What is a laser harp

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The laser harp is a musical instrument made of light. A fan of beams shoots up from the floor into the night sky. The performer can create music by placing their hands in the beams. Not only does "breaking" the beam produce notes, but sliding the hand along the beam will also change the sound. The harp does not produce any sound by itself, but creates MIDI data that can be connected to any modern synthesizer.

The term "laser harp" and the first working laser harp were invented and made by Bernard Szajner in 1980. It has subsequently been used in a number of different designs, including a MIDI version invented by Private China Tours Philippe Guerre, and a recent one created by Yan Terrien. When a beam is blocked, this is detected by a photodiode or photoresistor, which is connected to electronics activating the relevant note. Playing the actual sound is usually handled by connecting the laser harp to a synthesizer, sampler or computer.


In this design, only a binary (on / off) trigger is created by the breaking of the beam, which is sufficient to trigger any number of events (musical or otherwise) as determined by the data analyzer / software in question. In order to generate more control data, such as a continuous range of values like those found in many MIDI controllers, several approaches are available: 1) using an infrared or ultrasonic rangefinder attached to the instrument, such that the position of the hand "plucking the string" is determined; 2) using a laserbased rangefinder to determine the distance from the hand to the laser starting or ending point (and possibly using this laser itself as the string); and 3) using a camera to track the position and motion of the laser dot on the hand, or the length of the exposed beam if visible, then calculating a continuous value based upon a reference. Other possibilities no doubt exist. Each of these possibilities poses particular challenges and costs, though the first one is relatively inexpensive and straightforward to implement, and can use the same microcontroller which drives the lasers and reads the detectors.

The laser harp may be framed or frameless, the framed type using an array of photodiodes or photoresistors inside the upper part of the frame to detect blocking of the laser beams. The frameless design is somewhat more elaborate, relying on the light being reflected back to a single photodiode. The fan of laser beams is actually a single beam being scanned into a fan pattern. By matching the timing of the reflected beam, it can be determined which of the beams is being blocked and which note needs to be heard. However, a considerably more powerful laser is needed to yield spectacular results, generally 500 mW or more. In any case, class IIIb or IV lasers will usually be necessary, introducing a significant risk of skin and eye damage unless precautions (gloves and protective glasses) are taken.

The laser harp is one of the most famous instruments used by Jean Michel Jarre in his concerts. First created by Bernard Szajner for The Concerts In China Group Tours , the laser harp is used in almost every concert for playing the second part of Second RendezVous and in other songs as well (it usually appears two or three times in a concert).

The laser harp was not used on his Aero concert but it was revived in 2004 and has been used since then, mostly on his tracks Second RendezVous and Chronologie Part 3. This instrument uses lasers or direct beams of light in conjunction with a synthesizer to produce audio tones when the beam of light is interrupted. The interruption sends a signal that determines the audible sound. By doing this, artists such as JeanMichel Jarre, the first to play Szahjner laser harp, can provide music by manipulating the beams.

There are two variation of the laser harp. One is a framed harp. This indicates that the laser beams are framed inside a closed structure. The other style commonly seen is an infinite beam version. This is generally seen as a floor model harp that directs the laser beams into the sky without a top or ceiling to the instrument. If you wish to own one of these instruments, it is unlikely you be able to purchase a laser harp from a traditional music store. There are individuals with the knowledge and skill that build laser harps. Companies such as Mountain Glen Harps specializes in the custom creation and design of laser harps. For the adventurous musician, you can also attempt to build your own laser harp. This will require a bit of knowledge in musical technology, as a key component of the harp is the MIDI data or Musical Instrument Digital Interface, which allows the beam activity to be translated into audio sounds.