The Vulcan Lyre, often referred to as a harp or lute, made its first appearance in the first season TOS episode “Charlie X.” It would go on to be seen in “The Conscience of the King,” “Amok Time” and “The Way to Eden,” along with the TNG episode “When the Bough Breaks.”
Now, thanks to the folks at CBS Interactive and developers Shiverware Interactive, fans can play the instrument digitally on the iPad. According to the official iTunes description, the app is “fully functional and features multi‐level sounds, cool effects, and the iconic design of the original harp.”
Priced at $1.99, the app includes the following features:
- 15 vibrating strings – each identified, making it easy to play songs
- Distinct pluck dynamic where the sound occurs on release of a touch similar to a harp
- 5 instrument sounds from futuristic to the classic harp
- Large 6-and-a-half octave range in 5 octave banks
- Custom multi-level distortion and reverberation controls give you a wide range to experiment with
- Ability to select pentatonic scale (five notes per octave)
- One button background arpeggio (sequence chords)
- Rich, inlaid wood detail appearance on the harp and moving starfield background
- SoundCloud recording to share your creations
- Concise tutorial to locate controls
Check out a demo below.
For more information and to purchase the app, visit StarTrekVulcanHarp.com.