A more common instrument in the past, the autoharp still has
a lot of pluckers and enthusiasts. The Autoharp was used extensively by country
and folk artists of yesterday, but it can still be seen today in a variety of
settings. The Autoharp is a stringed instrument with cord bars and dampers
connected to keys. When the keys are depressed it mutes all the strings other
than the desired ones. The Autoharp does not actually belong to the harp
family. The instrument is instead descended from the zither family, and is
considered to be a kind of chorded zither. Most modern instruments have 36 or
37 strings and 15-21 cord bars. Though you can find a variety of Autoharp
configurations. Some have as many as 48 strings. Much disagreement and debate
is situated around the origin of the Autoharp. It does seem pretty safe to say
the Autoharp was invented by Germans ether in Germany or this country, and that
this was done some time in the early 1880’s. While there are many different
manufactures of the instrument, a stylized version of Autoharp is a registered
trademark of the U.S. Music Corporation, whose Oscar Schmidt division is famous
for making the instrument. The Autoharp also can come equipped with electrical
pickups, when they do they are sensibly referred to as Electric Autoharps. Like
most other instruments around, synthesized versions of the Autoharp do exist. One
such instrument is called the Omnichord. Famous Autoharp players include Brian
Jones, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Cecil Null, and many members of the Carter
Family. Please enjoy the links, pictures, and videos found below.
Resources:
- Autoharp (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoharp) The Wikipedia page! Yeah yeah, I know…but hay its distilled knowledge. If it still bothers you just look at the resources they site.
- The Autoharp Page (http://www.autoharp.org/) A community and general resource page for Autoharp players.
- Autoharp Quarterly (http://www.daigleharp.com/autoharpquarterly.html) An online magazine/journal for Autoharp enthusiasts of all stripes.
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