This is my main harp, it’s a 34 string Celtic. Celtic (or lever) harps, like most kind of harps, come from diatonic system, meaning that the playing sequence of the strings give origin to a tonal scale.
My harp like most celtic harps – is tuned in E flat Major. To create the missing semitones, I have to use levers.
There are also other ways of producing the missing semitones. Each solution gives origin to a different type of harp.
The harp can be played with the fingertips, according to the classic technique, which is the one I use, or with the nails, as foreseen by an Irish school. Nails are also used in South American harps.
I play seated on a small stool, but lately many harpists prefer to play standing by placing the instrument on a rise, often it is a cajon, which is also capable of amplifying the sound of the instrument.
Photo by (c) Enrico Giulia