Ridiculous Frequently Asked Questions (RFAQs)
Photo by Dutch Huff
Over the years, any harpist gathers a list of frequently asked questions that span from reasonable to oh-my-God-I-want-to-flush-my-head-down-the-toilet. Below is a sampling of those questions and their answers, straight from Sam herself. She’ll let you be the judge of which ones are which.
Is that a cello?
Nope. It’s a harp.
Can you really call it a gig if there aren’t any drums involved?
Contrary to popular belief, you can, in fact, call it a gig without there being a drum set present.
How far will you travel for gigs?
As a rule of thumb, I generally stay within 100 miles of Philadelphia. However, I have been known to throw the harp in the car and drive to Michigan or hop on a plane to Atlanta for a gig. So if you have something interesting in mind that’s outside of that 100 mile radius, drop me a line, and I might consider it.
Don’t you wish you played the flute?
Nope. Not nearly as lucrative. Also, I’ve never heard that question before. You’re clever.
Can I help you move that?
Probably not, unless you’re my husband, a family member, another harpist, or other approved harp mover. Except if there are a lot of stairs. Then yes.
Who took the photos on your website?
The wonderfully talented and all around good guy, Dutch Huff. You can find him on the interwebs here.
Do you have outtakes from your photo shoot?
Of course. Click here.
Does your harp have a name?
Yep. She’s Rosie, mostly because she’s made of rosewood, but partially because I like to imagine that her alter ego is a surly diner waitress.
What kind of a car do you drive?
A minivan for moving the harp, and a Ford Fiesta the rest of the time.
Why don’t you put pricing on your website?
Because it varies with a number of different factors, including type of event, venue logistics, travel required and time of year. However, you can pretty much count on the following base pricing guidelines for solo performance work (meaning that it may cost more, but it won’t cost any less than this).
Wedding ceremony: $375
Wedding reception: $200 for the first hour, $125 for each add’l hour
Background music: $200 for the first hour, $125 for each add’l hour
Church service: $200
Do you have amplification?
Yes, I have a pick-up and an amp for gigs that need some extra sound from the instrument.
Are you an angel?
Sigh.