Getting Up to Speed

I started this blog after I started getting back into the autoharp world. So let me get everyone up to speed on where I’m at.

Last week I ordered a new acoustic, 21 bar Oscar Schmidt (OS) autoharp in sunburst with an electric pickup already installed. I ordered it from www.autoharpstore.com. I chose them because they have a really cute girl on their home page. Seriously, I chose them for three reasons. First, they seemed to have paid out the big bucks to show up at the top of the “autoharp” Google search. So I thought they were the official OS web site. When I finally noticed they were not, I did some more searching at other online stores and found that their prices seemed to be about as good as anyone else’s. Secondly, they tossed in either a free tuner or a “deluxe” tuner for an extra $15 bucks. Third, I like sunburst and this was the only place that had a sunburst model with the electric pickup that I could find. (Sunburst reminds me of my old Chromoharp.) I wanted the electric pickup because I knew from my previous experience tuning could be a pain if the tuner was picking up the air conditioner or my noisy cat while I was working on it. I also ordered it with the “deluxe” tuner so I’d have a metronome as well. I got the big, hard-shell case for it to. I wanted it to last as long as my last one has and I’m a klutz. Since sending the Autoharp Store the money I’ve learned from other sites that I’ve probably already screwed up. It appears that OS was bought out by some foreign company and the quality of new harps has dropped. So the advice is to buy 1970 era OS harps if you are not going for a custom made harp. Why do I always find this stuff after I do something? The other advice is to get a harp with the cord bars customized a “better” way. There are places on the web that will sell you a used OS harp (I presume from the 70’s) with the chord bars already customized for you. The difference in price is not that big between what I bought either. Who knew? I’d heard about customizing chord bars, but I thought it was only for pro players. After all how are you supposed to know how you want them re-organized if you’ve never played before? Any way, after hearing all this advice, I’m expecting my harp to come in 12 pieces with a bottle of glue and a single paper with a Chinese character on it that roughly translates to “Some assembly required”. (sigh.)

While waiting for the harp to come, I’ve gone out to the web and found the factory arrangement of the chord bars. Then I used the web to find out the notes of each of the 21 chords. This was just in case I had to figure out the chords on my own for finding music to practice with.

I decided not to jump back into the cacophony of the different learning books this time. I liked the different gospel and hymn songs, but there are a lot of them I don’t know. So I went to a local bookseller and found out there’s a simplified version of a goodly chunk of the LDS hymns in book form and it has the chords ALREADY PRINTED ON THE MUSIC! Too cool! That’s 175 songs to work with. (It would have been 177, but two of the songs have diminished chords I don’t have chord bars for.) That should give me enough to work with and I’ve grown up with most of them. So I don’t have to learn the song as well as the harp!

I continued my quest for an autoharp teacher. I asked a friend from my church, who is a jazz guitarist, if he knew of anyone. He didn’t. Nothing new there. But he said there was a music store that rented space for different acoustic instrument teachers. The store is called “Acoustic Music” and is only three blocks from where I live. Wish I’d know that earlier. Oh, well. I dropped by as soon as I knew about them. There was an older gentleman there restringing a strange square instrument that looked like a guitar without a neck and five extra strings off to the side. I asked him about an autoharp music teacher. He said that he played the autoharp, but he didn’t have the time or inclination to teach it. He didn’t know anyone else that would or could teach it. (typical.) He was very patient and kind with me. And he didn’t actually say this, but reading between the lines I got the idea that he was saying, “Son, save your money. You don’t need a teacher for this thing. Any imbecile (thanks…) could pick this thing up and play it.” So it’s official, I’m on my own. But it’s nice to know I could walk down the street to Acoustic Music if I get really stuck and probably get a little advice. He took a 21 bar OS harp off the floor and showed me a basic strum and a basic “pinch” strum. He said that on the autoharp you press down a chord bar and then the only thing left is to do is something to set the strings in motion. I hope he’s right. I bough a good, sturdy music stand from him and he was kind enough to throw in a free cord to go between my harp and tuner.

I think that’s everything I need to get me going. Now I continue to memorize the factory chord bar placement and wait for the harp to come. It may already be here, because I received a UPS notice. But if it is here it’s in the office of my apartment building and they close before I get back from work. So I probably won’t know until Saturday. Now we’re all up to speed.