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Autoharp Factory Chord Setups

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Autoharp Factory Chord Setups

Each of the four most popular factory autoharp configurations has historically been set up to play in a certain number of keys (based on a simple 3-chord song). Unfortunately for fans of traditional Folk, Old-Timey, and Fiddle music, the earliest autoharps were invented when brass bands were still in vogue, and as they expanded the number of keys they would support, they added more trumpet-friendly keys (with flats) than they added guitar-friendly keys (with sharps).

5-chord autoharps (no longer made) could play 3-chord songs in F and C.
12-chord autoharps (no longer made) could play 3-chord songs in F, C, and G.
Standard 15-chord autoharps can play 3-chord songs Bb, F, C, G, and D (sort of).
Standard 21-chord autoharps can play 3-chord songs in Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, and A.

Why Song Keys Don't Tell the Whole Story

Many, many songs, especially Folk and Country songs can get by with just three chords, say G, C, and D7 or D, G, and A7. But there are many other songs that need extra chords. And that's where those extra chord bars come in. A song in the key of F, for example, will almost always use Bb and C (or C7). But it may also need Am, Dm, G, Gm, and G7, especially if it's a Tin-Pan Alley song, Jazz standard, "Pop" song, "Worship" song, and many Country songs. You might consider those chords "supplementary" in the key of F. If you're playing a standard OS or Chromaharp autoharp, you'll almost always have all the "supplementary" chords you need to play in F (or in Bb and Eb, if you have a 21-key harp).

Now, say you're moving from your Ragtime Banjo Society gig to a Folk, Bluegrass, Celtic, or Country gig, and your new bandmates want to do the same song in A that you're used to playing in F. You'll discover in a heartbeat that you don't have the chords you need, which may include, not only D and E7 but also A, Em, and B7 (present on a 21-chorder, but not on a 15-chorder) as well as E, Bm, F#m and maybe even C#m.

So it's easy to say that you can play songs in the key of A on a 21-chord autoharp, but that isn't the same as saying that the instrument is SUITED for playing in the key of A, unless you're committed to playing only the simplest possible tunes.

Sharp-Friendly Variants

Oscar Schmidt and Chromaharp haven't been entirely deaf to the pleas of Folk-based artists.

In the 1970s, two variations on the 15-chord autoharp were built that made it possible to play three-chord songs in A, though they still left out F#m and Bm in favor of Bb and C7, two chords that are far less useful in Folk-based genres. (More information on these variants is provided below.)
One current 21-chord Oscar Schmidt model, the Americana (#OS110 21AE), adds chords like F#m and Bm that make playing complex songs in D possible (more below). But the Americana isn't cheap, and a lot of folks with older harps would like to be able to play in folk keys. For that reason, there's quite a market in aftermarket felts and even chord bars for folks wanting to tweak which chords they can play on standard instruments.

Again, autoharps (especially 21-chord Oscar Schmidts) can be reconfigured to play in sharp keys or for other reasons, but before you buy the next used autoharp you see, take some time to determine what model will best serve your purpose.

Starting With the Basics

I started to write another article before I wrote this one, about reconfiguring autoharps to play your favorite keys. Then I realized that much of what I "knew" about autoharps was misguided, to say the least, by only being really exposed to a handful of instruments. I also figured that telling folks what they could change their autoharps TO without being clear what they were changing them FROM would be less than helpful for folks who are wondering if, say, that $100 autoharp on Craigs List would be a good starting point.

Note: If you don't already own an autoharp, and are looking to buy one, consider bypassing the old "A" style - they were made for playing on the lap, not held across the chest as is the modern usage.

The "A Reissue" is okay, though - its chord bars are placed for upright playing.

Early Factory Setups

We're starting our review way back in the 1880s, when Zimmerman expanded on Gutter's design for 3-chord autoharps to allow 5 chords. And then 8- and 12-chord instruments. True, the 12-chord autoharps didn't really make a splash until Oscar Schmidt took over in the 1920s, but the designs were there all along.

Why go back to ancient history? Because the way Zimmerman laid out the chord bars on his 5-chord and 12-chord instruments influenced the way the majority of factory-built autoharps are still being made today (21-chorders and custom autoharps being the exceptions).

