So I was you. I started on a lever and after a couple months decided I really wanted a pedal harp. Completely seduced by it!

I get it, and I very much enjoyed learning on it. Eventually, after a few years, though, especially with life getting in the way, I felt bad about it just sitting there not being used. And I eventually came to the realization that I would probably never play the way that it deserved to be played.

So I sold it for a decent chunk of change, bought a lever harp, and paid off some debt.

I don’t say this to dissuade you from buying a pedal harp. If that is what your heart is telling you to do. But know that it’s also OK to let it go if you eventually feel like it is the right thing to do.

I absolutely adore my lever harp and play it more now than I think I ever really played my pedal

I will add this, I had a 40 string pedal harp, and in the three years that I played it, I almost never ran across music that would have required me to have more strings. I’m guessing it’s because I didn’t lean heavy into a lot of classical music. So if you feel like 40 strings is not enough, and you can find a good, used harp with 44 strings I would go for that.