Ideally, a nyckelharpa should weigh 2 kg or less and have a clear and loud tone, with keys that move easily...

Build your Own Nyckelharpa

If you are interested in building a nyckelharpa, the following sources and general comments might be useful.

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Nyckelharpa Plans

Sören Åhker has made a new set of plans for the nyckelharpa, along with a 35-page instruction booklet. It's in both English and Swedish. It contains multiple design suggestions for dealing with the various difficulties encountered when designing a functional instrument. For example, there's more than one design for the peghead, since there's several equally good forms popular among Swedish makers.

Sören Åhker

Berge 5687
S-820 71 Ilsbo
Sweden
Tel. +46-650-742240
soren@sorenahker.com
www.sorenahker.com

Sören also sells strings, parts, nyckelharpa kits, soft cases, hard-shell cases, bows, and of course finished nyckelharpas. He's getting to be known as one of the best makers around today.

 

 

There also exists a full-scale plan for a nyckelharpa built by a guy named Bäckström in the 1970's, and a book in Swedish only on how to build a nyckelharpa. Both are now somewhat outdated, as the ideas on the best way to build a nyckelharpa have changed in the last 20 years. Courses on building had only been offered for a few years when the book and the plans were created, and people still had the notion that they could improve on a few hundred years of tradition. Nowadays, they've come back to something closer to the original in many ways, while still making some improvments in the sound and the weight of the instrument. We do not recommend using the Bäckström material.

In addition to the Bäckström plans and boo, Björn Björn also sells a set of plans made from an Eric Sahlström nyckelharpa, as well as plans for 4-row nyckelharpas (and many many other instruments, including the Moraharpa, the Esseharpa, kontrabasharpa and silverbasharpa). He also sells kits with all the parts you'll need to build a nyckelharpa, hard-shell cases and kits for cases, bows, strings, etc.

Björn Björn

Botvide, Lau
S-620 16 Ljugarn
Sweden
Tel +46-498-491008
Fax +46-498-491095
bjorn.bjorn@i.lrf.se
http://www.bjornbjorn.nu

The Bäckström plans and book can also be purchased from Leif Alpsjö, along with nyckelharpa kits and lots of other stuff:

Leif Alpsjö

Rångsta, VIKSTA
S-740 30 BJÖRKLINGE
Sweden
Fax & Tel +46-18-372300
leif@alpsjo.se
http://www.nyckelharpa.com

Americans with Buildling Experience

I've helped a fellow in Washington state buy a kit and he successfully made a harpa, but he had mine to look at to see the finished product and how it was supposed to fit together. You can guess that there are a lot of parts!

Several North Americans have built nyckelharpas in the past few years, and you might find it useful to contact them about their experiences, and for advice.

Glenn Greene

2105 Huckleberry Springs Rd
Knoxville TN 37914-9358
423-933-7133
gwgreenetn@aol.com

George Smith

12509 SE 19th Street
Bellevue WA 98005
206-746-8718

Janet Gabites

2862 West 20TH Ave
Vancouver BC V6L 1H3
CANADA
604-738-3375
jgabites@eos.ubc.ca

Brian McCandless

Elkton, Maryland
410-398-6594
bem@udel.edu

(Brian is also a bagpipe maker, if you're interested.)

Lynn Erickson

905-2725 Melfa Road
Vancouver BC V6T 1N4
CANADA
604-224-4883
lyneri@ballard.com