 Autoharp Publications |
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| Autoharp PublicationsCountless books on playing the autoharp have been published. I'll list a few that people claim to find helpful, but I have to confess there is some overlap, so listing them all would just be confusing. And the YouTube videos listed in our "Playing Autoharp Overview" are also pretty helpful.A few good professional video series have also been produced for sale. Most of them have value, and I'll list those as well. I'll also review some out-of-stock books because some people will find that they're worth tracking down. Finally there are a number of books that focus on specific kinds of songs, including holiday, Celtic, etc. Those don't overlap as much as the instruction books. I've only skimmed a few, but I'll list the ones that look promising. About Amazon Links - I don't care where you buy any of the products on this page. If you can get them through your local music store, that would be best of all. But we get a small remuneration if you click on one of our Amazon links and buy something on that visit. Right now, that pays about 1% of our expenses keeping up this site, so I hope you don't find us entirely mercenary. :-) The autoharp publications that we think are most likely to be helpul to you are listed below. There are at least another dozen books that you might find helpful if you come across them. Practicing and learning a lot of songs will do you the most good, whatever books and videos you start out with.
Video InstructionYes, we list several great YouTube videos that will help you get started in our "Playing Autoharp Overview." But theres something to be said for a curated set that takes you through increasingly advanced skill sets.Most of the videos we've come across are out of print. We provide an Amazon link, because they sometimes link to third-party stores that have them in stock. Alternatively, of course, you can simply google the product name and author. The autoharp video instruction sets that we think are most likely to be helpul to you are listed below.
Out-of-Print Reference BooksSadly, two books that I find useful, both of which include information that isn't available anywhere else are out of print, and the publisher has no intention of reissuing them. Not only are they hard to find, but when you do find them, you may pay a premium.I include links to the Amazon listing, because sometimes they link to third-party sellers who have them in stock. But you'll probably have more luck if you just google the book title.
Wanting to answer readers' questions about the history of the autoharp, and - as often as not - the history of the instruments they owned, Blackley received permission from Oscar Schmidt to research their archives. The result is the most comprehensive book on the history of the autoharp that can ever be written, since OS has changed hands twice since, and those materials are almost certainly unavailable. Blackley's book includes pictures and details on almost every Zimmerman, Dolge, Phonoharp, and Oscar Schmidt autoharp ever made. It also includes tips on playing and tablature. The book hasn't been revised since 1983, and is long out of print, so recent developments are left out. But most of the most interesting history of the autoharp happened before that, anyway. Not every autoharp player needs this book (thank goodness, since it's long out of print). But I'm very glad to have it in my library.
He was especially fascinated by the possibility of doubling strings (somewhat like a 12-string guitar), so more strings would sound at the same time. You would do this by choosing one or two keys to focus on, and "sacrificing" notes you wouldn't need for those keys. For example, if you wanted to play only in G, you might tune Eb down to D, Bb, down to A, F down to E, C# down to C, and maybe even G# down to G. Then you cut extra gaps in your remaining chord bars so the doubled notes sound. In the above example, most chords you would play in the key of G would have two doubled notes. Of course, this drastically reduced the number of keys you could play in, but it also made the instrument louder and richer, reduced the "thunk" of playing muted strings, and made playing melodies easier. It sounds simple when you put it the way I have, but George researched almost every possible aspect of this sort of conversion, dealing with the science of vibrations and acoustics, alternate tunings, and more. He provided an exceptional number of details and choices for his readers' consideration. George published multiple editions of this book, all created on his typewriter and usually bound with punched holes and plastic binding. It has been out of print for decades. But if you really want to dig into the theory of why "diatonic" autoharps work, you'd be advised to track down a copy.
ConclusionOnce again, the internet videos we list near the bottom of our "Playing Autoharp Overview" page can give you a good start, but sometimes it helps to have a book you can make notes in and take to the beach. Or a DVD you can sit back and watch over and over with your 'harp on your shoulder.However you learn to play, you're bound to enjoy yourself, and hopefully find ways to continually improve.
And please stay in touch! - Paul Race
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