Earth harp how does it work

The harp synthesizes a number of disciplines. It is a public art installation, an engineering feat, a musical instrument and an architectural fascination. The instrument sounds like a cello on steroids — low and resonant. Close literally steps between the strings, in effect playing the instrument from the inside. He wears cotton gloves liberally dusted with violin resin and runs his hands along the strings until they vibrate.

Close has a flair for the theatrical, and when he plays, he engages in a sort of primitive, full-body dance. It was there that i3 Arts Fest founder Xandra Myers first saw Close perform and decided she had to book him for an event. In , she commissioned him to string the City National Bank building during a downtown art walk. William Close works on his Earth Harp, the longest stringed instrument in the world, ahead of performances at California Plaza in downtown L. Close was stringing the harp to a skyscraper in the plaza.

William Close runs a line from the top of the skyscraper to the Earth Harp for his performance at California Plaza in downtown L. The strings are attached to water bottles, and were tossed off the roof of a skyscraper and then attached to the harp. William Close with his Earth Harp, which he was stringing the harp to a skyscraper in California Plaza. The fact that Close has performed in concert halls and public spaces around the world, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.

Close grew up outside of New York and later studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he began to experiment with building wild, avant-garde instruments. His first installation of the Earth Harp involved stringing it 1, feet across a canyon just south of Chicago.

Close went on to play in concert halls, which required him to attach the strings to balconies so that audiences literally sat beneath the instrument.

Close has created more than musical instruments. He mostly builds them in his home shop in Malibu. He lost everything in a wildfire, but managed to rebuild his home in the exact same spot.

Close Menu. Email Address Subscribe. Yes Not now. Leave your feedback. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter. Transcript Audio. I am an installation artist and an instrument inventor. All that and more is on our Web site, PBS. And two news updates before we leave you tonight. And that's the "NewsHour" for tonight. I'm Hari Sreenivasan. Join us online and again here tomorrow evening with Mark Shields and David Brooks.

Have a good night. Listen to this Segment. More Ways to Watch. Additional Support Provided By:. He mounted four large resonators and bridge roughly the size of a 2 grand pianos to the ground on one side of a valley.

He then ran the strings from that side of a valley almost ft across to the other side, creating a giant harp out of the landscape. He has installed it in concert halls , museums , and PAC's. From giant Festival stages out over the crowds, to the tops of skyscrapers, across canyons and valleys, to mountain peaks and ancient temples.

Inside cathedrals, arenas, and sport stadiums, t o historic monuments, historic sites and historic architecture. Across and into lakes, pools and beaches. In giant glass atriums, airport terminal and public plazas. William continues to develop the sonic beauty of the instrument, always refining and trying new designs. The strings went from the chamber on the stage all the way to the top of the mountain peak. The strings were tied into the mountain with rock climbing gear. The mountain peak had caves in the top.

When the Earth Harp was being played the sound would resonate in the caves The Mountain was creating music! His technique pulls beautiful symphonic tones from the giant strings. The pure acoustic tones are then amplified through standard microphones and put through the sound system.

This is an acoustic instrument, no computers are involved in creating the symphonic sound! William's early experiments led him to this unique way of playing the giant strings. They are played with violin rosin on the fingers. By running the fingers along the strings it creates a beautiful and unique sound. It sets up what is referred to as a "compression wave" type of vibration. It vibrates the material of the strings similar to running a finger around the edge of a wine glass. This is a different type of vibration than that of a plucked or bowed string.

After exploring and developing this unique way of playing the strings, William invented a unique tuning method which uses floating bridges that mount to each string. With long enough strings, the musical range of the Earth Harp can go from the highest note on a violin to the lowest note on a bass! William and his team were highly praised by the judges and producers from NBC. He was asked to return to the show in where he performed a collaboration with finalist Emily West.

It was the first time two previous contestants had collaborated on the Show. William Close is an installation artist, musician, and visionary who has developed more than new musical instruments, including the famed Earth Harp. The body of the Earth Harp rests on the stage while the strings travel over the audience, extending up to 1, feet in length, and attach to the back of the venue, turning every space into an instrument.

Close creates musical installations that use the architecture as part of the instrument.