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Laser Harp Facts

Laser Harp Facts
The laser harp is a musical instrument of the electronic instrument family. It is an instrument that projects laser beams and the musician produces sounds by blocking the beams. The inventor of the instrument has been debated due to patent issues but the two people claiming to have invented it are Bernard Szajner and Geoffrey Rose. The laser harp has been used for a variety of purposes including for modern art installations and other exhibits. The most famous laser harp musician is Jean Michel Jarre, a French musician, composer, performer, and producer. Various engineers continue to modify the laser harp to change colors and increase sensitivity while playing.
Interesting Laser Harp Facts:
The laser harp is made up of a user interface combined with laser lighting. Many laser beams are projected and the musician blocks them strategically to produce sound that is similar to that of a traditional harp.
When playing the laser harp the musician must wear protective gear (gloves and glasses) as lasers can cause eye damage and skin damage.
A normal laser must be at least 20mW to be visible in the air but to produce the sound and effects of a laser harp the beam must be at least 500 mW. The lasers for laser harps are generally classified as class IIIb or IV.
Jean Michel Jarre has been playing the laser harp at his concerts since 1981.
There are different laser harp models and designs including the unframed style (infinite beams), bi-color, full color, unframed image recognition style, and framed style.
The unframed laser harp design involves a split beam in a fan pattern.
Bi-color and full color laser harps reject ambient light and are capable of measuring hand height, as well as playing pitch and preset colors, visual effects and other features not available to laser harps before.
The unframed image recognition laser harp is designed for use with a USB camera and computer to detect the broken beam and create the sound through a synthesizer.
A framed laser harp is designed to look like a stringed harp. This style of laser harp produces rays considered safe for public use as they are only 5 mW.
The laser harps is a reasonably mobile instrument.
The laser harps is not an extremely difficult instrument but it can take a musician weeks to master the basics of playing.
Famous laser harp musicians include Jean Michel Jarre, Yan Terrien, and Rune Foshaug.
Regardless of who actually invented the laser harp it is believed to have been invented in France.
The laser harp is made of electronic and light components and can be hooked up through MIDI or USB to its controller which might be a laptop or computer.
The first portable bi-color laser harp was invented by Maurizio Carelli in 2008 and is still being produced.
Laser harps have also been created by enthusiasts of the instrument including Leo Bettinelli, Steve Hobley, Sebastien Pamart, Glenn J. Hill, Albert de Jonge, and several others.
The laser harp was used at the annual Burning Man event in Black Rock City, Nevada, in 2005 and 2012. It has also been used at many art and cultural events around the world.


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