Nearly two years ago I received a commission from a multi-instrumentalist in Nashville Tennessee. We were to invent a unique new instrument based upon the Marxophone.
The Phonoharp Company’s Marxophone was an early 20th century fretless zither that was played with a system of spring steel hammers. The instrument played two octaves in the key of C. Typically, the right hand would play paired melody strings with the individual hammers and the left hand would strum four sets of accompanying chords. A single tap of a hammer would produce a single note. By holding the hammer down, the hammer would bounce on the string pair producing a mandolin type tremolo.
The musician wanted an instrument with this unique sound for his session work and the movies that he scores. For me, this was an engaging creative challenge combining my autoharp and hammered dulcimer knowledge with designs and materials I have never before contemplated.
Unlike the Marxophone, this instrument was to have no chords, only the hammered melody strings. While the Marxophone had two octaves tuned to a diatonic scale in the key of C, this instrument has three octaves tuned chromatically from C3 to C6. Being diatonic, the Marxophone had a single row of “keys”. This chromatic instrument has two rows set up somewhat like a piano keyboard with the bottom row for the naturals and the top row for the sharps.
Designing this from scratch without extant examples was a challenge to say the least. The construction of the body was much like building a large heavy autoharp. Laying out the string array involved the spacing of sixty-four strings so that the keys would be comfortable to play and the brute wouldn’t be too large to handle. It was necessary to keep the speaking length of C6 (from bridge to bridge) around eight inches to prevent breakage at that pitch, and eighteen inches was determined to be the optimum length for the longer bass strings, again to keep the instrument a more manageable size.
Scale calculations were preformed by the string maker, Greg Schreiber. Pitch and string length are considered when calculating the optimal diameter and tension for each note. The string pairs from C4 to C6 are plain wire. The bass octave, C3 to B3, is single wound strings designed with windings only between the bridges. With the average string tension of the 64 strings being 45 pounds, the total tension that the structure must bear is 2795 pounds.
Oh My!…. now the hammers….designing them was the most difficult tedious issue here involving countless hours of “trial and error” to achieve the desirable degree of “bounce” and a more consistent feel between the two rows of keys. Coils and coils of spring steel were evaluated for their flexibility and resiliance. Dozens and dozens of hammers died in the quest to success. A complete two octave prototype instrument was sent to the musician for evaluation. Sound files were sent and finally the problem of bounce was solved.
The hammer heads are slices of 5/8″ oak rod. The full length of spring steel for each hammer is 3/8″ wide by .005″ thick. Five thousands inch thick spring steel of this width is so flexible that it makes me think….. “thick foil”. To remedy some of the droop, it’s reinforced underneath by a section of .008 that is terminated just beyond the key.
The hammers are mounted on a rail near the anchor end of the body. Two screws secure each hammer and allow for alignment with its string course. The flexible hammers are mounted at an angle that permits the head to swing freely between the string course and the upper stop bar. The underside of the stop bar is padded with two layers of felt to suppress the noise as each hammer bounces up.
The strong, one piece maple pinblock frame is backed with 6mm Okoume plywood. A carbon fiber soundboard has a (pun alert!) striking appearance as well as sound. The sides, bridges, covers, keys, and trim are curly soft maple.
About The “Cryptoclavier” Name
The musician is invested in cryptocurrency, particularly in Bitcoin. A clavier is a keyboard instrument with strings.
In addition to the many domestic and international venues where he performs, he hopes to entertain at cryptocurrency events. Embedded in the sides of Cryptoclavier are two Bitcoin medallions showing both front and back sides.
The back side reveals a QR-code. To show their appreciation, event participants can scan and tip with Bitcoin.
This has been a challenging and fascinating collaboration with a creative multi-instrumentalist. I for one will be listening to movie scores and watching for YouTube videos hoping to hear this unique, one-of-a-kind Cryptoclavier.
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.
The swarmandal is a plucked box zither of Indian origin and used as an accompanying instrument for the vocal classical music of Northern India. Modern swarmandals are similar to western zithers in shape and construction. In fact, autoharps with the chord bars removed are sometimes used as an equivalent instrument in India today.
The strings are played open. According to the musician, for a given raga he will mute some notes and re-tune some strings. He does this on-the-fly (imagine doing this between autoharp tunes!). To change the instrument’s setup between ragas, we arrived at the idea of a combination of fine tuners and lock bars.
The lock bars of an autoharp function much like their adjoining chord bars… held aloft by springs when not in use and locked down by some sort of a wedge. The swarmandal’s lock bars will be swapped in and out as needed and seated, without springs, against the strings by a magnetic cover.
The bars are made of curly maple and felted in combinations of single and double notes. There are only seven notes in the scale but only six different notes will be muted since the keynote, Eb, will always be open. Six different bars are sufficient but I made an additional six bars with double notes.
Autoharp chord/lock bars reside on the ‘harp and are seldom removed unless they need attention. The swarmandal’s lock bars will be constantly swapped in and out. To protect the fragile felt blocks I made a case to house the twelve+ bars and included extra felt for future wear.
I included my usual tuning strip/duster that can be temporarily inserted underneath the strings as a guide for tuning. The strings are mostly in pairs and tuned to only seven notes. The notes are labeled on the strip and lock bars according to the Indian Solfeggio system….
Apertures (sound holes) in stringed musical instruments have been studied, experimented with, and designed for a variety of acoustic functions and characteristics. While a sound hole’s size, shape, and position certainly influence tone and volume, its appearance is what catches the eye and creates a kind of identity.
And a dream it was! As I slept, a small crew (elves?) assisted me with some of the more tedious tasks of autoharp construction. Alas, they had disappeared by morning, never to return. I would like to believe that they responded to some of the many help wanted signs posted in our area and found employment with fair compensation, benefits, and a living wage for their important work.
