Musicmakers Voyageur User manual

VOYAGEUR HARP
Owner’s Manual

CONGRATULATIONS
YOU OWN A HARP!
We believe that making music is
one of the worthiest of human
endeavors. The harp is special
becasue, no matter what your
skill level, it sounds lovely. Sit
down, pull the instrument to
you, pluck a note or a chord, take
a deep breath, and let the sound
wash over you. How wonderful
that you get to do this!
CONTACT INFO
ENCOURAGEMENT
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns about your harp.
Touch and play your harp often. Make it a point to take a break from your busy
life to be with your harp. Giving your full attention to playing even a few notes or a
simple chord progression will put you in a good place every time.
Making music is its own reward - believe that you are making music everytime you
pluck your harp strings.
Relax and enjoy. Harp music is beautiful.
Share your harp and music with others and multiply your joy.
phone [phone] email [email protected]

UNPACKING YOUR HARP
GET TO KNOW YOUR HARP
____1.
____2.
Important - The feet have been
removed for shipping. Your harp
won’t stand on its own without first
installing the feet. Lay the harp on its
back and install the feet with the four
included screws. The wider part of the
foot should point toward the front.
Save the Shipping Box. I know - it is
large and takes up a lot of space. But
these boxes are custom made to fit
your harp. If you ever need to ship
your harp you’ll be very glad you saved
this box.
Take the time to learn the proper names for the parts of your harp. It will be useful
if you ever need to talk to a repair tech about any issues with your harp.
Neck
Front Back
Threaded Tuning Pin
Threaded
Bridge Pin
Sharping Lever Eyelet
Pillar Side
Soundboard
Shoulder
Feet

TUNING YOUR HARP
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I TUNE MY HARP
KEY OF C
PENTATONIC TUNING
KEY OF Eb
TOOLS
Expect your harp to be out of tune when it first arrives. Tune it several times a day
until it stabalizes. After about 30-40 tunings over the course of two weeks your harp
should be fully acclimated and quite stable. Beyond that, tune it as needed. During
seasonal changes, as humidity increases or decreases, changes in the wood can cause
strings to break and tuning pins to stick. Frequent tuning during these transitional
periods will do much to prevent this.
Tuning your harp to the Key of C (no sharps or flats) is the simplest tuning and works
for just about all the music in most beginning instructional books. This is the tuning
we recommend if you are just starting out.
With your harp tuned to the key of C, engage the levers on all of the B and E strings.
This a tuning with “no wrong notes” and is great fun for noodling around as every-
thing you do will sound pleasant.
This tuning makes the most efficient use of your sharping levers. Tune all of your B,
E, and A strings flat. Then, when you want to play in the key of C, engage the sharp-
ing levers on those strings
Any chromatic tuner will work. You’ll find some for sale on our website or at your
local music store. We also have a free online tuner on our website
MIDDLE
C4
A3F3 B3D3 E3 G3F2 B2 C3 G2 A2 E4 F4 E5D5
C5
D4 A4G4 B4D2 E2
C2 F5 F6E6D6 C6 C7
A5 A6G5 G6B5 B6
This picture shows a 36 string harp and where the notes fall on a piano.
Free online tuner at www.harpkit.com/online-tuner

CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR HARP
TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY
CARING FOR THE FINISH
NICKS AND SCRATCHES
THINGS TO WATCH
If you just remember that your harp is generally comfortable in the same environ-
ment you are, you will be fine. Prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures can
and will damage your harp. Mostly this means that you don’t want to leave your
harp in your car for much more than an hour on a very hot or very cold day.
Humidity generally isn’t a problem structurally but can affect the tuning if the harp
goes through frequent humidity changes.
It is also best to avoid storing your harp right next to a window or heating vent.
Old English Scratch Cover works miracles on minor scratches.
If you decide you want to do a more involved touch-up and end up sanding out any
damage, re-finishing is best done with Deft brand spray laquer in semi-gloss.
If you have a Vivid Color Harp, we do not recommend sanding as there is a risk of
sanding through the stain.
Harps are under a tremendous amount of tension - often over a thousand pounds.
Consequently, the harp tends to undergo some noticeable changes. Most of these
changes are normal and should not concern you. For example, you’ll notice the
soundboard start to crown upwards over time. If you look at the harp head on, you
might see a slight bend in the pillar. Minor flexing is normal and to be expected.
You need not be concerned unless cracks start to develop.
More info on harp repair at
www.harpkit.com/blog/how-to-touch-up-your-harp/
Your harp is finished with a water-based varnish which is durable, long lasting, and
envirmonmentally friendly. We recommend Old English furniture cleaner and
polish for regular maintainance and hiding scratches.
If you use your harp in a clinical setting and need to sanatize the surface between pa-
tients, most any of the the sterilizing wipes will work.. The hydrogen peroxide based
wipes, such as the Oxivar TB Wipes, tend to be gentler on the finish.

