A number of years ago, I realized there were certain things that I needed when I was on the road to avoid any problems that would prevent me from playing my autoharp. This rescue apparatus I named the ARK, also called the Autoharp Repair Kit.

The picture to the left is right is my ARK. It features the following items:

• Autoharp strings
  One full package of 36 autoharp strings, plus, some of the more frequent breaking strings like 8G and 9A.
  
  
• Chromatic tuner with backup AAA batteries
  I sometimes carry two tuners in case I misplace one. Tuning by ear sucks for me, especially if all 36 strings need tuning.
  
  
• T-tuning Wrench
  Another essential for the road. I prefer to carry two as well. One as a backup and one that I use regularly.
  
  
• Pliers and wire cutters
  Pliers always come in handy on the road. But they and the wire cutters are specially great to have around when you need to fix a broken string.
  
  
• Phillips Head Screw Driver
  I picked on that will flip over to be used as a flathead too. Great for any chord bar adjustments.
  
  
• Hobby knife
  I mostly use the hobby knife when refelting chord bars, but now and then it comes in handy other places.
  
  
• Backup picks
  I don't usually have too many pick problems, but it never hurts to have backups. I usually carry one extra set just in case.
  
  
• Extra Screws
  When you work the autoharp is hard as I do, screws loosen on the chord bar case. I like to carry a couple extra screws in case any wiggle free.
  
  
• Autoharp Felts
  My felts aren't usually in that bad shape. So I rarely carry them on the road since I'm usually only gone for a weekend. If I go longer, I usually bring extra.

Your basic ARK will cost you about $125 which includes everything listed above.

You can find more autoharp music tips at www.autoharpmusic.com where you will find out how to pick an autoharp, keep it in running order, find autoharp books, and where to purchase all the gear you need to enjoy your autoharp music.

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

Fine tuners give an ability to gain accurate tuning with easy effort by using a small Allen wrench on the screws at the bottom. But for the many harps that don't have fine tuners (and my harp doesn't have them), as well as those that DO have fine tuners, this information may provide good food for thought (and action).

The little short, stubby tuning wrench originally provided with a newly purchased Autoharp or Chromaharp is quite, ill-fitting, sloppy, and extremely difficult to use successfully!

The beauty of the LONG HANDLE TUNING WRENCH is that with the extra leverage provided, and using minimum tuning pressure, you can achieve very accurate tuning with this wrench. Having no fine tuners on my own harps, I find this wrench practically indispensable! And there are more reasons to love it even if you do have fine tuners.

Here are the benefits this wrench can give for easy and accurate tuning of harps having no fine tuners:

FIRST, like the :T" wrench, this wrench has a "star point," which means there are 8 possible positions to insert the tuning business end onto a tuning pin. Therefore you can easily place the wrench at the most comfortable spot to begin your tuning. As the long handle is about 8 1/2" in length away from the pin about to be tuned, you can see that there will be a considerable amount of leverage that can very LIGHTLY be applied to the pin. And the wrench fits the pins snugly, without sloppy play. You'll find that almost every hammered dulcimer player uses this same wrench for these and the following reasons.

Only a gentle effort is required when applying lateral pressure at the end of the long handle. The extra leverage means you get a careful and precise tuning with minimum movement at the wrench end. I rest the side of my left hand on the harp and simply apply pressure with just my index finger and thumb. Watch your chromatic tuner, and move the string right into tune. It's always advisable to tune to pitch while in the tightening mode. If you go slightly past the mark, just push down on the string (watching the meter on your tuner) and lift off .. and you'll find you can get the string right into perfect tune! Don't forget, wiggle the string, following the wiggle up to the same pin you intend to tune. And then sound that same string when tuning. A sure way to prevent breaking a string! If you're badly out of tune when you start, double check tuning of all strings after your first complete tuning, because lots of adjusting of some of the strings can affect the tuning of others you may have just tuned.

SECOND, another advantage of the Long Handle Wrench is when changing strings, it's so easy to insert the wrench and laterally rotate the pins around and around to remove the string. It's so fast and easy! Don't forget that you must unwind the tuning pins sufficiently for the new strings to be inserted and then wound back to the same point where they were properly lined up before removing!

And THIRD, even if you DO have fine tuners, you should occasionally align the fine tuner cams at the bottom by first loosening all the strings from the top pins ... then adjust the cams at the bottom so they are all leveled and centered ... and then retighten strings at the top pins to get strings in perfect tune. The long handle wrench is truly ideal for this. Afterwards, adjustments can then be done using the fine tuners. This two-step process will create a level plane for the string bed on OS harps and those harps that do not have a bottom rod bridge (as some luthiers have on their harps), with dividends of more uniform chording pressure from your chord bars. The more accurately you tune the top pins, the less you'll need to make tuning adjustments with the fine tuners.

So there you have some methods and reasoning for tuning, which certainly work well for me! Fine tuners or not, a Long Handle Wrench can do a great job for you!

Drew Smith
c/o Great All-American Autoharp Emporium
529 Ardmore Road, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ 07423 / 201 444-2833
drew-smith-autoharp-emporium [at] verizon.net

I need your home address to be able to mail you my catalog.
Some of the best darn Autoharp items at G-R-E-A-T prices!
15 & 21 bar refelt strips / OSI "A" & "B" string sets in stock!
* All above come with complete instructions! *
New, perfect, SOLID SPRUCE TOP - OS73C - 21 chord harp
(1930's Reissue model) ... available at a low price!
* I'm an authorized OSCAR SCHMIDT dealer *
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Is it easier to just take the chord cover off to replace a bunch of strings, or should I just remove the plate on the bottom covering the balls and restring one at a time?

Great question. You're right. I've never seen it written anywhere.

