Autoharp
The Autoharp is a zither-like musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers which, when depressed, mute all the strings other than those that form the desired chord. It has been a registered trademark since 1927, and is currently owned by U.S. Music Corporation, whose Oscar Schmidt division manufactures Autoharps. The generic term for the instrument is chorded zither.
Autoharps have been commonly used in the United States as bluegrass and folk instruments. They are known for being easy to learn.
There is debate over the originality of the Autoharp. A German immigrant in Philadelphia by the name of Charles F. Zimmermann patented in 1882 a design for improvements on the traditional harp that included pulling mechanisms for muting certain strings during play. He coined his invention the "autoharp." Unlike later Autoharps, the shape of the instrument was symmetrical, and the felt-bearing bars moved horizontally against the strings instead of vertically. It is not known if Zimmermann ever produced commercially any instruments of this early design. Christian August Gütter of Markneukirchen, Germany had built a model that he called a "Volkszither" which most resembles the Autoharp played today. Gütter obtained a British patent for his instrument circa 1883-1884. Zimmermann, after returning from a visit to Germany, began production of the Gütter design in 1885 but with his own design patent number and catchy name. Gütter's instrument became very popular and Zimmermann has often been mistaken as the inventor.
Modern Autoharps have more strings, up to 36, and come in diatonic and chromatic scales. Although the Autoharp is considered a rhythm instrument, the melody has been included simultaneously and produces a new dimension to its usefulness.