The harp, considered the most ancient of the stringed instruments, has been revered as a healing instrument for thousands of years and by many cultures.
As two of the Providence Hospice Nurses who refer me tell their patients, families, and caregivers: the number 1 reason to have the harpist come is that the music acts like a massage, a tranquilizer, and is non-intervention. The vibrational energy of the harp strings goes directly into the cellular matter and allows for relaxation and is therefore a therapeutic treatment.
The characteristics that make the harp unique for healing include:
(Excerpted from the Spring ’96 Harp Therapy Journal)
- The instrument’s archetypal significance as an ancient, spiritual healing instrument
- Its wide pitch range which can vibrate the entire body
- Its varied and soothing palette of tone colors
- The ethereal effect created through the harp’s unique glissando technique
- The tension-then-release associated with the emotional expression of plucking its strings, as Pythagoras suggested when he saw the strings as symbols of the nervous system
Laurie Riley, founder of the Music for Healing and Transition Program, said in the Winter ’98-99 Harp Therapy Journal, “The harp, with its many strings, consistently generates a profound response in the listener. … There are many effective instruments, but the harp seems to be the epitome of a healing instrument.”
Fabien Maman, French composer and musician, says in the Summer ’98 Harp Therapy Journal, “When natural acoustic instruments are played, their sound resonates with the corresponding element and organ in the body. Stringed instruments, for example, correspond to the energy of the heart, small intestine, pericardium, and Triple Warmer meridians. The fundamental note played on an acoustic instrument nurtures the physical body, while the overtones resonate in the subtle bodies…. The plucked harp strings spread the sound — it surrounds the listener. The harp vibrates through the wood and the listener. It is a very feminine instrument and touches the heart… Other stringed instruments are more directional and restricted in their range.”