strings and built this 20-string version. Since many depictions of psalteries show carved sound holes, either carved through the top wood or added as intricate parchment roses, I carved and inlayed my trademark "Coog Moon" with a piece of Eastern black walnut.

Collection of Nancy Prentice, New Castle, PA

Wing Psaltery #1

Design based on historical instruments
Maple, recycled Douglas fir, black walnut & maple accents, soundhole carving of maple

Examples of this style of psaltery have been discovered in Babylonian, Asyrian, and Egyptian excavations that date back over 1000 years B.C. Mine are based on a little more current instruments, from the Medieval period around 1300 A.D. This one is a "table-top" instrument with a maple stand with hand-carved "feet." It has 18 single steel strings.

Collection of Maureen Mitchell-Wise, Berkeley, CA

Chapter House Psaltery #2

Design based on instrument depicted in fresco in the Westminster Abbey Chapter House, London, England
Oak , recycled Douglas fir, soundhole carvings of recycled Honduran mahogany

My second Chapter House Psaltery is a little larger than the first and has 15 doubled steel strings, which produce a very bright tone.

NFS