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Erik's harp was conceived
by his harp teacher, the legendary, Mildred Dilling, known as
'The First Lady of the Harp', and also the teacher of Harpo Marx. Miss
Dilling traveled extensively with her pedal harp. When she was unable to
take her huge harp into remote areas, she came up with the idea of
placing seven levers in the curve of the neck to replace the pedals of
the single action harp. When engaged, each lever would sharpen it's
corresponding pitch one semitone, effectively connecting a folk harp
into some of the chromatic possibilities of the pedal harp. She
commissioned a professional to maker her one and used it for years.
When Erik was studying harp with Miss Dilling,
he would go for half hour lessons and wind up being with her for hours.
She would feed him, tell him stories and took great interest in Erik's
development. It was her idea for Erik to sing with the harp. Realizing
the potential of her invention, Erik introduced her to his friend Shawn
Herman, a musician and instrument builder. Together Shawn and Miss
Dilling introduced the Dilling Model Harp. The neck, pillar, and body
are constructed of laminated maple with a Sitka spruce soundboard.
Patterned after the Egan Irish Harp in the Metropolitan Museum in New
York, Erik's harp is hand painted by his friend Jule Herman with Celtic
designs giving it a timeless, ancient look.
After making a number of the original harps,
the dimensions of the design were changed. When Erik had a seeming
accident at a Renaissance Festival, insurance covered a new neck in
which the harp was lengthened to fit in with the new style yet still had
the body of the old model. Consequently Erik’s harp is totally unique
in the world with a beautiful sound all its own.
Arsalan Fey continued to make these wonderful harps under the name Douglas Harps.
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