10 Things No One Told You About Nyckelharpa

Nyckelharpa is great but no one told you these things ! Some are just annoying, some are problematic, one is nice.
1:01 Finger Precision
3:09 Beware of the pain !
4:51 Not Standardized
6:49 Carry your lot
9:11 Bowing is HARD
10:29 Climbing is HARD
12:24 They Just Feel Different
14:23 Poor sound techies
16:31 Get Tinkery
19:18 Nice Nerdy Bunch

I'm Emelie Waldken, I play Scandinavian folk music on nyckelharpa and fiddles, and I teach folk music and dancing.

Nyckelharpa with 4-rows keyboard & bow by Jean-Claude Condi, Mirecourt, France.
Velvet wrap-vest, necklace & embroidered map by me.
Thanks to Esther for the cider.

HAPPY WORLD NYCKELHARPA DAY !!

Recorded April 2023 in Uppland, Sweden.
#nyckelharpa #nordicfolk #worldnyckelharpaday

[andrewharmon]

I built a travel case for my sister's Harpa. It's a monster! Covered with fancy black tolex, contoured dense foam interior, with lush red velvet, and brass fittings. I may be buried in it, when my time comes!

[gregpastic]

So glad I found your channel! I lived in Stockholm from 1978-1980 for music studies and during those three years I met a few 'early' revivers of the nyckelharpa. I fell in love with the instrument. At a workshop I met a man named Herold Lundin. He was one of the first modern nyckelharpa builders. We became friends (he was like my grandpa!) and he invited me to build my own instrument in his shop. It took me a year even with his generous help! I also bought one of his beautiful instruments which I still have but don't play often enough. You've inspired me to spend more time with my harpa. Thank you!

[anetherealpursuit]

Thank you for this! I got my nyckelharpa in 2019 and I’ve found the main barrier to improving on the instrument is the back pain. I’ll be working on exercising my back more so I have the strength to sustain it, as I really want to get back into playing again! Also I live in New Zealand so there aren’t so many of us around 😅 so your videos are of great help to me!

[Spacecookie-]

All you need is to borrow Mary Poppins' umbrella to carry your Nyckelharpa with you.

[jensaskengren]

You can build a case similar to the wooden box using carbon fiber slabs and aluminium. The padding could be made from laser cut foam matching the body of your nyckelharpa perfectly. You should definitely be able to find a local shop making custom cases like this. For a professional that travels it might make sense to pay for such a case.

[davidwright]

I just 'discovered' the nyckelharpa about half an hour ago. To my ear, an indispensable part of its charm, is the resonance. But as a contraption, as a piece of mechanism - sublime! PS - sounds great, too! Thanks for the video.

[CristinaMarshal]

Also, a befitting brochure for Sweden would be: Come to Sweden! Take leisure time, sample the delicious foods, meet the amiable people!; Also, live with a highly intrinsic instrument that requires you to have a hardy back and a harpa-builder living not too far from you (Preferably in your back yard) and you've got yourself a passionate Swedish Folkie Band!

[howardboyer]

That means it would be like a Indian Sitar a 12harmonic 6 active string instrument

[BengtNordsten]

As for cases, ALWAYS haunt every nearby instrument shop you can get to! I needed a case to safely pack my old bouzouki, which just "sloshes around" in a standard guitar case -- he thought for a moment, and brought out a dusty cheap Flying V case that fits PERFECT. 😁 If you're a touring professional, you really NEED to have a custom-built case (with IMO composite or fiberglass sides, aluminum framework, fitted interior, and definitely WHEELS) for maybe EUR 1000... but you could also find a solid used box for keyboard or pedals or something that fits very well -- I have an old Akai keyboard case that is about right but so shallow there'd be almost no room for padding.

[LMB]

Kingham MTM (made to measure) in the UK make instrument cases to measure, so it could be worth approaching them. I play Renaissance lute where there is no standard size either, I got my hard cases from this firm. There's a similar firm in Spain, they are cheaper but I find they are heavier, so if the instrument is already heavy, you don't want a heavy case too! Kingham cases are relatively lightweight.

[javi]

¡¡Fascinante instrumento!! Tu pasion por nychelharpa es contagiosa.
Gran homenaje🎵🎼🎶🎻

[qoph]

I can assure you, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that nobody has ever told me ANYTHING about nyckelharpa. Not that I wouldn't want to know. The topic does not come up often

[pagophilus]

Carrying - hard case with foam padding. Johannes Mayr sells a Thomann one as an option when purchasing from him. I thought of getting a local business to make a custom one for me, but he suggested that purchasing one with the nyckelharpa was a good idea as it would make transporting it half way around the world to me much safer.

Yes, it's heavy.

[littleeggy]

Very informative. A lovely clear video. I came here after a friend said she’d taken up this fascinating instrument about a year ago and was very keen on it. I think I might be tempted if I was 25 years old and a fiddle player! For now I will enjoy listening rather than playing…..

[CristinaMarshal]

My favorite corner of the vast - vast web! And speaking of vastness, this precious Instrument withholds much, so much beauty!

[mogg]

Got myself a nyckelharpa late last year and started playing like two-three months ago. All these tips & tricks videos you make are amazing for getting to know the instrument. Thank you. :)

I actually made my own hardcase out of plywood for the harp to be able to protect and lug it around, and it gets heavy quite fast, especially since I haven't found a good handle to put on it yet. 😅 But I am thinking about experimenting a bit with lighter and maybe even a bit thinner plywood to see how that would work.

[dessiplaer]

Thanks for the information. I love this instrument, and I learned a lot about it.

[williamsurname]

I don't have a Nyckelharpa, but I like how they look and sound.

[guitarandharmonicaman]

Hi Emelie. 😊 Thanks for this video. You are very impressing. I am just making a hard box for a special instrument, that I am just getting ready. 🤔 The box will be about 6 mm plywood. The idea comes from a bag, people use as flying. There are two wheels in the back, a nut in front and a grip. So you can draw the box after you on solid surfaces. 👍 I will soon share a video about the box on my channel. Regards Kari from Finland. ❤

[Naule]

A pelican case might be a good option if you don’t want to build one. Pelican cases come in a variety of dimensions. You can get them with pull and pick foam, foam that is divided into blocks that can be pulled out to create a custom fit for whatever you’re putting in the case. Also waterproof!