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. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a zither. The generic term for the instrument is chorded zither.
Autoharps have been used in the United States as bluegrass and folk instruments, perhaps most famously by The Carter Family. They are relatively easy to learn to play as a rhythm instrument, but offer great rewards to the more committed player as a melody instrument.
There is debate over the origin of the Autoharp. A German immigrant in Philadelphia by the name of Charles F. Zimmermann patented in 1882 a design for a musical instrument that included mechanisms for muting certain strings during play. He named 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. Karl 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 36 or 37 strings, although some examples with as many as 48 strings exist. They are strung in either diatonic (1, 2 or 3 key models) or chromatic scales. Although the Autoharp is often thought of as a rhythm instrument, modern players are quite capable of producing clear melodies. Diatonic players are able to play challenging fiddle tunes up to speed by using open-chording techniques, "pumping" the damper buttons while picking individual strings very accurately. Skilled chromatic players can render music of surprising complexity.
Diatonically strung single key instruments from modern day luthiers such as Orthey, Hollandsworth, D'Aigle, Baker and Goose Acres are known for their lush sound. This is accomplished by doubling the strings for individual notes. Since the strings for notes not in the diatonic scale need not appear in the string bed, the resulting extra space is used for the doubled strings, resulting in fewer damped strings. Two- and three-key diatonics compromise the number of doubled strings to gain the ability to play in two or three keys, and to permit tunes containing accidentals which could not otherwise be rendered on a single key harp. A three-key harp in the circle of fifths, such as a GDA, is often called a festival or campfire harp, as the instrument can easily accompany fiddles around a campfire at a festival in their favored keys.
The Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering in Newport, Pennsylvania, and the Willamette Valley Autoharp Gathering celebrate the instrument's renewed popularity resulting from the more playable modern luthier-built instruments. Professional performers include Bryan Bowers, Harvey Reid, Drew Smith, Foot in the Air String Band, Marc Gunn and many others.