Review of the Rebecca 30 Cross Strung Harp and Thoughts on Playing Cross Harp

Hello all! Today I'm here with a review of the Rebecca 30, a cross strung harp from Stoney End. I also wanted to give you some thoughts on my learning process as I've begun studying the cross strung. Spoiler alert: it's very challenging, but also so much fun!
See my unboxing here: • Unboxing the Rebecca 3...
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[@big-c-note]

Thanks for reviewing

[@songteller]

Nice overview! I play the 6/6 cross-strung. It’s nice to see how the other setup works. Your chord shapes look harder than mine, but I could see it being great for piano players.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

I am really interested in the 6/6 layout but I don't think I could wrap my brain around it! I was a music education major but always had more luck with memorizing keys rather than knowing the whole step/half step layout of chords.

[@benbrown8258]

I think on the 6/6 it's easier to think of chords as shapes, but practicing chordal arpeggios on either 5/7 or-6/6 skill will develop. I just wish the Belgium Master on the 5/7 and the Dutch Master of the 6/6 would come to visit in the US.

[@edenkizer9183]

Molly, great to hear you doing this as I've been trying to decide if this would be a good harp for me. It's missing 3 or 4 low notes I'd like to have but it's a good deal. I wish I could find anew one already built. Can you tell me how have the strings been? Are they starting to hold tune a little? Are they breaking a lot? I just had a very bad experience with a different cross-strung harp so just curious.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Thank you! It's a lovely harp. The strings have held tune pretty well from when I got it, but I think it lived in the showroom at the Michigan Harp Center for awhile before arriving to me. The soundboard has already bellied. I haven't had any string breakage thankfully. It's so frustrating to have strings break constantly - I experienced that with my Mikel 38 and it drove me nuts!

[@pedromusic4209]

Thanks for the Video 👍 I'm a guitar/bass player, but I love that Harp sound. Thinking 🤔 bout getting one😁🙏

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

It's such a beautiful instrument - and is beautiful no matter how new you are, haha 😊

[@earthlightsmusic2743]

I wonder if I could replace my cherry Blevin Xythara with one of those -- it is so much more resonant. Wow -- you sound like Jochen Vogel.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Thank you! It is a resonant and beautiful instrument! Mine is maple but I believe Stoney End will make them in cherry as well.

[@altolows7635]

@@MusicalMollyKhan No, only in maple, cherry isn't strong enough for the Rebecca harp. If you'd like training wheels on your harp, then buy a set of piano cheat stickers. The stickers can be removed with no residue when you outgrow them. You can stick them next to each tuning peg or along the sound board or wherever you like and identify each string at a glance. Colorful sticker sets are confusing because F isn't blue, but you can find the stickers in a discrete black on eBay and they don't look too tacky.

[@ReenBlom]

So, if you play one hand high on one side of the harp and one hand low you have same notes on both sides like on a double strung? Thank you for the review!

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Yes exactly! Though they are the same string, so unfortunately you can't overlap notes like a double strung.

[@ReenBlom]

@@MusicalMollyKhan Thank you!

[@Pamelabusby]

That’s exactly what I was going to ask you…if it is similar to a double strung, or could be used LIKE a double strung. Thank you for answering!

[@deirdreryan6147]

There is a paucity of videos showing off the Rebecca Cross Strung Harp. I wish your video had a whole lot less talking & giggling and more playing of this very intriguing harp. After a great deal of blah, blah, blah, you play a only few arpeggios toward the end of the video. How disappointing!