Harp On Means to Repeat One Note Endlessly
A harp is a stringed instrument played by plucking. The idiom about it is about tedious repetition.
A harp is a stringed instrument played by plucking, with strings running perpendicular to the soundboard. To *harp on* a subject is to dwell on it tediously, from the image of a musician striking the same string over and over — the phrase is recorded from the 1500s and once ran *harp on one string*. A concert harp has 47 strings and seven pedals, each of which can change every string of one note name across the whole instrument.
- A plucked instrument. *A concert harp.*
- To dwell on. *Harp on about it.*
- A harmonica (informal). *A blues harp.*
- Harpist — the player. *A harpist.*
- Old English — *hearpe*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | harp | A harp. |
| Plural | harps | Harps. |
| Verb | harp | Harping. |
| Agent | harpist | A harpist. |
| Related | harpsichord | A harpsichord. |
- She plays the harp.Music.
- Stop harping on about it.Idiom.
- A concert harp has 47 strings.Fact.
How harp pedals work
- Seven pedals, one for each note name
- Each has three positions: flat, natural and sharp
- Moving one pedal changes every string of that name
- A harpist changes key with the feet while playing
- The mechanism was perfected by Érard in 1810
Old English *hearpe*, of Germanic origin, related to German *Harfe*.
Where does harp on come from?
From striking the same string repeatedly. The phrase once ran harp on one string and is recorded from the 1500s.
How does a harpist change key?
With seven foot pedals, each with three positions, which alter every string of a given note name at once.