The Emergence Of The Piano Is Sufficient To Replace The Harp.

Let's not discuss the issue of the tones of the piano and the harp for now. Some people say that the harp has 7 pedals and its range is theoretically similar. So intuitively, the harp is considered more advanced than the piano.

This is not the case. First, from a market perspective, these are not the same type of products. Comparisons between different types of products are meaningless. For example, online payment is very popular now. Everyone is familiar with mobile payment, right? So does that mean credit card payment is going to be replaced? And cash is going to be replaced? Each product will be needed by different people, and it exists precisely because it is needed.

First of all, let's take a look at the advantages of the piano.

1.The electric piano has the tones of all musical instruments.

2.In terms of form, the electric piano has the upright piano version:

And the grand piano version:

3.The keyboard is as big as that of a piano. Everything that can be played on other musical instruments can also be played on the electric piano!

But why hasn't the electric piano replaced any musical instrument?
Because even similar musical instruments are still two different instruments!
The harp and the piano are completely different musical instruments. The harp is plucked and the piano is struck by hammers, and the sounds are different.
Let's talk about the harp again:

Doesn't it look like a harp?

Yes, in many large symphony works, when there is a part for the konghou, the harp is often used instead. To be more extreme, the guzheng is used instead.

Konghou VS Harp
These two are like twins. There are almost no differences in appearance, tone, and playing techniques, so they can be mutually substitutable in most works. And because the harp is used in more scenarios than the konghou and more people learn it, of course, in orchestras with a harp formation, there is no place for the konghou. The only orchestra that I have the impression of maintaining a regular konghou formation is the [Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra].

Konghou vs Guzheng
These two are like cousins. They are both plucked musical instruments and mostly complete the parts of chord arpeggios and glissandos in the orchestra. Their functions are similar. Currently, there are really too many people learning the guzheng. So those orchestras that cannot recruit harp or konghou players will reluctantly let the guzheng complete the parts that were originally supposed to be completed by the konghou. However, the scores for the konghou and the guzheng are sometimes completely different. Mainly, some tones of the konghou need to be pressed out on the guzheng, and most of them are arpeggios. So usually, when playing the konghou score on the guzheng, one is desperate inside.In contrast, the harp vs the piano is really too different. There is no talk of substitution.