Elektra harp
The Elektra-Harp is a pedal steel guitar group from the guitar manufacturer Gibson . It is a chordophone or an electrophone .
The first model of the Elektra Harp was offered by CMI / Gibson (Chicago Musical Instruments Co.) in 1955. It expands the pedal steel guitars with different tunings (still in open tuning ), new integrated effects devices and a different construction method. One example of this is the “Multiharp” with a total of three necks.
construction
One of the differences to a "normal" pedal steel guitar is the number of necks and the associated strings. The Multiharp has three necks instead of one or two. These can be picked up individually or all three together by the electromagnetic pickups . The two additional necks cover the low and high pitch ranges, respectively . The pedals only affect the middle neck, which in turn is designed for the middle .
The 610 Elektra Harp has only six sides instead of eight. This is the case to give guitarists an easier introduction to playing the instrument. In addition, the price of the instrument at $ 295 is also more beginner-friendly than, for example, $ 980 for the Multiharp.
Other innovations are the added pedals. Instead of four there are now six pedals. These can be found on the left edge of the instrument. Due to the different lengths, all pedals are easy to play. As with other pedal steel guitars, stepping on the pedals transposes the tones of the strings into a new mood . The two new tunings result in the E major chord with seventh (E7) and B major with ninth, or F sharp minor with sixth (B9 / f # 6).
As a final extension, two integrated effects are added. One is called the "you-wah" effect and is similar to the "doo-wop" singing style . It can also be compared to the “wah-wah” effect for guitar. The second is the “audio cut-off” or “kill switch” effect , which creates a kind of stuttering of the sound.
history
The first copies of the pedal steel guitar had been around since 1930, but it was only after the chart hit "Slowly" by Webb Pierce in 1953/54 that a new wave of pedal steel guitar music emerged.
Since the private guitar makers (e.g. Paul Bigsby ) could no longer keep up with the great demand and there were long waiting times, CMI / Gibson took the initiative and manufactured new types of pedal steel guitars. In doing so, they took on many new constructions and functions with which private guitar makers had previously prepared their instruments and which led to a characteristic sound.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ André R. Duchossoir: Gibson Electric Steel Guitars. 1935-1967. Hal Leonard, Milwaukee WI 2009, ISBN 978-1-4234-5702-2 .