Editing Autoharp (section)

==Construction==
[[File:Autoharp.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Autoharp photographed in 2003]]
The autoharp body is made of wood, and has a generally rectangular shape, with one corner cut off.  The soundboard generally features a guitar-like sound-hole, and the top may be either solid wood or of laminated construction.  A pin-block of multiple laminated layers of wood occupies the top and slanted edges, and serves as a bed for the tuning pins, which resemble those used in pianos and concert zithers.

On the edge opposite the top pin-block is either a series of metal pins, or a grooved metal plate, which accepts the lower ends of the strings.  Directly above the strings, on the lower half of the top, are the chord bars, which are made of plastic, wood, or metal, and support felt or foam pads on the side facing the strings.  These bars are mounted on springs, and pressed down with one hand, via buttons mounted to their topside.  The buttons are labeled with the name of the chord produced when that bar is pressed against the strings, and the strings strummed.  The back of the instrument usually has three wooden, plastic, or rubber "feet", which support the instrument when it is placed backside down on a table top, for playing in the traditional position.

Strings run parallel to the top, between the mounting plate and the tuning pins, and pass under the chord bar assembly.  Modern autoharps most often have 36 strings, with some examples having as many as 47 strings, and rare 48-string models (such as Orthey Autoharps No. 136, tuned to G and D major). They are strung in a [[chromatic scale|semi-chromatic]] manner which, however, is sometimes modified into either [[diatonic]] or fully chromatic scales.  Standard models have 12, 15 or 21 chord bars available, providing a selection of [[major chord|major]], [[minor chord|minor]], and [[dominant seventh chord]]s. These are arranged for historical or systemic reasons.<ref name="Orthey">Orthey, Mary Lou (2001). ''Autoharp Owner's Manual'', p.3. {{ISBN|0-7866-5883-5}}.</ref> Various special models have also been produced, such as diatonic one-, two-, or three-key models, models with fewer or additional chords, and a reverse-strung model (the 43-string, 28-chord Chromaharp ''Caroler'').

===Range and tuning===
The range is determined by the number of strings and their tuning.  A typical 36-string chromatic autoharp in standard tuning has a {{frac|3|1|2}}-octave range, from F<sub>2</sub> to C<sub>6</sub>. The instrument is not fully chromatic throughout this range, however, as this would require 44 strings.  The exact 36-string tuning is:

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Octave
! colspan="12"|Tuning
|-
| Bass octave
| F<sub>2</sub> || || G<sub>2</sub> || || || || || C<sub>3</sub> || || D<sub>3</sub> || || E<sub>3</sub>
|-
| Tenor octave
| F<sub>3</sub> || F{{music|#}}<sub>3</sub> || G<sub>3</sub> || || A<sub>3</sub> || A{{music|#}}<sub>3</sub> || B<sub>3</sub> || C<sub>4</sub> || C{{music|#}}<sub>4</sub> || D<sub>4</sub> || D{{music|#}}<sub>4</sub> || E<sub>4</sub>
|-
| Alto octave
| F<sub>4</sub> || F{{music|#}}<sub>4</sub> || G<sub>4</sub> || G{{music|#}}<sub>4</sub> || A<sub>4</sub> || A{{music|#}}<sub>4</sub> || B<sub>4</sub> || C<sub>5</sub> || C{{music|#}}<sub>5</sub> || D<sub>5</sub> || D{{music|#}}<sub>5</sub> || E<sub>5</sub>
|-
| Soprano octave
| F<sub>5</sub> || F{{music|#}}<sub>5</sub> || G<sub>5</sub> || G{{music|#}}<sub>5</sub> || A<sub>5</sub> || A{{music|#}}<sub>5</sub> || B<sub>5</sub> || C<sub>6</sub> || || || ||
|} 
 
There are a number of gaps in the lowest octave, which functions primarily to provide bass notes in diatonic contexts; there is also a missing G{{music|#}}<sub>3</sub> in the tenor octave.  The fully chromatic part of the instrument's range begins with A<sub>3</sub> (the A below [[middle C]]).

