Mini Kinnor Harp, Light w/ Case

I'm a professional musician and loved the idea of getting a harp like I've read about in the Bible. The ten-stringed harp (it's actually a lyre, I've learned) is mentioned in Psalms 33:2, 92:3, and 144:9 amongst other places in scripture. There are some great youtube videos that taught me alot and gave me a good idea of how this sounds.So I bought it because of its fair price and figured I could return it if it was too cheap or misrepresented. But I was very happily surprised. First, though it won't fill a room like a giant 37 string harp it is most definitely not a toy. Portable instruments like this are just what a shepherd would have carried, and I as a traveling musician found it the perfect size to bring along with me. It is light, but something this size doesn't need to be heavy, and the sound box should be light because then the wood resonates more. The great thing about this harp/lyre and the musical scale that it plays is that you don't need to be a pro musician to play it- the notes sound great together- and it only takes a little bit of time to find out which notes work better together than others. (Hint: play two strings together that skip one string or that skip 4 strings for some beautiful harmonies).The harp comes with strings on it, and an extra set of strings in the zip pouch in the case. I broke one early on trying to tune it, which can happen with travel or with this type of tuning mechanism. It comes with a tuning key that is used for harps, which is not like guitar tuners, but it fits right in the zip pouch as well. You also need to put the bridge on the harp so it stands up and holds the strings up, and the information sheet that comes with the harp tells you how to do that. It also tells you how to tune it, and other information. For tuning, I use a snark clip on tuner and it works great and fits in the zipper pouch on the case too. When tuning, make sure to push in towards the harp as you tighten to pitch -- you can't just turn it and hope it stays. I had some days of frustration until I learned this. You will still have to tune it every few days but this is common for any instrument that moves around alot.It is loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, and you can mic it if you want to play for a bigger audience. I want to get a bigger version too and see how that is in comparison. You can make beautiful melodies with this, and you do not have to be a pro for it to sound good. Just experiment with different rhythms, hitting different strings, going up strings here and down there, single notes or a few--just let it come from within. One of the things I've learned in study about this is that you don't need to play set songs--improvisation is a big part of the instrument -- and it's more about personal expression than doing an exact song. Letting the Spirit move you is similar to how David played, they say.If you are drawn to this--for whatever reason--and you don't quite have the money for the bigger one and want to see how you like it this is for you. It even looks great on a table or the wall if you take a harp/lyre break or only need it for certain projects. But it's the perfect size for personal playing and prayer and has a gentle tone which would come in handy for playing before bed, or for people in the hospital when a quieter sound is desired. I can understand how someone might think it's a toy, depending on what they were expecting, but take it from a professional musician- the tuners stay in tune when the strings are stretched and good, the instrument is solid, the sound is cool, the look is amazing, it's the perfect size for travel and can still be used in bigger settings with a mic. If you want an idea about the size, longways it is about the length from elbow to fingertip, and the width is about a span from thumb to pinky with fingers stretched out (on a 6ft tall person that is).I'll see if I can post a video to this and let you hear what I've done with it.I think next I'll try one of the bigger versions, maybe they can hook me up with a discount! '''

I use this Kinnor Harp as an Educational display and pass around as I teach about King Dav'id and Solomon.The Ten string Harp was used with many Psalms. Psalm 33, Psalm 92 and Psalm 144 are my favorites.You cannot beat this Instrument for the price, it is a prefect size for what I use it for Thank You

Perfect, just what I wanted. The strings to go out of tune easily but I bought a guitar Snark tuner that clips on so I can tune before each song or throughout my day of playing. One of the holes would not hold tight but a quick stick of a tooth pick into the hole with the peg and it was all better. The sound is awesome and it can be tuned easily to play with the Mid-Eastern sound of Hebrew Torah songs.

These are alot of fun to use and mess around on. Tuning is easy enough with included book, has pretty good tone to. All in all great little harp

Great Product, but needs a ferry good Tuner, special Sound

I chose to buy this harp to learn how to play the harp with a small harp instead of a big harp. Thought it would be easier for now until I could buy a big one and find a instructor to play professionally. I got to learn how to tune it and make a few pretty sounds but It became obvious to me (specially after reading other reviews) that this is like a toy harp with which you can not really make real music to even entertain family or friends with or just relax playing it. If you want to learn to play the harp buy a good harp in the $100's or $1000's and if you are not naturally given to music get an instructor. God bless you!