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Autoharps for Children
Autoharps were originally designed to be played in the lap or on a table, and many kids can play full-sized autoharps that way. But two and a half autoharps were actually made for children in the 1960s and 1970s. Plus a few ancient and foreign autoharps are child-sized if you can get them in good condition or restore them.
Before we go into detail, here's a short list of autoharps you might consider. Sadly, all but the Sparrowharp have been discontinued for 50 or more years, but they still turn up on auction sites, etc.
The article lists the ones you're most likely to find useful and affordable first, on down to the hardest to find and least affordable at the bottom.
That said the one you're most likely to be able to find in playable condition for a reasonable relative cost is the Oscar Schmidt "EasyChord." For that reason, I've included a lot of notes on that product that will apply to the others as well. Where details for the other 'harps vary, I spell that out under the individual descriptions. Hope that makes sense.
- OS-6 "EasyChord" - Oscar Schmidt's most popular child-sized autoharp, plays in F, C, and G. Probably your best bet, but beware of the block-of-wood version.
- Chromaharp's "Miniharp" - a competing brand with one less chord, plays in F and C. Not bad for beginners.
- OS-10 "Sierra" - An Oscar Schmidt product that was between the Easychord and their standard 15-chorder in size, so great for younsters and intermediate players, but pretty much impossible to find these days.
- Oscar Schmidt Vintage 5-Chorders - Narrower than modern harps, but bigger and louder than the Easychord or Miniharp. Plays in F and C. If you can get one in good playable condition with all the strings, springs, and felts intact, it will give good service.
- Small "Rosen" Autoharps - Made in Germany from the early 1900s until about 1955, identified by rose decals. The six-chorders play in G, but they have a lot of chords so they can play almost every song ever written for that key.
- Custom Autoharps - Custom autoharps are available that are as long as standard modern 'harps, but narrower, so they're easier for folks with short arms to play. They're also easier to play when you're, say, relaxing in the recliner.
OS-6 "EasyChord"
 We're going to write the most about this one because, even though it's been discontinued for decades, they were solid and many of them have been preserved in playing condition.
Also, most of what we say about these also applies to the other 'harps we will profile.
The Oscar Schmidt EasyChord was a 6-chorder with rounded edges. It came in several colors, including some that were apparently supposed to be "kid-friendly."
Frankly, it was pretty well designed from a physical standpoint. Most are hollow, with veneer front and back, but with very solid pin blocks. I have never seen one that warped or was coming apart. They have a sweet tone, though - obviously - no really low notes. They are not as loud as larger autoharps, but that's to be expected. And if you track one down for a kid, that might be an advantage.
 Chords and Songs You Can Play - The EastChord's chords (in Circle-of-Fifths sequence) are Bb, F, C, C7, G, and D7. That equips it to play 3-chord songs in F, C, and G.
In addition, all of those chords are on standard 12, 15, and 21-chord autoharps. So any song you can play on an EasyChord can also be played on 99% of larger autoharps, though the chord buttons wil be in different positions.
Watch for "Block-of-Wood" versions -
That said, a few of them were simply carved out of a block of wood. Volume-wise, let's just say it's good for practicing in the  bedroom while you're partner's asleep in the bed. How can you tell from photos? There's no hole in the thing.
Maintenance? Most Oscar Schmidt autoharps were strung with piano wire, which lasts for decades. But I'm not sure about these. The "wrapped" lower strings on several I've encountered have lost their "bite." The harps sound good enough overall, but if you wanted them to be optimum, replacing at least those strings would probably be worth considering.
Sadly, I don't know the gauges of strings you would need to use. A micrometer might come in handy, but it would have to be VERY accurate. They do use Type B strings, in case you get that far. Some folks have used guitar strings to replace one or two missing strings, but those don't hold up as well long-term as true Oscar Schmidt strings - as long as you have the right gauge.
One vendor, Schreiberautoharps.com claims to offer 18-string replacement sets for the EasyChord. The main advantage of these - if they're true replacements - is that the windings stop before they cross the bridge, which gives a better tone. As of April, 2024, they're charging $50 a set. I haven't tried them, so this isn't a recommendation.
Because these came in a handy box that most of the original owners kept, many of them aren't even dusty. If they are, Q-tips and a soft rag you can pull beneath the strings at all angles would probably do the trick.
Tuning - Hopefully yours still has the note names under the strings. I generally tune to a piano, even when I have a digital chromatic tuner handy, because if the strings are too far off they just confuse the tuner. Once the strings are close to where they need to be, you can finish with a digital tuner if you would like.
If the autoharp was way out of tune, you'll need to tune every string twice the first time through. In an hour or less, you'll probably want to tune it again. The next day you'll need to tune it again. But each time you tune, the instrument's wood framework is adjusting to the "new normal," and the tuning will last longer.
That said, sometimes an autoharp that's not being used can detune a half step or more and still sound good if you play it alone in your room. But someone else sits down to play with you, and you realize that your entire instrument is flat. Don't feel bad; it happens to every string player to some extent.
 Chromaharp's "MiniHarp"
Chromaharp introduced their first autoharps in the 1960s, initially marketing them to elementary school teachers who didn't have pianos in their classrooms. At some point they also introduced child-sized autoharps branded "MiniharP."
I'm not certain of the chronology, but I would guess these preceded the EasyChords, which have more chords and a more appealing shape.
