autoharp (from Wikipedia)

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.

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