Comments on: Spinster aunt recommends non-sucky blog

By: Jill

Jill — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:12:14 +0000

It turns out I am an absolute genius at the autoharp. When I play my “The Eyes of Texas”/”We Shall Overcome” medley, the furry woodland creatures all gather round and bluebirds flit about my head.

It has been suggested that the furry woodland creatures are actually trying to figure out how to kill me, and that the bluebirds would peck my eyes out if the din wasn’t so deafening, but people who say this are just jealous!

By: DN

DN — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:18:08 +0000

Magriff and Figleaf and thebewilderness, I wish I’d had your advice when I somehow acquired an autoharp around 1962.I already knew about chords from playing piano and the basic idea that each button created a particular chord was pretty clear. But tuning was a mystery, and there weren’t electronic tuning thingies then; I got hold of a tuning hammer from a piano technician and tried to tune the thing by ear, with lease-breaking results. Somehow it did end up more or less in tune and I started figuring out that you pick a melody with your 2nd and 3rd finger–did I try a mandolin pick at some point, and did it work? it’s all a blur–while strumming the chords with your thumb. (You can only play melody notes that are part of the chord you’re playing–the others are damped. This is a great help in avoiding harsh dissonances, if that’s what you want, or creating them, if you’re sort of into a Charles Ives thing. An instrument of more versatility than immediately appears. Mother Maybelle Carter I think was the first to record using this nelody-picking technique. It can be a pretty rich, full sound, not a substitute for a string band but a lot better than no strings at all, and easier to learn than guitar or mandolin or banjo or fiddle. YouTube instructional videos have to be out there–evertything else is.

By: sonia

sonia — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:23:06 +0000

the funniest thing about the Mike Duvall story, or whatever his name is, is that you don’t even have to get feminist on that ass. there’s so much to say before you even get close to trashing his sexism.

like “idiot,” “couldn’t get me wet with a hurricane,” and “really? eye patches?”

By: rootlesscosmo

rootlesscosmo — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:58:37 +0000

half of the felt-covered “pedals” (sorry, don’t know terminology) had rotted away. I am referring to the parts of the autoharp that are connected to the buttons, i.e. press “Am” and the pedals will press on the corresponding strings to produce an A-minor chord when the ‘harp is strummed.

On a piano those felt things are dampers. The default condition of the strings is “un-damped”–if you hit or pluck them, they make a sound–so striking a key lifts the damper of that key’s strings; it sounds until you release the key, which damps the string and cuts the sound off. (Pushing down the damper pedal–the one on the right–lifts all the dampers at once, so any key or combination of keys you strike will go on making a sound until the vibration quits.) The autoharp plays chords by lifting the dampers from the strings that make up a particular chord, A minor or whatever, leaving the rest undamped and silent. (If you strum without pushing any buttons down, all the strings sound at once.)

By: polly styrene

polly styrene — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:08:38 +0000

“Fanny is British slang for vagina”.

Indeed it is, so unwary US tourists to Eng-er-land should not refer to ‘fanny packs’ or the like, or the natives may burst into fits of laughter.

By: noshoes

noshoes — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:10:58 +0000

Autoharps rock! Just beware that all the “pedals” are in place and not broken off. Crazy hippie dude tried to sell me an autoharp a few years ago and I spent three hours getting the damn thing in tune before I realized that half of the felt-covered “pedals” (sorry, don’t know terminology) had rotted away. I am referring to the parts of the autoharp that are connected to the buttons, i.e. press “Am” and the pedals will press on the corresponding strings to produce an A-minor chord when the ‘harp is strummed. Or not, if a crazy hippie dude is selling you a severely damaged ‘harp.

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 04:35:39 +0000

I’m excited to know how it goes with the autoharp–I’ve had a hankering to get one for a little while now thanks to the week I spent in Appalachia this summer.

By: rootlesscosmo

rootlesscosmo — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:53:45 +0000

By: Jezebella

Jezebella — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:26:23 +0000

Oh, lulu! You said “snarkerati”. *snort*

By: e

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:57:10 +0000

there was another (the same?) of these realfeminstos over on blogher a week or so ago, along with the lively discussion he engendered. i’d go find the link, but i’ve already been spanked enough that i’m skeert: go search blogher yerownsef if interested :)