 The Miniharp has the same 5 chords as the old Zimmerman-branded 5-chorders. Bb, F, C, C7, and G7. So you could play 3-chord songs in F and C (but not in G). The EasyChord has an advantage on that score.
Soundwise, the Miniharp seems to have a slightly fuller tone than the EasyChord, due to the longer strings.
Maintenance and Tunng are much the same as the maintenance of the EasyChord (above). One difference is that the C string on these is often missing or breaks when you're tuning them. I'm thinking they substituted the "wrong gauge" on many of these back in the day. I recently substituted an Oscar Schmidt "Type B" string of the same gauge, and it works fine. (Sorry, I don't remember the gauge off the top of my head; I'll update this article after I check it again.)
 OS-10 "Sierra"
This autoharp was made only briefly. Examples have turned up in bright colors and in a natural tone. It was more for people who wanted to play chords than for folks who wanted to play tunes on it per se. It managed to have a broad range of chords, but it did so by sacrificing "seventh" chords, which experienced autoharpers were used to.
As a Folksinger who often used autoharps just for chords, I thought it was great. But I may have been in the minority. For whatever reason, it never caught on, and it's getting harder and harder to find. Old-time autoharp luthiers who have worked on these claim they're not as solid as most other autoharps of that era, so if you find one at all, it may be in need of repair.
In other words, getting one of these for your kid or short-armed family member is not likely to be an option.
 By the way, this is the only 'harp "made for children" that can play in the key of D, one of the most popular Folk and Country guitar keys.
Chords (in "Circle-of-Fifths" sequence) are Bb, F, C, G, D, Dm, A, Am, Em, Bm. This gives you room to go beyond 3-chord songs. For example, many songs in F use Dm; many songs in C use Am, many songs in G use Em, and many songs in D use Bm.
So, if you were just interested in chording along with songs in F, C, G, or D, you'd have found it pretty helpful. I do wish that more of them were available.
Vintage 'Harp Choices
 Between 1985 and 1925, Zimmerman and his successors (Dolge, Phonoharp, and Oscar Schmidt) made countless autoharps that have a narrower profile than modern autoharps.
The vast majority have five chords. Which does limit you to songs in F and C, but they are larger and louder than any of the autoharps described above.
I have seen ten-year-olds hold and strum these successfully. Kids older than that should have few problems.
During the Dolge era, the 5-chorder configuration was so popular, that Dolge labeled them "The Favorite." That said, Dolge used the bizarre chord bar labeling conventions Zimmerman invented.  About 1926, Oscar Schmidt (the fourth owner), abandoned Zimmerman's labels and replaced them with chord names.
One reason to look for 5-chorders with chord names instead of Roman numerals is that the instruments are newer and more consistent in construction. I have one like the one above that keeps its tune surprisingly well for its age.
The chord bars of almost all 5-chord US-built Autoharps, have Bb, C7, F, G7, and C, which would allow you to play 3-chord songs in F or C.
 German 'Harp Choices
Despite what die-hard Oscar Schmidt fans claim, the autoharp was actually invented in Germany, and there were several manufacturers over the years. Most prominent were probably the Hopf family, whose autoharps were decorated with rose decals until East German policies forced them to change to a wildflower motif.
Possible Cons - Unlike American-built autoharps of that era, they did not use piano-wire-grade strings, so their sound is pretty mellow today. Plus the ones I've seen had a chord setup that was ideal for playing in the key of G and nothing else. (C, D7, G, Em, Am, and Bm.) That said, if you plan on playing along with a Bluegrass banjo picker, this will give you almost every chord you're likely to need.
Custom Autoharps
At least two custom autoharp builders are making professional-quality autoharps that are about as long as standard autoharps, so they have a pretty full tone, but they're narrower, so they're easier for people with short arms to play.
 Sparrowharp - The best-known in this class is the Evo Bluestein "Sparrowharp." Evo is an expert player and builder who designed a number of 'harps, of which this is the best known.
Our family owns one, and it's very nice. Friends who've purchased them also appreciate their sound and ease of playing.
At the moment, Sparrowharps are being made by Pete D'Aigle of D'Aigle Autoharps. If you contact them, please tell them we sent you.
 Heartland - Luthier Ken Ellis's Whipporwhill Acoustics produces several instruments, including the "Heartland," another autoharp that is narrower than standard. They have gotten great reviews from well-known autoharp players. Again, if you contact Ken, tell him we sent you.
Either autoharp above can be ordered with any chord bar arrangement you want, though at the moment the "Heartland" is typically a 15-chorder.
Conclusion
Here's a warning - if you start a kid on any of these, he or she will likely enjoy messing with it for a while. But the joy won't last unless you jam with them on a regular basis. And - with the exception of the Sparrowharp (and maybe the OS-10) - kids WILL outgrow these. So if there's still interest when that happens, it will be time to look for a bigger instrument with more chords.
Once again, I still have a bunch of autoharps in my workbench queue, so I may discover something else that has been overlooked so far. But I wanted to publish the results of this research as soon as possible, because I've already been getting questions about it. If I learn that I've published anything wrong, I'll fix it, but some of these topics don't seem to be addressed anywhere on the Internet yet - at least before I address them, and a host of similar articles start appearing. Don't ask.
In the meantime, please contact us with any questions at all - reader questions are the main thing that drivers our research, so we're always happy to hear from you.
Best of luck!
 Whatever else you get out of our pages, I hope you come away with some great ideas for "sharing the joy."
And please stay in touch!
- Paul Race
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