This instrument has gone through a few iterations. Initially I wanted to make a harp-like instrument with a bridge in the middle, so two people could play it at the same time, one on each end. The first version of this instrument ended up like that, but the sound wasn’t very good. This was because the strings were not long enough on either end to make a good sound. I ended up moving the bridge slightly towards one end and trying it that way. This made a better sound. I used Chinese guzheng strings on this first version, but it turned out they were not great quality and a few snapped.
Some time later I decided to get rid of the middle bridge and just make it a regular harp. I bought a pack of 10 lyre strings and that’s what’s on there to this day. You can play it by plucking it with your fingers, using a guitar pick, or by striking the strings with some kind of stick. I ended up using stakes from a camping tent, which if you hold them loosely and let them bounce on the strings makes a nice repeated note, much like a Marxophone.
One final way to play it is to let the wind do it for you! If you hold the harp somewhere where high winds can pass through the strings, say in front of a window or door, the wind vibrates the strings, which creates an eerie atmospheric sound. These are called Aeolian harps, and you can mount them outside so they sing whenever there are high winds.
The finished product The first iteration Moved the bridge over to one side to get a better sound
