The Hymnal Evoharp is designed to be used in the keys of Ab, Bb and Eb–ideal for people singing in flat keys common in church hymnals. $1025 includes padded case and tuning wrench.
Arranged for keys of Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, Fm, Cm, Gm, Dm with relative minors, and sevenths
The original 21 Bar Chromatic Evoharp was designed and intended to perform best in the keys most commonly used by acoustic stringed instrument musicians. We believe that it serves that need very well. However, many players want to use their harps in worship services playing with a piano or organ. The keys used in hymnals are much different and, for that purpose, the keys available on the 21 Bar Chromatic Evoharp are not the optimum selection.
We performed a study using five hymnals from four different publishing houses to determine what keys should be provided to best meet the needs of this musician. We determined not only what keys were used in the hymnal but also what percentage of the selections in that hymnal were supported by each of three harp models, The Oscar Schmidt 21 Bar Autoharp, the original 21 Bar Chromatic Evoharp, and the new Evoharp Hymnal Model. The five hymnals differ quite a bit in the keys used but in all cases, the Evoharp Hymnal Model supports more selections than either of the others.
The Evoharp Hymnal Model is not simply a harp with different chord bars mounted on it. You could do that with any chromatic harp but the result would not be very satisfying. To work well you need to alter the string gauges and tuning to provide good support for the chords from bass to treble and good tone over that range. The Hymnal Model has a custom string set and tuning optimized to match the chord selection and offers a full, rich voice on all chords.The question of which harp supports the keys needed is not the only one that should be asked. The other questions are the richness of the voice and the construction of the instrument.
You must try the Hymnal Model to realize the difference in the voice. The construction of the Evoharp speaks for itself. The Evoharp Hymnal Model is a proud addition to the line of Evoharps. It is priced the same as the 21 Bar Chromatic Evoharp. Lead time for delivery is typically 6 weeks.