# What Does an Aoelian Harp Sound Like?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-an-aoelian-harp-sound-like/438488>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 21, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-an-aoelian-harp-sound-like/438488 "2008-02-21T01:55:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-an-aoelian-harp-sound-like/438488/1 "2008-02-21T01:55:34Z")

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An aoelian harp is an ancient stringed instrument, that makes sounds by being activated by the wind, blowing on the strings.  
What do they sound like? Do they produce any loud tones? Anyone ever set one up?  
I’d like to try one-where can you buy them?

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-an-aoelian-harp-sound-like/438488/2 "2008-02-21T02:01:09Z")

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[Aeolian harps](http://www.harmonicwindharps.com/).

Why is this in GD?

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**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-an-aoelian-harp-sound-like/438488/3 "2008-02-21T02:04:13Z")

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[QUOTE=ralph124c]  
I’d like to try one-where can you buy them?  
[/QUOTE]

Not trying to be funny, but perhaps spelling is the problem. Googling “aeolian harp” yielded several vendors.

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**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-an-aoelian-harp-sound-like/438488/4 "2008-02-21T02:12:14Z")

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I listed to one of the samples at that link. It sounds like a distant train going by with its whistle stuck. I’d go crazy about about 7 minutes of listening to that.

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-an-aoelian-harp-sound-like/438488/5 "2008-02-21T02:18:29Z")

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[QUOTE=Tenar]  
Googling “aeolian harp” yielded several vendors.  
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, but Googling “aoelian harp” gets you, among other things, “Did you mean: aeolian harp.”

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-an-aoelian-harp-sound-like/438488/6 "2008-02-21T02:24:13Z")

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Off to **Cafe Society**. (Next stop, perhaps, **General Questions**.)

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**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-an-aoelian-harp-sound-like/438488/7 "2008-02-21T02:44:16Z")

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[QUOTE=Q.E.D.]  
Yeah, but Googling “aoelian harp” gets you, among other things, “Did you mean: aeolian harp.”  
[/QUOTE]

To which the obvious response is “No you blasted machine, I meant ‘aoelian harp’!”