page_title: Pedal harp
section_title: Jazz
hierarchical_section_title: Pedal harp / Jazz
caption_attribution_description: English: A closeup photograph of a harpist performing.
context_page_description: The pedal harp is a large and technologically modern harp, designed primarily for use in art music. It may be played solo, as part of a chamber ensemble, or in an orchestra. It typically has a range of six and a half octaves, and weighs about 36 kilograms. The pedal harp is about 1.85 metres high, has a depth of 1 metre, and is 55 centimetres wide. The notes range from the C♭ three octaves below middle C to three and a half octaves above, usually ending on G♭. Using octave designations, the range is C♭₁ to G♭₇.
  The role of the pedals in this type of harp is to alter the pitch of the strings, so that the pedal harp can easily play works written in any key. This is particularly important in the harmonically complex music of the Romantic period and later 20th-century classical music. Nonetheless, the two lowest strings, C♭₁ and D♭₁, are not affected by the pedal mechanism. They must be tuned manually in advance for the whole piece.
context_section_description: The first harpist known to play jazz was Casper Reardon, a pioneer in the world of "hot" music. Dorothy Ashby (sampled by hip-hop artists) and Alice Coltrane are other jazz harpists.
caption: Harpist performing
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