5-Chord

A "store-bought" 5-chord autoharp (an early model not made today) typically includes buttons for Bb, C7, F, G7, and C. This enabled playing three-chord songs in F and C.

We're showing the numbers that Zimmerman used to label the chord bars in case you come across an early model that doesn't have the chord names. (For more information on those numbers and symbols, see our article "Early Autoharp Chord and Note Numbers."

In a sense it was two 3-chord autoharps built into one. To go from playing in C to playing in F, you'd simply move your hand over two chord bars.

The main reason we're presenting this is that the Bb, C7, F, G7, and C chord sequence was directly carried over into the 8-, 12-, and 15-chord autoharps. For more information about 5-chord autoharps, visit our "Five Chord Wonder article.

8-Chord

The 8-chord model 72 7/8s wasn't made in huge quantities, and it was discontinued before 1930, but it was the autoharp Sarah Carter first recorded and toured with. You'll see that it kept the 5-chord's arrangement, but added Gm, A7, and Dm at one end.

Though you could play more complex songs in F and C, you could still really only play most songs in those keys.

Note: While researching these articles, I accumulated a model 72 7/8 whose factory setup added E7, Dm, and Am to the standard 5-chord setup. The celluloid chord labels are definitely original, so it's not likely this was a one-off. But this version doesn't seem to be documented anywere else.

12-Chord

When the American-built autoharps expanded to 12 chords, they kept the original 5-chord setup on one row and added G major at the end. Then they moved the Gm, A7, and Dm to a separate row of buttons and added E7, Am, and D7. So you see that, as equipped, a 12-button autoharp can play typical songs in F, C, and G, and you can play certain more complex songs in F and C.

The first autoharp in this configuration was the Model 73, a model that Maybelle Carter and Cecil Null helped make popular in "Mountain Music" circles.

15-Chord

Now we're moving toward chord bar setups that are still in use today.

In the early 1960s, Oscar Schmidt experimented with a 15-chord setup that added diminished chords to one end of the 12-bar setup. Very few of those remain. The folks running Oscar Schmidt at the time were very responsive to customer concerns, so my guess is that autoharp players who were focused on playing tin-pan-alley songs of an earlier era wanted those diminished chords.

But when 15-chorders became available, the vast majority of users seemed to prefer the ability to play in more keys over the ability to play diminished chords.

So, Oscar Schmidt settled on two arrangements that added more major chords, one of which is still in wide use today.

The "OS-15B Berkshire" arrangement, still in use today, and
The "OS-45 Appalachian" arrangement which is sadly long discontinued.

15-Chord "Berkshire" Arrangement

This is the standard 15-chord arrangment that was introduced on some "Type A" Oscar Schmidts in the early 1960s and which is used in virtually all Oscar Schmidt and Chromaharp 15-chorders built since the 1970s.

You'll see that OS-15B (below left) kept the 12-chord arrangment and added three chords on the "left" end. To folks who started out on other instruments (even Oscar Schmidt 21-chorders), this arrangement doesn't make that much sense. But apparently they were afraid of losing people who were used to the old setups, going all the way back to the 5-chorders (which weren't discontinued until 1963).

The Chromaharp 15-chorder (below right) was more-or-less a copy of Oscar Schmidt's Type A 15-chorders, but with rounder edges. (Ironically the Chromaharp 15-chorders being built today are sturdier than the OS-15 series, so don't let the "off brand" put you off.)

A typical post-1967 Oscar Schmidt 15-chord autoharp. Click for bigger photo.

A typical Chromaharp 15-chord autoharp. Click for bigger photo.

A "store-bought" 15-button Oscar Schmidt or Chromaharp autoharp (the most popular entry-level autoharps today) includes buttons for Eb, Bb, F, F7, C, C7, G, G7, Gm, D7, D, Dm, A7, Am, and E7. So you see that, as equipped, a 15-button autoharp can play three-chord songs in Bb, F, C, G, and D, which is an improvement, but still neglects A and E.

Note: That this arrangement keeps the "basic" 12 keys the same, which puts the D chord almost out of reach of the G chord that would typically be played in the key of D.

Moreover, as a Folk singer who plays a lot of songs in D, I'm used to having access to Em, Bm, and F#m on guitar, banjo, and mandolin. So many complex folk-style songs like "City of New Orleans" are still out of the question.

