How much would you pay a harpist?

Emma1988

How much would you pay a harpist for four hours work...?:j

LeaBee_3

Hiya

I had a few quotes for £300 - £500 for 3 hours

In the end I emailed our local music and drama university to ask if any students would like work experience etc

Met up with a singer and harpist and they were fabby!!!!

They charging me £150 between them!!! worth a try

bubble96

if i had the money, £300-£400. Not as many good harpist players out there as other instruments, and is an expensive instrument, and thwy would possibly have additional costs of transportation as its big. So i wouldnt be surprised to hear quotes up to £500, though a bit of shopping around may get lower.

bex4adz

The harpist we have booked charges £295 for the first hour then £50 and hour after that, so on that basis it would be £445 although we have just booked her for 2 hours. She is fantastic and although it may seem expensive the sound is beautiful and well worth the cost

Bride2be24

about £400
We are having a string quartet for for 5 1/2 hrs (ceremony and meal) and thats costing us £600

RainbowDrops

I cheekily grabbed a buisness card off a harpist who was just leaving a church wedding the other day, so I'll email her & find out her rates.

I like the idea of getting a student though, more MSE that way!

Emma1988

Thanks for getting back to me guys
We are thinking of booking one for 300... she will play during the ceremony and while people are having drinks afterwards. In total 4 hours and doesn't charge for transport...
Think im just gunna go for it! Our friends a dj for the evening, so means we can spend our pennies on her!

Sammy85_2

Ive just booked our harpist. £265 for 3hours.

Rang round a few before booking and all were a similar price.

Emma1988

Thats sounds like a good price too! :money:

little_h_2

Hi, I am a harpist (not intending to advertise at all in any way) and all the above sound in the right ball park, it all depends on how long and how much travelling and what area you are in.

It is quite an operation transporting them around and setting up/tuning etc, so while we may play for a short time, what goes on before/after playing probably takes the same amount of time again!

Approaching music students is a great idea, it's a great way for them to build portfolios but do ask how much experience they have and what kind of music they would expect to play as a minimum.

As mentioned above, it is an expensive instrument with a lot of maintenance and running costs (strings etc!) and there aren't many of us around so we do get booked up.

personally I think it's a lovely thing for a wedding ceremony or for background music, totally non intrusive sound so people can still hear/talk over it, and looks gorgeous in photos.

Teddy01

I am writing this as a harpist who has been playing for special events for 25 years. Most harpists prefer bookings to be 3 hours or less because of potential repetitive strain injury from sitting in a physically stressful position and playing for a length of time.
You will often find that fees escalate above 3 hours for this reason. (N.B. playing the harp is not the relaxing occupation you may assume it to be from hearing it!)
Fees for one hour are usually relatively high because the player has to get there and cannot take other bookings for that day. Please remember that most harpists cannot get bookings every day of the week as Fridays and weekends are the most popular days for weddings. So 2 or 3 hours are best value for money and better still if the booking is on a Monday - Thursday.
Beware! Almost anybody who can string together a few tunes, looks presentable and has transport and a serviceable instrument tries to take wedding bookings. Do look carefully at the experience and credentials and listen to soundclips by the players. (Most professional players will have a website). You will start to hear the difference. A truly accomplished professional should be able to play anything within the parameters of the instrument (ie if you want Rap and Heavy Metal then you are probably looking at the wrong sort of instrument!). If the player cannot play at least a sizeable number of songs on your wish list then you might want to try someone else. Student repertoire is often very limited. Your wedding is such an important day that you should think twice before compromising on booking someone who often provides such an important contribution to the ambience. A good professional is well worth paying for.
Having said that, what harpists charge is not necessarily a guide to how good they are! Some of the best players charge reasonable rates because their livelihoods depend on their getting work, whereas many students are not dependent on this income to pay mortgages etc. and can speculate more in what they ask. I have encountered many students who charge more than I do, especially if they look cute! Again, check out their website! I know some good male harpists, so don't automatically ignore them. They tend to get fewer bookings so may charge less. Hope this helps.