*tsk*..katmelove, Rita plays only the Zither...which is maybe 4 times as hard as playing an autoharp...which is why, I, her clever husband, restrict myself to the "Mickey Mouse chord changer" as I have heard the autoharp called.
The basic point, for Amber, is that it is easy to get started on a decent autoharp, but serious melody playing requires some work. Tuning is 1st challenge, and a digital tuner is standard equipment these days.

Amber...being in the US, I am not familiar with that brand, but do check to see that chord bars move up & down smoothly with minimal travel, so that the felt meets the strings cleanly each time..(no wobbling end to end)...also, that the felt itself doesn't seem TOO soft and likely to develop deep grooves that allow 'buzzing'.

The wrench provided should fit snugly around the tuning pegs, for ease in fine movements. Tuning is a pain when the tuning wrench slips.

Whether you hold it to the body, or play it on a table or your lap is personal choice, though holding it up is much easier when doing fanck picking...for most people. You WILL get tired places in wrists at first until you adapt it to your posture and size.

DO try several types of picks....metal banjo types are the hardest to learn, but some pros use them a lot....I prefer plastic...or a bent wire gadget used for Sitars, called Mizrab...which allows strumming in both directions, but is hard to adjust to the fingers.

If possible, MEET someone who plays one and watch and ask some questions....it can save lots of confusion.

and ask more here when you get an instrument.