A Note About 15-Chorders as First Instruments - Millions of 15-chord Oscar Schmidts and Chromaharps have been built over they years and quite a few come on the used market in something close to playable condition. They are almost always much cheaper than used 21-chorders in similar condition. (For tips on buying autoharps used, check out our article "Shopping for Used Autoharps.)

New 15-chorders tend to be about 25% cheaper than the new 21-chord versions, so the price difference isn't as great.

So both used and new 15-chorders tempt folks who don't want to spend a lot of money on an instrument that they're just trying out. If you're buying used and can get a playable 15-chorder for a very good price, you'll learn a lot from it. (BTW, these days, Chromaharp 15-chorders seem to have better quality control than Oscar Schmidt 15-chorders, so don't let the Chromaharp brand put you off.)

That said, if you want to buy new, the price difference between a 15-chorder and a 21-chorder isn't as great. You may be better off saving a little longer and starting with a 21-chord version. That said, a lot of folks who start out on a 15-chorder and go to a 21-chorder later, find other uses for their first harp, like making it diatonic.

Trying to be Folk- (and Bluegrass-) Friendly During the Folk Revival, the rise of Bluegrass, and the mainstreaming of Country music, autoharp players clamored for more guitar-friendly chords on their instruments. Both Chromaharp and Oscar Schmidt heard them, sort of. They produced 15-chorders that gave you E and A chords by sacrificing the Eb and F7, two chords you almost never need in Folk, Bluegrass, or Country. But they didn't go far enough.

An Oscar Schmidt 15-chord 'Appalachian' model autoharp, replacing Eb and F7 with E and A. Not to be confused with the standard-tuning 'Appalachians' being made today. Click for bigger photo.

The Chromaharp 'Bluegrass' model, a typical 15-chorder replacing Eb and F7 with E and A. Click for bigger photo.

The O.S. Appalachian and Chromaharp "Bluegrass" models shown above give you E and A chords by sacrificing the Eb and F7 chords. (The instrument includes Bb, F, C, C7, G, G7, Gm, D, D7, Dm, A, A7, Am, E, and E7.) So you can play simple songs in F, C, G, D, and A.

So if you are playing with a fiddler who loves doing old-time fiddle tunes, you can play along (and trust, me, you'll never miss Eb or F7 in that environment).

On the other hand, if you're playing with a guitarist who wants to do anything by Paul Simon, James Taylor, Judy Collins, Gordon Lightfoot, Steve Goodman, Noel Stookey, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, or most other Folk, Folk-Rock, or Country artists, you'll probably be missing chords you need, like Em, Bm, and F#m to name a couple.

Note: Like the standard 15-button autoharp, this arrangement keeps the "basic" 12 keys the same, even though playing in D is still awkward, and the reach from A to E7 is "dicey." That said, as long as you don't disassemble your autoharp over shag carpet, there is no compelling reason you can't move the keys around to make your favorite keys easier to play.

Note about Oscar Schmidt "Appalachian": As shown above, the 15-chord Oscar Schmidt "Appalachian," made in the 1970s, looked pretty much like their other 15-chorders, but used the same layout described above (with A, D, and E in the left three buttons). Aside from looking at the buttons (which you can't read in most eBay or Craigs List ads), one way to tell is that the word Appalachian appears in a box over the Autoharp logo.

Oscar Schmidt briefly carried this chord arrangement into their "Model B" line (the more streamlined versions that emerged in the late 1960s.) However later versions of the 15-chord Appalachian, including the OS45B, reverted to the standard 15-chord Autoharp setup.

All 21-chord "Appalachians" follow the standard 21-chord setup (below). Some were cooler looking, with a flower-shaped tone hole, but - despite the cool looks and manufacturer promises - were no more "suited for Bluegrass" than any other 21-chorder in their lineup. (Note: The early 21-chord flower-designed "Appalachian" was replaced with a round-holed version, and the word "Appalachian" was removed, but the model number, OS45C remained the same.)

Sadly, the Chromaharp Bluegrass model and the early Oscar Schmidt "Appalachian" fell far short of giving Folk, Bluegrass, and Country musicians what they needed (more chords to support playing in sharps). The few that remain are more-or-less oddities, unless some inventive person has reconfigured them with useful chords.

