Lyon and Healy DRAKE harp review

Hi everyone,
It's always so interesting for me to try new harps...here you go, a new lever harp for you to find out!
I hope you're doing well. Let me know in the comments below what you think.
All the best
Chiara x
☕If the video was helpful to you, feel free to get me a coffee😉
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[@strawberriesandcandy]

Omg “the material I use to cover my lemon tree” you are SAVAGE and it brings me so much joy

[@bettertomorrow2625]

Regarding tension - when harp makers (luthiers) are talking about tension, they are referring to the static (stationary) tension that the strings have on the body of the harp, whereas players are thinking in terms of how much effort it takes to create a sound. In other words, dynamic tension or - more accurately - resistance. So when you see something listed as "light tension", they are likely NOT referring to resistance, but the static tension on the body of harp itself. This is why something that is listed as having low/light tension can actually have quite high resistance/dynamic tension and it leads to a great deal of confusion when luthiers mean one thing and players mean something else but we're all using the same word.

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

Wow, super useful, thanks I didn't know it!!!!

[@ckaiser8052]

Your lemon tree bit was hilarious😂

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

☺

[@kathilisi3019]

I have a Lyon and Healy Drake! I'm glad to hear your opinion of it. I bought mine last year when it was a very new model and I had only been playing the harp for three months, so I didn't have a lot of experience. I chose it because it reminded me of the sound of Josh Layne's Camac Excalibur, but it was much lighter and smaller (I didn't want a big harp and wanted to be able to transport it without help). I think it's called "Drake" because of the bold red colour (like the dragon on the Welsh flag). Compared to my friend's harp the string tension is lighter, but I'd still call it medium tension. I'm glad you liked the harp overall!

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

Great, thanks for sharing your experience with it!

[@ckaiser8052]

Looking forward to your video about 34 string harps. I agree with you, I need at least 36 strings!

[@kimswartz9107]

I just rented a Drake since I couldn't decide what I wanted. I was in the VA Harp center showroom and the sound of the Drake really stood out to me, even though I didn't want a 34 string harp and I really didn't want one that has screw on legs like my old 80s Lyon and Healy folk harp! But I love the sound of the Drake, where one person finds it brassy and brash I find it lovely and sparkly. It makes me happy to play it. I don't know if I will purchase it, I would like to find a 36 or 40 string harp that has a similar sound!

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

Great! Let me know what you decide to buy eventually!

[@cackleberrycottage2340]

Personally, I do not understand what Lyon and Healy is doing. They had the 34 string Shamrock and got rid of that. The 34 string folk harp and got rid of that. The 36 string Lyric and got rid of that. Then came out with the Ogden, which is 34 strings and now the Drake, again 34 strings. Why didn't they keep the Lyric, which is much nicer looking than the Troubadour and make the Shamrock a light tension harp. It was much cuter than the Drake is, but that's just my opinion. I am just an amateur adult harp student so I don't know much, but to me it seems they just keep re-inventing the wheel. My line up would be the Shamrock, the Ogden, the Lyric and the Prelude.

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

🤷‍♀️...marketing strategy?

[@mandyramos1671]

They’re a company that needs to make money so they have to keep coming up and promoting new products

[@user-ml3sz3mm5y]

There's the same thing with Salvi student harps - the dust covers are made out of this cheap non-woven fabric, it looks super chintzy and it tears so easily! I mean, I didn't expect them to be made of unicorn hide and sewn with dragon sinew at this price, but would it kill Salvi to make them of synthetic velvet or something?

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

Hopefully they're going to change it!

[@user-ml3sz3mm5y]

​@@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470 Maybe they will, but that's not a huge deal. If I decide to buy this harp, I'll just buy some cloth and make my own dust cover lol - I know how to use a sewing machine. Then again, maybe not - our local harp maker, Resonance Harps, just reintroduced their 36-string model. It's cheaper, better made and probably will sound better than the Titan - it's got a wider soundboard, made of proper spruce. I'm gonna miss these B and A strings tho :)

[@bassethound1]

The sound is not for me. So brassy, metallic!

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

De gustibus non est dispuntandum! ...also the harp is brand new, it'll improve with time, and I recorded with my phone🙄 I'm going to release a comparison video with the Salvi Aida next week and I'll record with a better mic, so maybe you'll enjoy the sound more...

[@bassethound1]

@@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470 I enjoy anything you play. ❤️

[@alessandrodejuliis1320]

I didn't try this harp, but at a first glance it looks and sounds like a better Mia by Salvi, even the bag. Is it just me? (I sold my Mia recently, they are very similar to me) By the way it must be a good reliable harp. I'm also a fan of 34 range because it's a good compromise between extension and trasportability :) Greets from Italy, I enjoy your videos very much!!!

