When I was very young I had an autoharp. To me, it was magical – You strummed the strings and there was a blur of sound, like a windstorm. When you pushed down one of the buttons and strummed, suddenly, the sound “made sense” and became something musical. I had no interest then in understanding how it worked – I preferred to think it was magic.

The autoharp is a wonderful introduction to stringed instruments. Like the piano, there are no problems with tone production. This leaves the novice free to explore and experiment. Unlike the guitar, which requires contorting one’s hand into various positions in order to play chords, chords on the autoharp are produced by pushing down a button while strumming, making it a logical first step en route to learning guitar. It is possible to quickly learn how to harmonize a tune and accompany yourself or others. The autoharp is also great for scientific minds: How does the pressing of a button magically transform the sound, and what causes each button to produce a different sound? What happens when more than one button is pressed at the same time?  How are chords formed and what are their components?  What happens if you strum the strings and then push down a button as an afterthought?

Are you motivated to try all this? For more information on the autoharp, click here.