Tag Archives: Child size autoharp

New Child ‘Harps (for sale)

Posted on by

I have recently completed three of my 3/4-size autoharps that are for sale and will soon be ready for delivery.

About two years ago I began building these  smaller sized autoharps aimed at younger learners beginning their autoharp journey. I saw a need for a serious alternative to the painted “toys” produced by manufacturers in the past. With twenty-three strings and seven chords, my Child ‘Harps are lighter and easier to tune and play than their larger siblings. 

They measure eighteen inches long, ten inches wide, and weigh under five pounds. Due to their smaller size and handmade quality, Child ‘Harps have also become attractive to adults who find them less stressful and fatiguing than playing larger, heavier autoharps. Having standard string and chord button spacing, they are ideal for the adult player adapting to a smaller instrument or the young learner who will eventually grow into a big autoharp. 

The design and construction is fundamentally the same as my full sized instruments. For structural integrity and tuning stability I build with one- piece laminated frames, and solid wood soundboards and components. They have a rich full voice for their size and are built to last.

 

 

Chords in the keys of G and D.

Child ‘Harps come in two different two-key diatonic setups, each with seven chords. Being diatonic means that the string array doesn’t include all the notes in the chromatic scale but only the notes needed in the two keys. The G/D ‘harp plays in the keys of G and D and has four major chords (C, G, D, and A) and three minor chords (Em, Bm, and F#m). The F/C ‘harp plays in the keys of F and C and has four major chords (Bb, F, C, and G) and three minor chords (Dm, Am, and Em). The scale is similar to the mid and treble range found in standard autoharp tuning with the lowest note in the 3rd octave and the highest in the 6th octave. Unlike standard diatonic autoharps, these do not have doubled string courses.

Chords in the keys of F and C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOLD SOLD SOLD Child ‘Harp with walnut trim and solid poplar soundboard. Complete and ready for stringing and setup in buyer’s choice of either keys of F/C or G/D.

 

I try to make each of my instruments unique in some way so these three new ones are built using different wood combinations and tuning setups. Each is for sale and include a quilted “cozy” and a star tipped T-wrench for tuning.

Twenty-three string, seven chord diatonic plays in the keys of F and C. African mahogany trim with an aspen soundboard.

 

Twenty-three string, seven chord diatonic plays in the keys of G and D. Walnut trim with poplar soundboard

Hear the new Child ‘Harps

Posted on by

Marsha’s fingers play two childhood finger plays on a Child ‘Harp.

Marsha plays “Polly Wolly Doodle” in the key of G.

Marsha plays “Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms” in the key of G on a Child ‘Harp.

 

Marsha plays “Soldier’s Joy” in the key of D on a new Child ‘Harp.

 

Marsha plays “On Top of Spaghetti (Smokey)” in the key of C on a new Child ‘Harp.

 

Child ‘Harps

Posted on by

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.

Keys of D and G with seven chords, C, G, D, A, and Am, Em, and Bm.

The prototype featured a diatonic tuning schedule and chords for the keys of C and F. These two major keys are ideal for much written music and for accompanying young voices. Several musicians have asked if I could make these little ‘harps in the keys of D and G, keys more useful for older voices and for playing with mountain dulcimers and fiddles. Greg Schreiber, who makes our autoharp strings, developed a stringing schedule for this higher tuning and shorter scale so I can now offer them in the keys of D and G.

Keys of C and F with seven chords, Bb, F, C, G, and Gm, Dm and Am.

More information can be found on the original April 24th posting below and in the “Autoharp features and prices” header page.

 

Wanna play a little autoharp?

Posted on by

Our children and grandchildren constantly amaze us with their abundant curiosity and their seemingly effortless ability to learn and create wonderful music when given the opportunity and the proper tools. Most of the stringed instrument families we love such as fiddles, guitars, dulcimers, ukuleles and the like come in smaller sized models that are more appropriate for smaller learners. A few child sized autoharps have been produced over the years by the factories and even by a few autoharp luthiers but they are becoming scarce and are seldom available in playable condition.

With that in mind, I present my own iteration of a child size autoharp designed as a serious, good sounding, and well built instrument for the young learner. I believe that a quality, attractive, and stable instrument with standard string spacing, and a logical chord bar setup will make it easier to learn and to later grow into a standard autoharp. My aim is to produce a smaller scale instrument for fun as well as serious study and not a colorful toy of passing interest.

 

 

It’s no secret that I have based this instrument on the old Zimmermann and Oscar Schmidt models 2-3/4 that were produced from the 1890s to the 1950s. The size seems just right for smaller learners and the tuning schedule favors young singing voices with the keys of C and F.

 

 

I have made some dramatic improvements on the old black 2-3/4s. A one piece laminated frame with a birch ply back adds greater stability.  The solid poplar soundboard with tuned bracing lends greater resonance with better sustain. There are seven chords in two rows (instead of a single row of five) positioned for play above the chord bars with ample space to pick the higher strings. Additionally, the instrument is trimmed with an attractive side veneer, end cover, and chord set. It’s appearance and construction is much like my full sized thirty-six and thirty-seven stringed autoharps, but with only twenty-three strings it is smaller and lighter. At 18 inches long and 10-1/2 inches wide it weighs only 4-1/2 pounds.

The high quality Schreiber custom string set is specially gauged for a string schedule tuned: G-C-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-A#-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-A#-B-C.

The seven chord bars are in two rows. The top row is:                         Bb     F     C     G

and the bottom row is:    Gm     Dm       Am

 

 

 

At this time the only option I can offer is the choice of woods for the side veneer, chord set, bridges, and end cover. This prototype is cherry but other choices include walnut, maple, and mahogany. In the future I plan to add greater customization and alternate chord setups with more chords in two or three rows.

Here are two links with  Marsha playing two unofficial national anthems on the new child sized autoharp, one in the key of C and one in the key of F.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qa1fC5kBbjalMabgW9cDBRbLuCweyLCT

https://drive.google.com/open?id=14_b7cFDwAIaisBRjZlMu21gr7ijf-12P

Do those girls and boys spend too much screen time? Contact me for more information and a price that is sure to be less than a smart phone and requires no monthly data plan.