Autoharp
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The autoharp is a zither-like musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers which, when depressed, mute all the strings other than those that form the desired chord. With the initial "a" capitalized, it is a registered trademark of the Oscar Schmidt Company.
Autoharps were first produced in Germany in 1890. They have been commonly used in the United States as bluegrass and folk instruments. They are known for their short learning curve.
There is debate over the originality of the autoharp. A man by the name of Charles F. Zimmermann is said to have patented a design for improvements on the traditional harp that included pulling mechanisms for muting certain strings during play. He coined his invention the "autoharp." It is not known if he ever produced any of these instruments. Somehow he obtained plans for an instrument made by Christian August Gutter of Markneukirchen, Germany who had built a model that he called a "Volkszither" which most resembles the autoharp played today. Zimmermann brought the idea back to Philadelphia, PA and began production of the Gutter design with his own design patent number and catchy name. Gutter's instrument became very popular and Zimmermann has often been mistaken as the inventor.
Modern autoharps have more strings, up to 36 and come in diatonic and chromatic scales. Although the autoharp is considered a rhythm instrument, the melody has been included simultaneously and produces a new dimension to its usefulness.