[@imagineoceans]

Hi!! :) I'm sorry for this really random question but may I ask why you sold your Mia? :) I'm considering getting it because I've been looking for a 34 string lever harp and I really liked the sound of it so I was just wondering if you don't mind me asking? :)

[@alessandrodejuliis1320]

@@imagineoceans I sold her because I needed money to pay for a new harp that I got builded for me in Germany. For years I craved for a harp in full wood and with more of a folk sound, so now I am really happy with the new one. But still, the Mia was my first harp and she was a good and reliable companion for my first 3 years of playing :)

[@imagineoceans]

@@alessandrodejuliis1320 Thank you so much for letting me know!! :) I'm trying to find more reviews on the Mia so I'm really glad to know you liked her! :)

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

I know it's embarassing, but I've never tried a Mia🤦‍♀️

[@vehrkalia]

@@alessandrodejuliis1320 posso chiederti quale arpa hai preso in Germania? Una Sievert? 😊

[@mizzushiro]

Teacher Chiara, I am really at a loss for which harp to decide. My first choice is Dusty Strings FH36H in Maple. However, I am thinking of Lyon and Healy Prelude 40 as well, and the problem is the prices for 4th and 5th strings for Prelude 40. I think Prelude 40 uses the same gut strings as grand harps, which reminds me of your precious movie for Lyon and Healy 23. Do you think that it is a good way to replace all 4th and 5th strings for Prelude 40 to bio-carbons (like Drake), or that this will make it meaningless to use Prelude 40 in terms of the great sound? I would really appreciate how you feel. Take care!

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

Hi! Sorry I'm not sure I understand well, let me tell you what I understood: you don't want to buy the L&Y 40 because some of the strings are too expensive? Is that the case?

[@mizzushiro]

@@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470 Thank you for replying. I'm very sorry! I wasn't really clear. Yes, the strings are too expensive for me for now. If I'm not happy with the bio carbon, I will choose FH36H(and later I will have Prelude40). I prefer the sound of FH36H in maple especially for solo, but at the same time, I personally feel Prelude40 seems more suitable for ensemble with gut strings because of the soft tone.

[@mizzushiro]

@@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470 Sorry, I forgot this harp is lent from Lyon and Healy. I was too short-sighted. I must have made you uncomfortable. You are my best harpist in my mind and wanted to ask you. I'll delete the whole message tomorrow.

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

No don't delete anything! I'm not sponsored by L&H or anything, do not worry at all! I love the Dusty so I would go for it. I don't actually know the Prelude 40 so I cannot give an advice... But you seem to have pretty clear ideas already! 💡 If you can have both, that would be best, of course 😄😉

[@mizzushiro]

@@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470 Teacher Chiara. Thank you for replying again!! I am glad to know you say so. I searched for all harps on the internet and found Dusty strings. That's when I found your posting. What I really like about you is that you always give 100% to everything!! Life is just once. I laughed out loud when I watched the post about your mother being furious about what you said about success in another video, and felt your love for your family. I wish I could be your student, but I know you don't do classes for kids now. (I'm not a kid but a beginner.) I will practice hard and, someday I want to take an online lesson from you!( If there are and you're not too busy with your professional students.) Take care!!!🌞

[@keiththurlow-bishop1617]

How does it compare to the L & H Ogden?

[@mandarinlearner]

Hopefully it is lighter tension with a thinner soundboard

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

I'm very sorry, I don't know the Ogden well enough to answer!

[@vehrkalia]

Ciao Chiara, non so più quante volte ho visto i video comparison tra la Drake e la Ogden. Continuo a dirmi che la Drake è carina ma la Ogden mi pare assai superiore! Mi domando se non dipenda dalle corde in biocarbonio. Onestamente, più le ascolto e meno mi piacciono. Mi sembrano fastidiosamente stridenti e squillanti. Forse è solo il mio gusto personale, io preferisco i suoi bassi e profondi, mielosi. Infatti la Dusty Strings è l'arpa dei miei sogni da sempre, ma non me la posso permettere. Sigh! Tu che ne pensi? Ho iniziato a studiare arpa da poco e entro il prossimo anno voglio comparmi la mia prima arpa! Ma non voglio né Camac né Salvi, il loro suono non mi intriga quanto quello delle Dusty e delle L&H. 💜 Grazie per i tuoi video! 💜

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

Ciao!!! Certo possibile che le corde non ti piacciano, devi sempre provare le arpe prima e tieni in mente che se è nuova si svilupperà (nel bene o nel male....guarda il mio video sul NON comprare un'arpa nuova). Coraggio, la Dusty è STUPENDA! Io ho una FH36 e ha un suono ricco e rotondo. Ti capisco, è molto cara, ma ne vale la pena! Risparmiare risparmiare e poi compraaaare.... Potrebbe essere una canzone🤑 Ti abbraccio!

[@vehrkalia]

@@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470 la Dusty è davvero stupenda! 😍 Secondo te qual è quella col suono più profondo? A me sembra quella in noce, anche se posso basarmi solo dai video. Ma all'harpcenter di Lugano, che tu sappia, ci sono Dusty da esposizione che potrei venire az provare?

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

@@vehrkalia Scusa il ritardo nella risposta. Per il suono più profondo non saprei, comunque varia anche di arpa in arpa... Certo, contatta Eleonora all'Harp Center, ha delle Dusty ed è molto gentile e disponibile.

[@vehrkalia]

@@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470 grazie! Sei molto gentile! ❤️💜💜💜❤️

[@3762302]

How does it compare to the older Salvi Aida 34 string harps?

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

Totally different! I'm going to release a video about it next week.

[@3762302]

@@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470 looking forward

[@3762302]

Can you maybe share how you do the chromatic lever changes at 2:46 - 2:51? Grazie mille

[@janetwitman]

You are playing this harp like a pedal harp- don't over play it - make it sparkle with a lighter touch.

[@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470]

Yes I have a "heavy hand" as when I test the harps I always play very strongly to see the limits of he harp. I'll do another video soon and I'll play lighter. Thank you for reminding it to me! ☺

[@janetwitman]

@@chiarapedrazzettiarpatelie6470 You are so dear and great fun to watch- I enjoy your presentations!