Harp E Электраакустычная Арфа by Joris Beets

Harp E Электраакустычная Арфа by Joris Beets is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 Срэбная прэмія A' Design Award in Дызайн музычных інструментаў Competition Category.

СрэбраМузычны інструмент· 2023

Harp E Электраакустычная Арфа

by Joris Beets

Client: Joris Beets Design

Срэбная прэмія A' Design Award Winner in Музычны інструмент Category

648,135
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #142704

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Harp E Электраакустычная Арфа

Harp-E - самая даступная ў свеце электраакустычная арфа прафесійнага класа. Пасля поўнага структурнага пераасэнсавання і рэдызайну старажытная, складаная і элітарная арфа стала простым, элегантным інструментам з плоскай упакоўкай, які збіраецца самастойна. Для зборкі спатрэбіцца толькі шасцігранны ключ. Гэта змена парадыгмы, зробленая для ўсіх людзей і ўмоў, ад класных пакояў да фестываляў. Усе далікатныя дэталі заціснутыя ўнутры трывалай рамы; Harp-E з'яўляецца партатыўным, штабелируемым, наладжвальным, носным, рэгулюемым, у той жа час ён можа пахваліцца выдатным гукам, струнамі і электронікай, і ўсё гэта па кошце і вазе.

The Recognition

About the Срэбная прэмія A' Design Award

Harp E Электраакустычная Арфа — пераможца Срэбнай прэміі A' Design Award, надзвычай прэстыжнага прызнання, якое прысуджаецца дызайнам вышэйшага класа, цудоўным і ўражальным. Срэбныя пераможцы — гэта надзвычай бліскучыя і вельмі творчыя працы, якія ілюструюць выдатную кампетэнтнасць, талент і праніклівасць сваіх дызайнераў. Чакаецца, што Harp E Электраакустычная Арфа — гэта цудоўная, паказальная праца, надзвычай прафесійная і глыбока інавацыйная. Гэты дызайн, што атрымаў Срэбную прэмію A' Design Award, — вельмі значнае, вартае захаплення вынаходніцтва, якое прыносіць карысць і пашырае межы мастацтва, навукі, дызайну і тэхналогій. Harp E Электраакустычная Арфа — гэта твор, якому шмат хто зайздросціць, што абуджае жаданні, дорыць пазітыўныя пачуцці і запальвае здзіўленне і захапленне.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: It’s the world’s most affordable, professional grade electro-acoustic harp. The ancient and complicated instrument was completely redesigned from scratch into a simple, elegant, flat-pack, self-assembly instrument. Some call it the people's harp. A complete structural rethink makes it a paradigm shift: all fragile parts are sandwiched inside the sturdy frame; Harp E is portable, stackable, adjustable, while boasting superior strings and electronics - all at a fraction of the price and weight.
Dimensions & Packaging: Harp E has 24 SilkGut strings 5C-2E, fully levered. Width 48cm x Depth 7cm x Height 87cm. The stand fully nests inside the frame, everything fits into the carrier bag of the same dimensions. Harp 3.6kg, stand 1.2kg. Adjustable to 3 heights: 87, 101 and 115cm. The single, self-shielding sensor avoids low hums and spans all strings. The smart preamp ensures high signal-to-noise ratio, zero latency and full compatibility with any effects, stage amps and studio equipment, powered by a 9V battery.
Tags: Music, instrument, harp, education, DIY, self-assembly, democratization, inclusive design, electro-acoustic, electric harp
Production Technology: The core of the design is a revolutionary lever system, reducing hundreds of metal parts down to just two, with the rest CNC-ed out of the same sheet of beech plywood as the frame, like a near-wasteless jigsaw. Sandwiching the strings inside two thin frame halves, held together by standard stainless steel fasteners, allows for less wood and higher string tension. This and the custom designed pickup and preamp system, immune to EMI and with perfect frequency response, result in a superior sound.
Design Challenge: A hundreds of years old status quo of harp levers was they were either good and very expensive or cheaper but poor quality. Simply put, harpists and teachers wanted a minimum of 24 strings, fully levered and of the right quality, but target cost price made that impossible. That was tackled by integrating all individual levers into a single mechanism with an entirely different working principle (changing the string tension instead of length to change the pitch), a shot in the dark, but it worked!
Research: Throughout the project we observed, interviewed, surveyed, co-created and tested 9 rounds of prototypes with: teachers, students, parents, maintenance, harpists and would-be harpists, assembly volunteers, school managers. Varying from group to 1:1, lab-based to contextual ethnographic (e.g. in classrooms) or quantitative (surveys), to fully understand the complex and contradicting web of requirements, deep insights that allowed design decisions making the harp both functional and desirable to all.
Inspiration: Triggered by a charity telling him about the absence of affordable, quality harps for the thousands of students they aim to provide with instruments of their choice, we went on a mission to democratize the harp. Between a violin, a flute and a harp, many children choose the harp: it’s intuitive, embracing and immediately sounds good. But today harps are dissuasively expensive, thus remain elitist and produced in small numbers - which maintains their price high. Harp-E breaks this cycle.
Project Duration: The project started in 2019 when Dutch charity Het Leerorkest challenged us, who had just taken the harp world by storm with his Delta harp, to design an affordable, professional grade harp. Harp E was designed between London and Amsterdam. The first 10 prototypes were shown on Dutch National television with 300 more crowdfunded by the charity. Harp E was presented at the World Harp Congress in July 2022. Now also available D2C online, it is played by children and adults worldwide.
Operation Flow: Harp E arrives as a DIY kit with an assembly manual and can be put together with just a standard Allen key. It’s easy to customize with paint, hacks or mirroring the entire harp for the left handed, a world first.
It can be played on its height adjustable stand or worn like a guitar, acoustically or amplified by simply plugging it into a small amp setup, a smartphone, or a professional PA system. This offers a world of interaction modes and sound possibilities, imagine a harp with guitar effects!
Patents: Patented. PCT/GB2022/000024. Joris Beets Design. 2022. United Kingdom, worldwide.
Copyrights belong to Joris Beets, 2022.
Trademark (2022) Joris Beets Design.