For me, the simple answer is I replace the strings with the chord covers till on. However, I find the question of changing strings depends on two things. One, what is the action of your chord bars, and two which string are you changing.

The action and the string thick are most important to me when changing strings. You see, if you're action is rather high, then you should have no problem sliding strings underneath the chord bar and changing strings one at at time. If the action is very low, however, some strings might be tight fitting. Usually the low strings have a little bit more trouble for me. So you can remedy that by raising the action by unscrewing the chord cover.

Ultimately, It is not necessary to remove the chord cover to change strings because you're right, it can be sloppy affair if those springs go flying. It's much easier keeping it all under one roof.

If you want other great suggestion on autoharp maintenance, then check out the Autoharp Owner's Manual. It's an invaluable resource.

Dear Marc,

I was just on your website and was impressed with the sound of your autoharp. The tone is lovely and it seems to stay in tune well. I'm a professional pianist and koto player, who picked up an Oscar Schmidt (1979) autoharp a few years ago in a pawn shop in Toronto. It sounds okay but not as good as yours!!!

Would you mind directing me to the builder of your lovely hard: is there a website where they're sold?

Thanks for your beautiful music and (hopefully) the above info......

Ciao Carla,

Thank you. Glad you like my sound. My autoharps (yes, I have several) are all Oscar Schmidt 'harps about the same age. The 70s and 80s had some of the best sounding autoharps. However, not all of them sound as good as the others. Typically, when the autoharp sounds bad, the first thing I do is check the felts. If they are too worn, then it can cause some bad harmonics. Also sometimes when the strings are too old, the 'harp'll sound bad as well.

If you're playing acoustic, the autoharp typically sounds better. If you're playing electric, I use a nice OS pickup and an EQ pedal, but I haven't found a sound yet that I really love electric.

For recordings, I have my own unique recording style that I've not heard other autoharpers use. Basically, I record with one nice mic pointed at the narrow end of the autoharp facing out a wee bit so as not to pick up too much of the sound of picks against the strings. The other sound I use is the autoharp pickup with the 8-band EQ pedal smiling at me. Very minor smile -0.5db to about -4db. I also use a Natural Reverb, or depending on the song, something more. The sound is mostly autoharp pickup with the microphone adding a natural sounding ambiance.

That said, I'd start with your autoharp. Look it over, do some minor maintenance. Because more than likely you have a real gem. Hope that helps. Slainte!

I thought it was about time to see what the most important webpages were on my Autoharp Music Tips website. The site is designed to promote the autoharp as best I can. To that end, there's a lot of great information updated periodically. These are the ones people want to see the most:

• Autoharps by Oscar Schmidt and Custom Luthiers
  
• Chromaharps
• Mistaken Instrument Identity: Autoharp, Zither, Dulcimer, & Harpsichord
• Autoharp Accessories
• The Beginners Guide to Purchasing an Autoharp

My Autoharp Radio website seems to do extremely well too. And it's a great site for finding great autoharp music that you can buy.

I own, oh, about seven autoharps. What can I say, it's an addiction.

Actually, it's not. Rather, I put my autoharps to the test. I don't know of any other autoharper out there who works their instrumentations as hard.

Don't get me wrong, thinking I'm bragging. It's not that. It's just that I work at Renaissance festivals. Faires are extremely demanding physically, mentally, and to my autoharps. The ones I play are usually hot and humid. This wrecks havoc on my autoharp strings.

In fact, several years ago I brooke 22 autoharp strings in one weekend!

Can you imagine?

I think that was the weekend when we were performing at the Texas Renaissance Festival. It was in the high-90s with about 70% humidity all weekend. I was sweating like a dog. My House of Dra Cossak shirt was drenched. It was late afternoon when I broke three strings, two in one song. This was annoying.

Then we were playing "The Mermaid Song" when a G-string broke. Maybe it was the horror of the joke to follow if I broke another G-string. Or maybe it was Andrew just trying to protect his life. My string snapped and fly straight towards him.

It was like something out of The Matrix. Playing his recorder, Andrew leaned back almost 90 degrees, the music still pumping. He was still playing.

Fortunately that show ended soon. Twenty-two autoharp strings in one sitting is no inexpensive deal. The strings cost like $3 each if you're lucky! We didn't even make sixty bucks in tips that weekend. Good thing we were fairly well paid.

That said, what kind of autoharps do I own?

I own a wide variety. I have a few autoharp reviews on my Autoharp Music Tips website. Just check out the site. It'll tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the autoharp... or if it not, it'll tell you were to go to get the info!

Chromaharps

Hi Marc,

Since your web page says you have never tried a Chromaharp, I thought you would be interested in my impression of them.

First, I began playing a 12-bar Schmidt in 1966, so I have been a die-hard Schmidt fan for years. I now have a 21-bar Fladmark, but still prefer the old black 12-bar or 15-bar Appalachian (1967 all solid wood, a classic) for certain songs. I used it for "Ramblers Woman" on my CD (which I hope you have listened to and maybe broad cast a time or two).

So, there is no question that back in the 60's Chromaharps were basically toys with little redeeming quality as an instrument. However, they have improved dramatically since then. I fear the move to Korea did not help the Schmidts much either. I personally think the plastic chord bar cover on the 21 bar harps dampens the tone. I have a student who plays a Chromaharp, and it has a fine voice, it has a very full, deep sound, more "church" than "back porch." Since she is a Sunday School teacher, and plays on her lap (left handed) it is perfect for her. I would not recommend it for someone who wants to pick up the harp and cradle it in their arms, it's very bulky, but for lap players who are not looking for that old-timey sound, it is a perfectly good instrument. BTW they have 36 strings.

I'm enjoying listening to Autoharp radio as I type this.

Best wishes,

Marti Rogers