Mel Bay A Treasury of Favorite Songs for Autoharp: Guitar, Ukulele, Mandolin, Banjo, and Keyboard [Paperback]

Meg Peterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2003

The songs and ballads in this book include a rich selection of favorite American folk songs, patriotic songs, sentimental songs from the past, and songs from other lands. They have been arranged in the keys that are most suitable for singing, and can be played in a variety of styles using only the words and the accompanying chords. In cases where there are two versions of a particular tune, both have been included. If one version is not well known, however, the most widely used melody is selected.

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: 48 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (July 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786670037
• ISBN-13: 978-0786670031
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.3 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,355,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, August 1, 2007

By 

catmusicgirl "catmusicgirl" (St. Louis, Missouri) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mel Bay A Treasury of Favorite Songs for Autoharp: Guitar, Ukulele, Mandolin, Banjo, and Keyboard (Paperback)

I received this book today. I am very disappointed in it. There is NO music, melody lines, or distinction between the chording on the various instruments listed on the cover: autoharp, guitar, ukelel, mandolin, banjo and keyboard.
The entire book is merely song lyrics with chord symbols above the words. There is no way to know the melodies of the songs included.
Don't waste your money on this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for my purposes, April 14, 2008

By 

T. Duncan (Pensacola, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Bay A Treasury of Favorite Songs for Autoharp: Guitar, Ukulele, Mandolin, Banjo, and Keyboard (Paperback)

I bought this as a beginner book for my new autoharp, so I think it's a perfect learning tool for me at least. If more words are needed, a simple search on the internet will find them usually. The chords are pretty much universal.