A California musician provides an alternative & holistic health service by creating relaxing “Soundbath Sessions” with a variety of instruments. He asked me to consider converting a standard autoharp to a therapy harp.

Therapy harps are played alone and with other instruments to resonate and relax the listener by releasing emotional and physical stress. They can often be found promoting healing in hospitals, care homes, hospices, and special gatherings.

Many therapy harps are shaped and strung like autoharps. Tunings vary. Many are tuned to five or fewer notes making up a single chord with multiple strings tuned in unison.

This conversion is a pristine Oscar Schmidt model B with the chord bars removed. Because the new tuning schedule differs from the standard chromatic scale, a new schedule was calculated and a string set made for the precise diameters and tensions of each pitch.

Two or more strings playing the same pitch must be tuned in unison or they will produce audible, bad sounding “beats”. Tuning strings in unison with a tuning wrench is doable but somewhat difficult. Here is where fine tuners can make the necessary micro adjustments