Diatonically-strung single-key instruments from modern [[luthier]]s are known for their lush sound. This is achieved by doubling the strings for individual notes. Since the strings for notes not in the diatonic scale need not appear in the string bed, the resulting extra space is used for the doubled strings, resulting in fewer damped strings. Two- and three-key diatonics compromise the number of doubled strings to gain the ability to play in two or three keys, and to permit tunes containing accidentals, which could not otherwise be rendered on a single-key harp. A three-key harp in the circle of fifths, such as a GDA, is often called a festival or campfire harp, as the instrument can easily accompany fiddles around a campfire or at a festival.

===Chord bars===
The standard, factory chord bar layout for a 12-chord autoharp, in two rows, is:

:{| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="tan"
|-
| Gm || || || A<sup>7</sup> || || || Dm  || || ||  E7 || || || Am || || || D<sup>7</sup>
|-
| || || B{{music|b}} || || || C<sup>7</sup> || || ||  F || || || G<sup>7</sup> || || || C || || || G
|}

The standard, factory chord bar layout for a 15-chord instrument, in two rows, is:

:{| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="tan"
|-
| || D || || || Gm || || || A<sup>7</sup> || || || Dm  || || ||  E<sup>7</sup> || || || Am || || || D<sup>7</sup>
|-
|E{{music|b}}|| || F<sup>7</sup> || || || B{{music|b}} || || || C<sup>7</sup> || || ||  F || || || G<sup>7</sup> || || || C || || || G
|}

The standard, factory chord bar layout for a 21-chord instrument is in three rows:

:{| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="tan"
|-
| E{{music|b}} || || || B{{music|b}} || || || F || || || C || || || G || || || D || || || A
|-
| || F<sup>7</sup> || || || C<sup>7</sup> || || || G<sup>7</sup> || || || D<sup>7</sup> || || || A<sup>7</sup> || || || E<sup>7</sup> || || || B<sup>7</sup>
|-
| || || A{{music|b}} || || || B{{music|b}}<sup>7</sup> || || || Cm || || || Gm || || || Dm || || || Am || || || Em
|}

A variety of chord bar layouts may be had, both in as-delivered instruments, and after customization.<ref>{{cite web |title=Autoharp How To Corner |url=http://daigleharp.com/howtocorner.html |website=daigleharp.com |date=2016-04-23 |access-date=2017-01-26}}</ref>

=== Electric autoharp ===
[[File:autoharp of roger penney.jpg|thumb|150px|Custom electric autoharp of autoharpist [[Roger Penney]]]]
Until the 1960s, no pickups were available to amplify the autoharp other than rudimentary contact microphones, which frequently had a poor-quality, tinny sound. In the early 1960s, a bar [[Pickup (music technology)|magnetic pickup]] was designed for the instrument by [[Harry DeArmond]], and manufactured by Rowe Industries. [[Pinkerton's Assorted Colours]] used the instrument on their 1966 single "Mirror, Mirror".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pinkerton's Assorted Colours {{!}} Biography & History|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/pinkertons-assorted-colours-mn0001897913|access-date=2020-10-11|website=AllMusic|language=en-us}}</ref> In the 1970s, Oscar Schmidt came out with their own magnetic pickup. ''The Evil One'', a 1979 hard rock album by [[Roky Erickson|Roky Erickson and the Aliens]] prominently featured the electric autoharp of Bill Miller which granted "an unearthly edge" to the music.<ref>Ben Graham, [https://books.google.com/books?id=3arpCAAAQBAJ&dq=%22roky+erickson%22+autoharp&pg=PT328 The Battle for Texas's Psychedelic Music, from The 13th Floor Elevators to The Black Angels and Beyond] (2015, John Hunt Publishing), Ch. 31</ref>

Shown is a 1930 refinished Oscar Schmidt “Model A”. This harp has two [[DeArmond]] magnetic pickups (one under the chord bars), with a d'Aigle fine-tuning mechanism, and d'Aigle chord bar assembly, and was used in a 1968 [[MGM Records]]/[[Heritage Records (United States)|Heritage Records]] recording by [[Euphoria (American band)|Euphoria]].

===Variants===
A [[synthesizer|synthesized]] version of the autoharp, the [[Omnichord]], was introduced in 1981 and is now known as the Q-Chord, described as a "digital songcard [[guitar]]".