Buy Autoharp strings, find instructions on how to string an Autoharp. Tuning guides and more Autoharp information.

The Autoharp is the zither like musical instrument. It dates back to the late 19th Century. The Autoharp is mainly used in the United Sates for Folk and Bluegrass music. The name Autoharp was registered as a trademark in 1927. The trademark is currently held by U.S. Music Corporation. Oscar Schmidt is a division of U.S. Music Corp.

The USPTO registration has since expired and Oscar Schmidt can only claim ownership of the stylized lettering of the word “Autoharp”. The term autoharp has has moved to the public domain.

The strings of the Autoharp are similar to those of a guitar with a plectrum struck, plucked or struck with the fingers or a pick. The free hand operates bars that dampen the unused strings in a particular chord. By default the button caption is as follows:
Eb Bb F C G D A
F7 C7 G7 D7 A7 E7 B7
Bb7 Cm Gm Dm Am Em

There is also a synthesized version of the Autoharp. It is called the Omnichord which was introduced in 1981. It was later renamed to the Q-Chord,. It is also described as a “digital songcard guitar”.