Mel Bay You Can Teach Yourself Autoharp [Paperback]

Meg Peterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1994

A step-by-step, self-instruction method. Includes care of the autoharp, playing positions, chord changes, back-up strums, arpeggio strums, melody picking, rhythm picking, and much more! Each song teaches something new and each strum pattern is built on the previous one. When you have practiced each selection and perfected each strum, you will have the necessary foundation to go on to more advanced styles and more intricate picking. The songs in the book are arranged for the 15-chord instrument, since it is the most popular for beginning students.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Meg Peterson is the premier Autoharp teacher in the U. S. She has introduced thousands of people-- teachers, students, young and old-- to the delights of this versatile instrument. She has spent the last thirty years collecting and transcribing traditional and innovative ways to play the autoharp, which has resulted in the writing and arranging of thirty books. In her first method book, written in 1965, she introduced her own scoring tablature that has become universal to all autoharp pickers, from beginners to advanced players. Since the autoharp arrived on the musical scene relatively recently, as musical history goes, very few people had learned to do anything with it, except push buttons and stroke. Meg, therefore, invented many of the strums and new techniques shown in her books, using existing guitar and banjo patterns as guidelines, and transcribed them in a way that is playable on the autoharp. As a result, the autoharp has come into its own as an integral! and respected part of country and bluegrass combos. Meg has travelled widely, giving workshops as far away as Australia, England, and South Africa, and has been a judge at the Walnut Valley Festial in Winfield, Kansas. In July 1995 Meg was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame "for her exceptional contribution to the autoharp community." Meg is also a violinist and was educational director of Oscal Schmidt International for 15 years. During that time she worked extensively with music educators, classroom teachers, music therapists and special educators, showing them how to use the autoharp in their teaching programs. Ms. Peterson also served as executive director of Music Education for the Handicapped for six years, during which time she ran three international symposia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786600179
• ISBN-13: 978-0786600175
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Excellent, January 11, 2007

By 

Music lover (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bay You Can Teach Yourself Autoharp (Paperback)

You can be a true novice and learn to play the autoharp with this book. The descriptions and explainations are clear limiting any frustration. It takes you as far as you want to go.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, February 12, 2007

By 

Kelly Lambert "Kelly" (Traverse City, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Bay You Can Teach Yourself Autoharp (Paperback)

As an absolute beginning Autoharp player this is a great book to start with. Many of the songs are old favorites, as this helps as you will know how they are supposed to sound but other songs may be unfamiliar. The different strumming techniques are presented,practiced and then applied to various songs. You can learn to play the songs simply and then apply advanced strums. This book would be an excellent choice to start with and has enough material to built upon to develop your skills.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for beginners or experienced musicians, August 9, 2009

By 

Nancy A. Warren (usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Bay You Can Teach Yourself Autoharp (Paperback)

I have been playing music for over 20 years and I decided to take up the autoharp for school instruction. This book goes over different strumming styles, melody picking, and is full of great tunes. I was pleased with it. They explain in detail what to do and how to do it, and even give great examples of styles such as calypso! This is where I learned "Wildwood Flower".