I recently completed is this thirty-seven string diatonic autoharp in the single key of A. I built it for ourselves because Marsha and I are trying to sing along with our instruments more and find that the key of A is a comfortable range for our voices. Being a single key diatonic, it has paired string courses in the middle octave and only the notes needed for chords in the key of A. This produces a very rich and full tone that works nicely for strumming accompaniment and playing melody.
Fifteen chords are arranged in a “Bowers” type setup with major chords in the center row, sevenths in the top row, and minors in the bottom row. This familiar arrangement is in place on all of Marsha’s instruments and permits a sort of “motor memory” to kick in when she changes from one autoharp to another, even if in different keys. Seven of the chords are “color chords” for enhanced arrangements.
The instrument has a 1/4 inch thick solid spruce soundboard. The one piece frame is laminated maple pinblock with a laminated maple back. The side veneer, end cover, and chord bar covers are made of curly maple. Chord bars are maple with alternate bars painted black. Black tuning pins, bridges, Schreiber fine tuners, and purfling complete the black/white motif.
I realize that the title of this post is kind of a stretch but it’s embarrassingly indicative of how my mind sometimes works. “My Name Is Morgan But It Ain’t J.P.” is an old time song that was covered by The New Lost City Ramblers. Mike Seeger, a member of the trio, famously owned and played an autoharp (not on that song) built by Tom Morgan of Morgan Springs, Tennessee. It was in admiration of Mike Seeger’s Morgan autoharp that prompted an Ohio musician to obtain the one I’m about to describe.
Long story short…. this beautiful instrument arrived in 1980 fully finished but absent the chord bars. For various reasons Mr. Morgan could not complete the chord set but instead sent along sufficient rough stock of Brazilian rosewood for their fabrication. The instrument has slumbered peacefully and unplayed for over forty years until it came to my workshop last October.
There are several features that make this a very distinctive autoharp. The woods, spruce and Brazilian rosewood, were purchased by Mr. Morgan at auction from the C.F. Martin guitar company where they had been in storage since the 1940s. The one piece spruce soundboard carries two of Morgan’s trademark “f” holes and is carved into a gentle violin- like arch. Although I couldn’t observe them because of the size and location of the sound holes, there apparently exist an internal pre-stressed truss rod and tone bars that, with a stainless steel anchor end reinforcing plate, make this a very stable instrument.
Although unplayed, the chromatic string set was forty years old and a little corroded. After much consideration it was decided to replace it with a scale designed for diatonic play in the keys of G and D. An optional F note replaces an F# in the scale to allow an F chord for play in the key of C. The chords were chosen based upon the songs that will be accompanied and extra stock was made into additional minor chords, two lock bars, and blank bars for future need.
The twelve, 5/16 inch-wide chord bars are arranged in two rows as was probably the intention of the builder. They rest upon #6 steel pins driven into Delrin bases. The Seeger autoharp bore round buttons that were sometimes broken. These chord bars were fitted with comfortable dished trapezoidal buttons made of rosewood.
It was both an honor and a challenge completing this beautiful sounding instrument. Rosewood is a hard and oily wood that was not kind to tools and abrasives. I had some anxiety over making the most use of the limited and irreplaceable chord bar stock that was provided.
Finally, after over forty years of initial correspondence with the instrument’s luthier Tom Morgan, weeks of consultation in my workshop, and even a global pandemic, the patient musician and his Morgan autoharp #80002 sing together.
As a luthier for 40+ years I have built hundreds of dulcimers and a great variety of other stringed instruments. In 2012, my first foray into the blogosphere was titled “Whatshebuildinginthere” in which I wrote about my instrument building with an emphasis on experimentation, information, and encouragement to help other musicians and builders. At some point autoharps took control so in 2016 I began this new blog calling it “fretorfretnot”. I expected to carry on blogging about both fretted and not fretted stringed instruments but again, autoharps ruled. Only lately have I found the time to pound frets instead of tuning pins.
I have always maintained my own instruments, mostly out of economic necessity but especially for the challenging DIY learning experience. This has led to a deeper understanding of what my instruments are capable of and how I might modify them to meet my personal needs. That has led to my forty plus years as a luthier, building and repairing a variety of stringed instruments.
Plans for the Schmidt Model 73 are available for purchase from the Guild Of American Luthiers.
Musicmakers offers a free download of plans and assembly instructions for their long discontinued “Autochord” kit and continues to sell the collated hardware to complete it. The Autochord differs somewhat in size and construction from other ‘harps but offers many helpful ideas. The file can be enlarged to full size at a retail copy center.
The Autoharp Owner’s Manual includes excellent plans and instructions for building
The best framing material for tuning and overall stability is the multi-laminated maple pin block manufactured for pianos. It grips tuning pins without cracking and remains stable in changing environmental conditions. It is particularly effective when cut as a single unit for the angled treble side, as it eliminates a troublesome joint that wants to creep. I like to cut the entire frame from a single blank so that there are no joints to fail. Pin block can be obtained from a piano technician or piano supply but the planks are fifty-nine inches long, so it’s unlikely that they would sell only enough for one ‘harp. Contact me to purchase a more economical size.
Since introducing my new twenty-three string, seven chord child size autoharps two months ago, I received a lot of interest and positive comments. My goal was to produce a serious instrument for the young learner to play while growing into a standard, full size autoharp. I guess I wasn’t too surprised when several adults found them to be a good size as a travel instrument or for someone challenged by the size and weight of a more standard autoharp. At only eighteen inches long and weighing only four and one-half pounds, they are easy to hold and carry.
Fret Or Fret Not 
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