Who can play the autoharp? Just about anyone!
- It is sort of like the Othello of instruments.
- Othello is a board game that claims it takes “a minute to learn and a lifetime to master”, and so it is with the autoharp.
According to noted teacher Meg Peterson:
Everyone can play the autoharp at his or her own level. Young or old can ‘mash the button’ and stoke; school children learn basic harmonies and accompany singing…
…teen-agers can play favorite rock sequences and create unique strum patterns; and professional musicians can perform complicated and exciting melodies or rhythmic accompaniments (Peterson 2).
It is easy to get started because you simply press a chord bar and strum the strings.
- In the hands of a master, though, it is capable of surprising depth and intricacy.
- Also, it usually comes with either 15 or 21 chord bars.
- What you get depends on your budget.