How To Convert an Autoharp into a Flow Harp

On this page, you will learn how to convert an Autoharp into a celestial-sounding Flow Harp for meditation, healing, and musical magic.

About Flow Harps

Check out my Rasa Harp at Black Mountain page to hear one of my tunings and read about my personal history with these celestial harps.

Here is a video introduction and example of the instrument, as presented by Laraaji, who was divinely inspired to this concept in the 1970s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzt44XYoyJY 

Flow Harp Options

Before you get started, you might want to check out your options to purchase a harp that’s ready to play. Here are some websites that sell similar instruments that are tuned to sound amazing even if you have never played music before.

• Reverie Harps: https://www.harpkit.com/reverie-harp-models There is a sweet online version of this harp if you want to give it a try! https://www.harpkit.com/virtual-reverie-harp

• Therapy Harps: Barbie Edwards tunings are different from mine but similarly celestial. We have tapped into similar creative stream of harp tuning! https://www.therapyharps.com/. Also available on Ashana’s website: https://www.soundofashana.com/therapy-harps

• Flow Harps: Contact me to learn about the instruments and tunings I have for sale (less expensive than those above).

• Do-It-Yourself Autoharp Conversion: It takes some work, but read on to find a (hopefully) more affordable way to go.

Instructions

Step 1 - Get an Autoharp

Get an autoharp. You can buy one new, or save some money and find a used one on eBay or elsewhere. Plan to spend about $200 for the instrument and shipping.

• If you get a new one, you might want to get one with 36 strings so that you can follow the tuning included here. But any many-stringed instrument could be modified with this same principle.  

• If you get a used one, it's great if the chord bars are broken or not working because you'll get "broken autoharp pricing" but you'll be removing the broken part anyway. The tuning pegs should be stable and hold a tune. It’s best to get an instrument with all the strings in tact. The body of the instrument might show some wear, but you want it to be in good shape, too.

• You will need to buy a tuning wrench (maybe they call it a “key”).  If you don't know about tuning a guitar or something similar, you might want to ask the person at the music store to look at the tuning instructions and give you some advice. Or get a musician friend to help you.  

• You will need a “chromatic” tuner that can tell you what note is sounding no matter what note is playing. You can get a smartphone app, or a physical one like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Korg-CA1-Chromatic%20Tuner/dp/B002PMHAVS?th=1  

3. Remove the mechanism from the autoharp.  

• You will need a screwdriver, and it usually just involves unscrewing  4 screws and taking the mechanism off.

• You can watch the first 5:30 minutes of this video to see an example of someone removing the mechanism — but she’s doing a different project, so don’t remove the strings! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWIXTVGrbPk  

• It is important that you leave on the black and white strip that looks like a piano keyboard. That strip will help if you decide to experiment with your own tunings since they show what note each string was designed to be tuned to. If you tune to a note much higher the string will break. If you tune it too much lower, it will be too loose.  

4. Tune the strings. See the tuning chart that follows. Tuning is pretty straightforward, but takes some getting used to. Starting with the top (shortest) string, tune as indicated for each string down the line until you get the bottom, 36th string.  

• If you don’t know how to tune a string, watch the video on this page for instructions about tuning a similar instrument: http://www.harpkit.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&St ore_Code=MK&Category_Code=revtune  

b. For Musicians: The basic idea of this open tuning is to tune the strings so they sound harmonious together no matter what you do. The easy way to do this is to tune the entire autoharp to play one simple chord. To accomplish this you can tune a bunch of strings in a row to the same note, with each note corresponding to a note in a specific chord.

For example, you might tune the first three or four strings to a G note, and then the next 2-5 strings to an E, and the next few to a C, the next few to the lower G, etc. Having the same note repeating right next to itself is what gives the instrument that cool echo-y sound. If you don't understand this paragraph, you don't need to unless you want to experiment with your own tunings.  

c. Other Tunings: If after creating your healing zither you would like  more information about tunings, please contact me. Musicians will  find alternative tuning ideas that can be modified for the autoharp zither at this link:  

http://www.harpkit.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&St ore_Code=MK&Category_Code=revtune.  

5. Now you’re done! And ready to play.

Open Tuning Chart: F Minor with Scale at Top  

About this tuning:

This is the tuning I was shown when I first learned about the zither from Jill Mellick  (who learned about it from Laraji). I consider it the “standard” tuning pattern, which includes a melodic scale at the top few strings followed by an echoing chord repeated underneath.  

Tune each string to the note indicated in the chart below. String 1 is the highest note, the shortest string. String 36 is the lowest note, the longest string.

1 C  

2 Bb 

3 G# 

4 G  

5 F  

6 F  

7 F  

8 F  

9 C  

10 C 

11 C 

12 C 

13 C 

14 G#  

15 G# 

16 G# 

17 G# 

18 F 

19 F  

20 F  

21 C  

22 C  

23 C  

24 C  

25 C  

26 G#  

27 G#  

28 F  

29 F  

30 F  

31 C  

32 C  

33 G#  

34 G#  

35 F  

36 F  

© 2008-2024 by Maja Apolonia Rode.