REPLACING YOUR STRINGS
BUZZING STRINGS
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I REPLACE MY STRINGS
HOW TO REPLACE A STRING
Strings do decay over time but it happens so slowly that you aren’t likely to notice.
You don’t ever have to change your strings unless they break. However, installing a
new set of strings will freshen up your tone. If keeping your harp sounding fresh is
important to you, re-stringing once every couple of years should be adequate.
Replacing harp strings is a bit of an art and explaining the process is beyond the
scope of this manual. You can download complete instructions for re-stringing your
harp from our website.
Stringing Instructions online at www.harpkit.com/stringing
HOW TO ORDER REPLACEMENT STRINGS
Every harp has a unique set of strings so you can’t just walk into a local music store
and ask for a set of harp strings. They will likely just stare blankly at you. The best
way to order replacement strings for your harp is to order them through us directly.
You can order individual replacement strings or a complete set from our website or
by calling us at 651-439-9120
Sooner or later you are going to have a string that
buzzes. It will drive you crazy. But there is hope. 99%
of string buzzing is caused by one of the following two
scenarios and is easily fixed.
Levers are the primary source of string buzzes. If the
buzz occurs when the lever is engaged, try tightening
the screws that hold the lever on the neck.
If the buzz occurs when the lever is disengaged, pluck
the string and look closely at the string as it passes
through the lever and see if it is vibrating against
some part of the lever. If so, adjust the threaded
bridge pin in or out with a 5/64” allen wrench (or
3/32” allen wrench for large bridge pins) until the
buzz is gone.
String Tails are the other primary offender. Check the clipped end of the string at
the tuning pin and make sure it isn’t touching any other string. String tails at the
knot, behind the soundboard, can also cause buzzing. Stick your hand inside the
harp and twist several knots around as you pluck the string that is buzzing.

VOYAGER HARP STRING CHART
Vibrating
String Note Gauge Code Color Length
1 A6 .025 VOY-A6 clear 5’
2 G6 .028 VOY-G6 clear 5-1/2”
3 F6 .028 VOY-F6 blue 6-1/8
4 E6 .028 VOY-E6 clear 6-5/8
5 D6 .028 VOY-D6 clear 7-1/4
6 C6 .028 VOY-C6 red 8
7 B5 .028 VOY-B5 clear 8-5/8
8 A5 .032 VOY-A5 clear 9-1/2
9 G5 .032 VOY-G5 clear 10-1/4
10 F5 .036 VOY-F5 blue 11-1/4
11 E5 .036 VOY-E5 clear 12-1/4
12 D5 .036 VOY-D5 clear 13-1/4
13 C5 .040 VOY-C5 red 14-5/8
14 B4 .040 VOY-B4 clear 15-5/8
15 A4 .040 VOY-A4 clear 17
16 G4 .045 VOY-G4 clear 18-1/4
17 F4 .045 VOY-F4 blue 19-3/4
18 E4 .045 VOY-E4 clear 21
19 D4 .050 VOY-D4 clear 22-3/4
20 Mid C4 .050 VOY-C4 red 24-1/4
21 B3 .050 VOY-B3 clear 26
22 A3 .055 VOY-A3 clear 27-1/2
23 G3 .045/.010 VOY-G3 clear 29-1/4
24 F3 .050/.010 VOY-F3 blue 31
25 E3 .050/.010 VOY-E3 clear 32-3/4
26 D3 .050/.013 VOY-D3 clear 34-1/2
27 C3 .055/.013 VOY-C3 red 36
28 B2 .022/5/.015 SFN VOY-B2 clear 38-1/4
29 A2 .024/8/.015 SFN VOY-A2 clear 40
30 G2 .022/3/.008 SFB VOY-G2 clear 41-1/2
31 F2 .022/5/.009 SFB VOY-F2 blue 43
32 E2 .024/4/.010 SFB VOY-E2 clear 44-5/8
33 D2 .024/8/.010 SFB VOY-D2 clear 46-1/4
34 C2 .026/6/.012 SFB VOY-C2 red 47-3/4

HARP RELATED RESOURCES
FOLK HARP JOURNAL
INSTRUCTIONAL BOOKS
The Folk Harp Journal (FHJ) is a quarterly publica-
tion of the International Society of Folk Harpers and
Craftsman (ISFHC). Membership in the ISFHC gets
you a subscription to the FHJ. You can also buy the
current issue, back issues, and several themed collec-
tions from Musicmakers.
Musicmakers offers several excellent books that will
instruct you in the proper technique and teach you
how to play the harp.
We also have a collection of repertoire books in a vari-
ety of genres.
Find the Folk Harp Journal online at www.harpkit.com/fhj
Explore our offerings online at www.harpkit.com/harp-books
14525 61st ST CT N
Stillwater, MN 55082
WARRANTY INFO
We will repair or replace, within five years from date
of purchase, an instrument that we built if the mate-
rials or workmanship are found to be defective during
normal use. String breakage, damage from accident,
abuse, neglect, exposure to high heat & humidity or
water, is not covered. This warranty covers the cost of
parts and labor, but you will be responsible for send-
ing the instrument to us in Minnesota for repairs, and
for returning the repaired instrument back to you.