I have owned one of each, and I did reconfigure my Chromaharp Bluegrass. I converted E7 to Em (a much more useful chord in keys like C, G, and D.) I also rearranged the chord bars to bring D and G closer to each other. For a description of that project, click here.

For more information about the early OS45 "Appalachians," click here.

21-Chorder

The Oscar Schmidt OS-21C (below left) finally broke away from the 5- and 12-chord bar sequences that had dominated the Oscar Schmidt line for eighty years. In its day, it was quite revolutionary to have one row for major chords, one row for seventh chords, and one row for minor chords - most of them arranged in the "circle-of-fifths" sequence that musicians use and often depend upon.

A typical post-1967 Oscar Schmidt 21-chord autoharp. Click for bigger photo.

Chromaharp's 21-chord autoharp. Click for bigger photo.

Of course Chromaharp (above right) followed rapidly with their own version.

If you're playing one of these in keys like Bb or F, you have a lot of extra chords to use for fancy arrangements. In addition, with most of the buttons being arranged in a "circle of fifths" sequence, when someone decides to pitch a song in C instead of D, all you have to do is move your left hand over a couple buttons.

Not "Ideal for Bluegrass" - Still, the 21-chord version isn't much more helpful to a player of Folk, Bluegrass, Celtic, or country than the 15-chord "Appalachian" model. You can play 3-chord songs in D or A, but you can't play complex songs in those keys - you're missing Bm and F#m. And you can't play in E at all.

For a time, Oscar Schmidt claimed that the OS-45C with the flower-shaped hole was "Ideal for Bluegrass," even though it had the standard 21-chord setup.

Trying More Successfully to be Folk-Friendly

In the meantime, professional autoharp players like Bryan Bowers were coming up with chord arrangements that made sense for autoharpers who wanted to play music with other acoustic musicians (folks who play guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, etc.). Custom autoharp builder Pete d'Aigle came to favor this setup as well. And because swapping and reconfiguring chord bars on 21-chord Oscar Schmidts is fairly easy, any number of other autoharps adapted Bowers' setup to their own configurations.

Oscar Schmidt eventually asked Pete D'Aigle if he would have any problem with them using his version of the "Bowers setup" on a new autoharp. He said "of course not," and even wrote some maintenance procedures for OS.

So Oscar Schmidt eventually released the "Americana" 21-chord model OS110 21AE, using Bowers' chord bar arrangement.

The Americana came with E major, B minor, and F# minor chords (sacrificing Ab, Cm, and Bb7, three chords acoustic musicians almost never use.)

This lets you play complex songs in Bb, F, C, G, D, and A, and lets you play 3-chord songs in E.

It also swaps the position of the major and seventh chords, and puts the relative minor closer to the major chord (so Am is closer to C, etc.).

That said, if you're used to a standard 21-chord autoharp, you'll have to retrain your left hand a little.

Note: If you have a 21-chorder and you'd like to adapt it to a more Folk-or-Bluegrass-friendly setup, please refer to our article "Making Your Autoharp Folk-Friendly" for tips.

I've done this conversion on OS-73C (which is also a 21-chorder). That project, with links to an accompanying video, is described here.

Conclusion

Just about any Oscar Schmidt or Chromaharp can be reconfigured for different chords, and even different numbers of chords. So you have more flexibility than you might think. But I did think it was important to be clear about how these thing tend to be set up from the factory.

When I wrote this article, I had five autoharps. Now I have far too many, and I've learned some things that caused me to go back and make changes to the content here. I have also done some tweaking on my instruments that is reflected in other articles.

Short version - a used, but playable 15-chord Oscar Schmidt or Chromaharp will get you started, though it will seem limited in some settings. An Oscar Schmidt or Chromaharp 21 chorder will let you play more songs in more keys, but many advanced players find they need chords that aren't on those instruments. In that case, the Oscar Schmidt 21-chorders are far easier to reconfigure than the Chromaharps. But ANY autoharp can be tweaked to make it more useful for the kind of music you want to do.

More tips about your first autoharp are provided in our RiverboatMusic.com Autoharp Buyer's Guide.

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Best of luck!

Whatever else you get out of our pages, I hope you enjoy your music and figure out how to make enjoyable music for those around you as well.

And please stay in touch!

- Paul

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And please stay in touch!

- Paul Race

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