Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Autoharp
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
===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.
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)