I have rebuilt the DIY humbucker aeolian harp with a number of improvements:
1. I have painted the wood with a couple coats of rustoleum paint to reduce or hopefully prevent a soaking rain dampening the harp resonance. So far this appears to have worked well.
2. I have improved the string anchoring by moving from a “through the body” solution to a hook similar in concept to a sitar peg to anchor the strings.
3. While zither pins are cheap and work satisfactory my experience has been that they work loose and corrode – thus I have switched to guitar tuners mounted in polycarbonate that are liberally covered in vasoline to reduce corrosion by being a moisture barrier.
4. I redipped my pickups in wax just to refresh the protection.
5. I have installed glued string guides at both end of the harp.
6. I retained the very effective granite bridge pieces.
Click on any picture to see it full resolution. I have sound examples below. the very last sample has a spectra that clearly shows the wind “raking” the strings of the harp if viewed at full resolution. (I have more on the prepared aeolian harp with the old design. Reference 1 Reference 2 Currently I need to review the data for the most interesting sounds.)
The above graphic is the audio spectragram for the below file:
141008-142745 – date time format Tuning B
141008-154521 Tuning B
141008-144343 Tuning B
141008-135052 Tuning A
141008-132232 Tuning A
5 replies on “Upgraded DIY Humbucker Electric Aeolian Harp”
Hi, some 33 minutes of sounds are available through Freesound.org – please follow their attribution protocol. I would also be really happy to have a link to the finished work. https://freesound.org/people/vaisvil/sounds/254863/
Really incredible depth in these sounds. Unbelievable. I am working on a short film inspired in a major way by some specific eastern writings, and was wondering what I would need to do in order to use these sounds.
Thank you so much for making these. Once again, I feel like I could fall into these sounds forever.
Sorry for taking 6 months (yikes!) to respond. I was researching acoustic aeolian harps with the intent to build one and found a person who had installed a very DIY electric aeolian harp on the top of his shed and at one time was broadcasting the audio live on the internet. Here is the link – so that was my inspiration that sent me on my quest to design my own version.
Hi Chris,
just a note to say thank you for your upload to free sound of the Wind playing your Aeolian Harp. Its truly magical and profoundly inspiring, what gave you the idea?
Very Best
Nat
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