If you’re looking to get creative with your harp sound, effects pedals are a great place to start. Effects pedals are used to process your harp’s signal in various ways. They can add a different colour to your sound, make it feel bigger, change the pitch, allow you to loop yourself etc. Essentially, they extend the possibilities of your instrument.
The pros of using pedals with your harp include:
•They are operated with your feet so leave your hands free to play!
•One pedal = one effect – simple and clear to use
•Generally sound great
•No computer needed so easy set up and no risk of crashes!
I often get asked about my top pedal choices so here are my top picks:
1) Loop Pedal - A loop pedal lets you record a “loop” of sound e.g. a chord progression or riff, which is played back repeatedly until you stop the loop. A lot of loopers let you ‘overdub’, meaning that you can record on top of the first loop and form multi-layered pieces of music.
Basic Looper: Ditto: https://amzn.to/3s6LmYT or Boss: https://amzn.to/3d2XC8u
More Advanced Looper : https://amzn.to/39XCoqM
2) Reverb Pedal - A reverb pedal essentially emulates the sound you hear when playing in a large space, where the reflections within the room create an ambient trail or echo.
A good choice is the TC Electronics Hall of Fame - https://amzn.to/3d3Yo5c or a more basic model is this Skyverb from Mooer: https://tidd.ly/2TuOUZi
3) Delay - Simply put, a delay pedal is an echo unit that repeats the notes you feed through it. It’s one of those pedals that can be incredibly versatile – often forming the backbone of a riff or adding ambience to more delicate parts.
I use the TC Electronics Flashback - https://amzn.to/39YtBoc
4) Freeze Pedal - A freeze pedal allows you to ‘freeze’ a sound, and delivers infinite sustain of any note or chord. This is really useful for having a drone that sustains under your tune playing, or for creating ambiance.
I love this one from ElectroHarmonix: https://tidd.ly/3q3jd5G
5) All-in-one unit - Rather than look at individual pedals, you may prefer to get a multi-effects unit that will allow you to do multiple things. These are more expensive upfront, but may save money long-term.
Some good ones are by Boss: https://tidd.ly/3vrKfVd or Eventide H9 - https://amzn.to/3t8RHo2
If you want any advice about pedals just get in touch!
