Blunt end autoharp

Subject: Blunt end autoharp
From: Jack Campin
Date: 25 Jul 26 - 11:11 AM

I've recently had a stroke - right hand fingers don't wiggle right, but whole hand movements are not too bad. So the oud is more or less doable and I've bought a trombone. (Whistles and Boehm flute - sort of, but recorders and ocarinas are a pig).

I have a 6-bar "Rosen" autoharp, originally in G but I've retuned and rebarred it to two sharps (most useful key for Scottish tunes) with the obvious six triads. I was always intending to use it as basic chordal instrument, i.e. playing on the bottom end as it was intended. Now, I don't have any option.

Who still plays autoharps like that?

Subject: RE: Blunt end autoharp
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Jul 26 - 11:31 AM

have you tried either anglo or duet concertina? anglo can involve mainly left hand work and duet can be played chordaly one side, left only

Subject: RE: Blunt end autoharp
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Jul 26 - 04:51 PM

The duet concertina can be plyed one side only you can turn the treble side to the left and play melodies. sonny terry used to play harmonica upside down, i do not mean standing on his head but i mean, not in the conventional way with bass notes to the left

Subject: RE: Blunt end autoharp
From: Helen
Date: 25 Jul 26 - 05:30 PM

The man who made my Celtic harp also made other instruments including lap or lap dulcimers. He played one of those, even though he had lost the tip of one - or maybe more - of the fingers on one hand in a workplace accident.

A video of "Wildwood Flower" played by Stephen Seifert

Subject: RE: Blunt end autoharp
From: Helen
Date: 25 Jul 26 - 05:36 PM

Or you could play the pan flute.

Sorry. I just saw that video listed next to the dulcimer video and watched it.

Wow! Just WOW!!!

Subject: RE: Blunt end autoharp
From: Jack Campin
Date: 25 Jul 26 - 09:00 PM

I haven't got to the point of giving up on my right hand yet - if I did I'd sell off my two handed instruments and get an accordina from Marcel Dreux. There are a bunch of exclusively one handed instruments which I am not looking at; I'm looking at instruments that don't make heavy demands of the right hand but where it can maybe contribute.

Blunt-end autoharp is one like that - I can get some sort of result with very basic strumming patterns. So who currently does that?

Meanwhile - I can play the tilinko with no problem. Others you might think would work, don't - my washboard technique needs both hands in an essential way, and scallop shells even more so.

There have to be videos of Rosen type autoharps being played in the way they were originally intended, surely? I wouldn't want to play in the sharp-end style even if I could.

Subject: RE: Blunt end autoharp
From: The Sandman
Date: 26 Jul 26 - 02:58 AM

I dont know if this is the best advice ,but if you want to strengthen your fingers you can try a grop master or try doing piano finger exercises on thevtable with your fingers, hope that helps

Subject: RE: Blunt end autoharp
From: The Sandman
Date: 26 Jul 26 - 03:40 AM

grip master, not gropmaster

Subject: RE: Blunt end autoharp
From: Jack Campin
Date: 26 Jul 26 - 05:06 AM

This is one of the few examples of as-designed autoharp playing I can find:

https://youtu.be/-n3Ox_ATQTM

I could do that.

Maybelle Carter has a lot to answer for.

Presumably the original repertoire c.1900 was hymns and popular songs of the time. I'd have expected it to survive as a niche in Christian music.

Subject: RE: Blunt end autoharp
From: Jack Campin
Date: 26 Jul 26 - 05:16 AM

And another one. Using that many chord bars seems over the top for that style, I'd rather stick to 6 as on the one I've got.

https://youtu.be/e6SFvtjR75g