Instrument
Nyckelharpa
A Swedish keyed fiddle, also called key harp: a bowed string instrument whose strings are shortened by keys with tangents, like a hurdy-gurdy; it has sympathetic strings. Played with the bow in the overhanging arm.1
- Range
- C3–C6
- Sources
- 7 (3 independent)
Mics sources recommend
11 setups from 7 sources, 3 of them independent of any mic maker. Each mic shows how many sources name it for that role, and how many of those are independent. Listed alphabetically: there is no ranking.
On stage
Clip-on
- Bartlett Nyckelharpa Mic maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Myers Feather maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Neumann MCM KK 14 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- mini condenser clip-on near the f-holes, tailpiece, or under the strings behind the bowing area1 independent source
Contact
- Ischell aerial mic (A1/A3) with contact mic (2X48 + ACVX) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Ischell C3 contact mic maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- player's own instrument mic (not named)1 independent source
- stick-on pickup1 independent source
Close
- hypercardioid small condenser, 20-30 cm from the soundboard1 independent source
Multi-mic plan
- contact pickup via DI, blended with a mic1 independent source
The 10 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Clip-on Bartlett Nyckelharpa Micclip-on, soft foam mount under the tailpiece holding the mic near the bridge (brighter) or the f-hole (warmer)
"Mic placement near bridge sounds brighter; near f-hole sounds warmer"; "Used and recommended by Olov Johansson".
2 - Contact Ischell C3 contact miccontact, outside near the bridge
"The microphone is installed near the bridge outside"; "For maximum fidelity to the instrument, we recommend the C3."
3 - Contact Ischell aerial mic (A1/A3) with contact mic (2X48 + ACVX)clip-on, aerial mic alongside a contact mic near the bridge (aerial placement not given)
Contact mic gives power and bass/mid precision on stage; the aerial mic adds room, air and treble detail (paraphrase).
3 - Clip-on Myers Featherclip-on, above the strings, to catch the 12 sympathetic strings
Aryeh Frankfurter: "I placed the mic above the strings because the nyckelharpa has 12 resonant sympathetic strings."
4 - Clip-on Neumann MCM KK 14clip-on, stage (FolkBaltica 2022)
We attached the microphone, pulled up the fader and were amazed; the result sounded very good straight away (Martin Norbaek).
5 - Contact stick-on pickupcontact, pickup stuck to the top of the instrument, into a small battery amp
"I use a pick-up that sticks to the top of the instrument" with "a small battery powered amp" for busking.
6 - Clip-on mini condenser clip-on near the f-holes, tailpiece, or under the strings behind the bowing areaclip-on
Attaching a mini condenser mic near the f-holes or on the tailpiece can capture the warm, violin-like tone while the player moves.
7 - Close hypercardioid small condenser, 20-30 cm from the soundboardclose stand, still player
A hypercardioid small condenser on a stand pointing toward the soundboard, about 20-30 cm away, if the performer is mostly stationary.
7 - Multi-mic plan contact pickup via DI, blended with a micpickup + mic
The contact pickup gives presence and attack, while a mic provides the airy, full-bodied quality.
7 - Contact player's own instrument mic (not named)direct, each of three nyckelharpas arrives with its own XLR output (mic or pickup not named); no stand mic asked for
Input list: "Nyckelharpa 1 XLR (one extra XLR lead aprox 3m long for internal use)"; vocals on SM/Beta 58; in very good acoustics they play without PA.
8
Studio
Close
- shotgun microphone1 independent source
The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes
- Close 2 × shotgun microphonepair, distant: two external shotgun mics on the video cameras, filming players in private homes
"two external shotgun microphones to capture sound"; ambient noise accepted for spontaneity (paraphrase).
6
Range
C3 to about C69,10,11,1131 Hz – 1.05 kHz
Modern 3-row chromatic nyckelharpa: strings c, g, c', a' (Prim string labels at Thomann), i.e. C3-G3-C4-A4 (my conversion); the octave nyckelharpa (oktavharpa) is an octave lower and tuned like a cello, which fits the C3 bottom. The lowest string is an unkeyed drone. Sharing Sweden: 37 keys 'allowing for a register of three octaves', so the top is about C6 (my estimate from three octaves above C3).
- Octave nyckelharpa (oktavharpa): an octave lower than the normal instrument, tuned like a cello C G D A (Soniccouture); C2 is my conversion10
The sound
The bow excites the melody and drone strings; key tangents stop them like frets. The chromatic nyckelharpa (the common modern type) has three melody strings, a drone string and 12 resonance (sympathetic) strings, which are neither bowed nor stopped and add timbre. Some designs have six to twelve resonance strings.1
Where the sound goes
No source; a violin-like body with f-holes (so assume a violin-like beaming; estimate) is the only hint.7
On stage
- A blog by a ticketing company (low authority) suggests a mini clip-on condenser near the f-holes or on the tailpiece, or under the strings just behind the bowing area, to pick up the bowed string and body resonance and avoid bow noise; or a hypercardioid small condenser 20-30 cm from the soundboard for a still player; and a contact pickup via DI blended with a mic.
- Neumann reported its MCM KK 14 clip mic on a nyckelharpa at the 2022 FolkBaltica festival: "We attached the microphone, pulled up the fader and were amazed" (Martin Norbaek). This is a manufacturer's test, not a miking guide.7,5
Problems to watch
Wooden key clacks on a close mic (move the mic away from the keys; felt under keys); sympathetic strings ringing with monitors, and string breakage with temperature.7
About the range
No sounding range found in a page I opened (Wikipedia gives string tunings in a form I could not read reliably). Thin.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Nyckelharpa
- Bartlett Audio: Nyckelharpa Mic (product page)
- Ischell: Microphones for Nyckelharpa
- Myers Pickups: nyckelharpa microphone testimonials (Aryeh Frankfurter)
- Neumann / Production Partner 6/2022: Neumann clip microphones at the FolkBaltica
- American Nyckelharpa Association, Nyckel Notes 54: Busking with Nyckelharpa (Ellen Adamson)
- Ticket Fairy blog: Mic'ing the Unusual at Folk Festivals (kora section; unsourced blog)
- Väsen: Väsen-Duo sound rider (2021)
- Thomann: Prim Nyckelharpa String G3 Medium (with related Prim string listings)
- Soniccouture: Nyckelharpas, in detail
- Sharing Sweden (Swedish Institute): Nyckelharpan, Swedish keyed fiddle