In the late 70's Rick Rubarth was a young singer/songwriter/guitarist working folk clubs in the Detroit area, when he heard his first harp on a recording by Robin Williamson. Captivated by the beautiful sound of the Caswell harp on the album, Rick vowed then and there to become a harpist. But how do you get a harp if you're a starving artist with no more money for new instruments? Solution: build your own. It took Rick about 6 months working evenings in a small workspace in his apartment to make a very credible first instrument on which to discover ways to play. Thirty years and 1100 harps later, at age 52, Rick Rubarth has sadly become only a moderate harpist, but fortunately for the harp world, he's one of the greatest builders on the scene today. 豎琴班
Being an instrument maker of any kind requires great sensitivity to sound and a compelling desire to make objects with one's own hands. Rick possessed both qualities early on. He spent my youth in Dearborn, Michigan, a person in musical family which will gather every Sunday after church at Grandma's house play and sing old-time classics from Vaudeville era, like Sidewalks of New York and Bicycle Built for Two. Strumming guitars were Rick's father and older brother, while his mother played the piano. "She was the real talent in the household," recalls Rick. "She could sight read sheet music and play by ear as well. She played from Chopin and Copeland to Rhapsody in Blue and boogie-woogie. Unlike lots of classically trained players, she could improvise and pick things up by ear. I didn't get any formal instruction from her, but I acquired a few of the musical genes. My father did show me just how to play guitar. By 14, I was writing my first songs."
Are you aware that handicraft side of the equation, Rick remembers always building something and other throughout his childhood. Model planes and boats were a popular pastime, as were elaborate Rube-Goldberg style constructions of cardboard, which will deposit a coin in a bank in probably the most complicated way possible. Later, senior school wood shop proved particularly rewarding and kindled a life-long interest in wood and its properties.
Rick had to eventually sell that first harp during one particular inevitable lean times any working musician is at the mercy of, but thus was created a chance to build a fresh harp, which hopefully would sound even better compared to first. Through the entire early amount of his career he would build a couple of harps at a time and then think on what he could change to enhance the sound. In early years the goal wasn't to make a living, but alternatively to understand a craft and uncover the mysteries of an instrument.
In 1977 Rick moved to Ann Harbor Michigan where he worked as a commercial electrician in the auto industry. Nearly all of his spare time was specialized in making harps. "I lived near the Stearns instrument Museum and the curator would let me into the back rooms to go through the old harps within their collections. These were important historical instruments -- there was an early on Morley harp and a earliest pens copy of the Queen Mary harp -- but they had fallen apart and were lying in pieces on shelves, awaiting sometime later on when they could be restored. This is a great opportunity for me because I was able see the inside! I took plenty of measurements and observed what sort of tops were carved and braced. It absolutely was a great foundation for my future education."
Four years later Rick, now married, relocated to Denver, Colorado where he has lived ever since. He established a pattern of working in your free time, gigging around town, and building harps. In the late 80's, a music retailer suggested there was a distinct segment available in the market for small harps, so Rick designed a 22-string instrument, which proved very successful. Through the entire years he has built and sold over 700 of the affordable harps, however larger harps have remained his true passion.