Parts of the Autoharp

Terminology

Also See:

Tuning Pins — Large metal pins at the top of the autoharp

Bridge Pins / Wire Bridge — The secondary set of pins at the top of the instrument (Some ‘harps have bridges that are a solid piece that the strings lay over

Tuning Schedule — The order or layout of the strings by note/pitch

Brand Name — If the ‘harp is mass produced the brand name is often printed on the sound board. “Autoharp” is a brandname by Oscar Schmidt (See “History and Info”). Other common brands include: ChromaHarp, and Müeller.

Tuner:

  • Digital Tuner — Some ‘harps have a digital tuner built into the instrument, and show the variation of pitch from flat to sharp

  • (External) Tuner — Can be purchased at a music store. Many are then clipped onto the instrument to gage the vibration, but others are able to pick up frequency without touching the instrument

  • Tuner App — Apps that are able to be used for tuning your autoharp are available in places that you can buy apps such as the Apple store.

Sound Board — The flat area that the strings sit over

Sound Hole — The hole that projects the sound. Some holes are round, some are oval, and some are designs

Chord Bar Holder — The object that encases the chord bars

Chord Bar Button — The buttons or keys of the individual chords. There are typically 2 or 3 rows

Chord Bars — Long individual pieces that the sit over the strings and are fitted with felt that damps notes not used in a particular chord being played. Autoharps commonly have either 21 bars or 15 bars

“Custom” Chord Bars — Handcrafted, typically wooden bars that are sometimes used to replace the plastic, mass produced chord bars

Fine Tuners — Row that typically holds the ball end of the string. Small screw allows for precise tuning. *Not all ‘harps have fine tuners

Face Plate (String Anchor Cover) — The metal piece that shields the metal piece that anchors the ball end of the strings

Tuning Wrench (Gooseneck and T-Style Shapes)— A handheld tool that allows the metal tuning pins to be adjusted. They commonly have a hexagon or octagon starred tip

Felt — Typically used to dampen strings when playing. Felt commonly comes in 1/4” width, 3/16” width and 7/32” width. Felt is most often made up of dense wool, and had an adhesive side that can be adhered to the chord bar

Spring — An autoharp spring is a very small coiled piece of metal that allows the chord bar buttons to be pressed and to pop back up when released

Strap Peg or Button — This refers to the metal (or wood, plastic) button that is typically screwed into the body of the instrument onto which the strap is attached. There will be two strap buttons on a ‘harp, one for each end of the strap.

Slider Strap (Dual Shoulder Strap) — A type of strap that crosses over itself on the player’s back so that equal weight is distributed on both shoulders

String(s) - The vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments

Types of Strings

  • Wound — Strings that typically have a steel core and are encased with another thin piece of wrapped metal such as bronze or copper. Wound string are most commonly used for notes/pitches in the bass clef

  • Plain — Strings that have no metal wrapping the core. They are made up of only 1 piece of metal. Plain strings are most commonly used for notes/pitches in the treble clef

Electric Autoharp Vocabulary

Pick Up — A device that converts the vibrations of the strings into electrical signals. These signals are then sent to an amplifier (See below), which boosts them to audible volumes

Types of Pick Ups:

  • Piezo Pick Up — A type of amplifier, sometimes adhered to the outside or inside of an instrument, that uses crystals to interpret the vibration of the pitches and sends the signal to the amplifier

  • Magnetic Pick Up — A type of amplifier, commonly installed into an instrument, that uses a magnet to interpret the vibration of the pitches and sends the signal to the amplifier

Amplifier — Commonly referred to as an “amp,” this device takes in electrical signals from the instrument’s pick up and puts them out in audible sounds

“Pre” Amp — An electronic device that amplifies a very weak signal, for example from a microphone or pickup, and transmits it to a main amplifier

Jack (Output Jack) — audio connectors used in guitar and audio equipment to transmit stereo signals. They consist of three conductive parts, the tip, ring, and sleeve

Pedal — An effects unit or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing

Additional Vocabulary

Allen Wrench — Most fine turners require a tool that can turn the individual screws. Allen wrenches typically have a hexagonal head and are L-shaped

“Quick Release” Piano Hinges — A narrow hinge with a pin of the same length as the movable part, installed as part of the chord bar holder. On a ‘harp quick-release piano hinges allow the player to switch out chord bars quickly

Inlay — In woodworking, inlays are created by carving a void into the surface of the wood, and then filling that void with a piece of contrasting wood or other material, such as mother-of-pearl, cut to the same dimensions

Luthier — A person who handcrafts (and/or repairs) stringed instruments such as autoharps, dulcimers, zithers, violins, or guitars. Some luthiers specialize in one particular instrument. The word luthier is originally French and comes from the French word for lute.

Helpful Musical Terms

Chord — A combination of notes played at the same time. Chords typically have 3 or 4 notes.

Major or Minor Chords:

  • Major Chord contains the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the major scale. Major chords are written with a capital M, such as CM. If there is no M at all, it’s assumed that the chord is a Major chord, like A.

  • Minor Chord contains the 1st, flattened (lowered) 3rd, and 5th notes of the major scale that it's named for. Minor chords are written with a lower case M, such as Em (E Minor) or Ebm (E Flat Minor).

  • Other Common chords types include: diminished (dim), 7th (as in Dmaj7 or D7), Suspended (sus), Augmented (aug)

Octave — An octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double or half its frequency.

Key — A set of notes that corresponds to a certain scale. Examples of keys are A Major, D Minor or E Flat. Diatonic autoharps are set up in one or two particular keys. Also see Chromatic vs. Diatonic