The concert harp has 47 strings and a huge range, but its limits are mechanical. Seven pedals each set one pitch class across every octave, so chromatic writing is far harder than the range suggests.
Harp registers
| Register | Range | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Bass | C♭1 to C2 | Long, ringing strings. Rich but muddy if written thickly. |
| Middle | C2 to C6 | The fullest and most resonant part of the harp, where most writing sits. |
| Top | C6 to G♯7 | Short, dry strings with little sustain. Bright for glissandi, weak for melody. |
Writing for the harp
- Each pedal changes that note in every octave at once. A chromatic line needs pedal changes the player has time to make.
- Glissandi need a pedal setting. Write the setting or the chord the glissando should sound.
- Harmonics sound an octave higher than the string and are written at the string's pitch with a small circle.
The harp in sample libraries
Most harp libraries ignore the pedals, so any chromatic passage plays cleanly in a mockup. Before a live session, check that every bar can be played with one pedal setting, or that there is time to change.
The full range is every note a professional can produce. The practical range is narrower on purpose, leaving out the notes only strong players produce reliably. The figures here are cross-checked between orchestration references, and where they disagree the practical range takes the more conservative one.
See every instrument on one chart, or check a whole MIDI file against these ranges, in the instrument range chart.