Glossary of Terms: become familiar with musical terminology

Bridge/bridge pins - the bridge and bridge pins are responsible for the transmission of sound vibrations from the strings into the front of the harp (soundboard). They are manufactured from ebony (a dense hardwood) in order to keep their structural integrity under the tension of the tin-coated strings.
Electronic tuner - although some people choose to tune by ear, many use the aid of an electronic tuner. An electronic tuner is a device that detects and displays the pitch of a musical note. There are various electronic tuners available, including various apps.
Harmony - the combination of two or more notes sounded simultaneously. A consonant harmony is pleasing to the ear (major or minor), while a dissonant harmony is not (diminished, augmented, or tone-cluster).
Hertz - this is a unit of frequency of one cycle (vibration or oscillation) of a sound wave per second. Typical instruments are tuned to A440, meaning the pitch of A above middle C oscillates 440 times per second.
Melody - a melody (also tune, voice, or line) is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener or musical participant perceives as a singular entity. A melody is (most often) a combination of pitch and rhythm.
Pin block - this is a solid piece of wood that grips the tuning pins and keeps the required string tension. The Veeh Harp pin block is made from Canadian maple because it is a dense and slow growing wood, better for gripping the tuning pins.
Pitch - pitch is the perceived fundamental frequency of a musical note, which is typically measured in Hertz.
Prop stick - this is the back stand of the harp that allows the harpist to play on a table, without the need of a performance stand.
Rosette - this is the patented, flower-shaped design cut into the top of the soundboard. It is a characteristic design feature of the Veeh Harp that also functions as a sound hole. Initially these were cut by hand, but are now laser-cut during production.
Soundboard - the soundboard is a piece of wood responsible for the projection and quality of sound. The soundboard of the Veeh Harp is made from spruce and is at the front of the sound cavity (hollow space within the harp).
String - the Veeh Harp is a plucked instrument and uses tin-coated steel strings for sound production. The vibrations of the string are transmitted into the soundboard via the bridge and bridge pins.
Tuning hammer - a tuning hammer is a specifically designed tool to adjust the bridge pins to increase or decrease the tension of the string and alter the pitch of the sound.
Tuning pin - tuning pins are used to alter the pitch of the strings. They need to be regularly adjusted to keep each string at the appropriate pitch and keep the harp ‘in-tune’.
Veeh Harp - the Veeh Harp is a bespoke, portable harp designed by and named after, Hermann Veeh.