ist
.co
m
arp
toh
Jo Ann Smith ~ autoharpist.com
©J
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Au
The Unified Chord
Bar Arrangement
Optimize your Chord Bar
Layout for Easier Learning
and Consistency from Key to
Key.
toh
The first two rows offer an excellent
selection of basic chords in several
common keys, and they are arranged
in a logical pattern. However, the
third row has room for improvement.
Eb
Bb
F7
Ab
F
C7
C
G7
Bb7 Cm
G
D7
D
A7
Gm Dm
A
E7
Am
B7
Em
This lesson offers an alternative to the chord selection and chord arrangement in
the third row, along with rationale. Along the way, you’ll learn some very basic
theory concepts that you’ll find very useful along your musical journey.
©J
❖
oA
nn
Sm
ith
❖
This diagram illustrates the chord
selection and arrangement found on
standard Oscar Schmidt 21-chord
autoharps.
Au
❖
arp
ist
.co
m
Standard OS 21 Layout
ist
.co
m
Basic Chord Theory for Autoharp
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Au
toh
arp
The chord bars on the autoharp are arranged according to the “circle of
fifths”. Notice that each one of the major chords in the first row of chords
is five steps up the scale from the previous one. For instance, if you count
the C major chord as ‘1’, and count up five steps, the next chord in line is
G. Five steps up from G is D. Five steps up from D is A, etc. All of the
chords in the first row (the major chords) are arranged this way.
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B
1 2
3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1
©J
❖
2 3 4 5
Eb
Bb
F7
F
C7
Ab
C
G7
Bb7 Cm
G
D7
D
A7
Gm Dm
A
E7
Am
B7
Em
ist
.co
m
In order to play the vast majority of songs or tunes, you will need three chords: The 1 chord, the 4 chord, and the 5 chord. Don’t worry about why - that’s something
you can research at length if you’re curious. For the scope of this lesson, just remember
this: The key of the tune is always 1, and you will (almost) always start and end the
tune on this chord. The ‘4’ and the ‘5’ are steps counted UP the scale from 1.
arp
❖
Au
toh
Let’s assume you want to play a tune in the key of C. Obviously, you’ll need your C
chord, because the key is C. Therefore, the C chord is 1. Count up 4 steps from C, and
you’ll find F. F is 4. Count up one more step and you will come to G. G is 5. Therefore (in the key of C), 1 4 5 = C F G.
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Now look at the autoharp layout. Wow! All three chords are right next to each other.
How convenient!
4
1
5
C D E F G
1 2
3 4
Eb
Bb
F7
F
C7
C
G7
G
D7
D
A7
A
E7
B7
5
©J
❖
Ab
Bb7 Cm
Gm Dm
Am
Em
ist
.co
m
Now let’s assume we want to play a tune in the key of G. You’ll need G, which
is the ‘1’ chord. You need the ‘5’ chord which is D , and the ‘4’ chord, which is
C. Look at your autoharp, and there’s the WOW factor again. All three chords
are right next to each other.
❖
Try this with any three adjacent buttons in the first row. No matter which three
you pick, the button in the middle is the key of the tune, and you will have the
three major chords needed to play in that particular key. As you can see, this
setup will allow you to play major-scale tunes in the keys of Bb, F, C, G and D.
(What about the keys of Eb and A? We’ll get to that in a minute.)
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Au
toh
arp
❖
Eb
Bb
F7
F
C7
4
1
5
C
G
D
G7
D7
A7
A
E7
B7
C D E F G A B C D E
©J
1 2 3 4
5
Ab
Bb7 Cm
Gm
Dm
Am
Em
ist
.co
m
5
ith
1
Au
toh
arp
In the first row of buttons, you have the all three major chords
you’ll need to play in every key from Bb all the way down to D, all
conveniently placed right next to each other. Can you play
something in the key of A? Maybe. You have the 1 and the 4, but
not the 5. You’d need E - but you do have E7, which might work.
Can you play in Eb? Yes, you have the 1 and the 5…but look
where the Ab (4) chord is placed. Do-able, but not convenient.
Bb
F
C
Sm
Eb
C7
oA
nn
F7
Ab
©J
❖
4
G7
Bb7 Cm
G
D7
4
1
D
A
A7
Gm
Dm
E7
Am
5
B7
Em
ist
.co
m
The Sevenths
Now that we’ve learned about the first row containing the major chords, let’s take a
look at the middle row. The middle row contains the dominant 7th chords commonly
used for each key, and they are arranged in ‘fifths’ just like the first row.
❖
The main difference between the major chords and the 7th chords is this: The major
chords in the first row have three notes each, and the 7th chords have four. The major
chord contains the first, third and fifth note of the scale, so C major contains the notes C,
E and G. If you add the FLATTED seventh note (Bb) to that major chord, you get C7.
❖
The formula for any dominant 7th chord is 1, 3, 5 and 7(flat). If you don’t flat the 7th
note, you end up with a Major 7th. But that’s another lesson!
Sm
ith
Au
toh
arp
❖
oA
nn
7b
Major Chords have 3 notes
B
b
(1,3,5)
©J
C Major = C,E,G
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B
1
3
5
Dominant 7th Chords have 4 notes
(1,3,5, 7b)
C7 = C,E,G,Bb
ist
.co
m
The two 7th chords the player would typically use for a specific key are
the 5 and the 2. Using the key of C again, the player would need major
chords F, C and G (1,4,5) to play a tune in the key of C. The seventh
chords typically used in the key of C are G7 and D7 (5,2). Look at your
autoharp again. The G7 and D7 are right below the F, C and G.
❖
The benefit of having all your most-needed chords clustered in a small
area within easy reach is obvious.
❖
The pattern remains constant, no matter which key the player chooses.
Au
toh
arp
❖
C
G
5
2
C7
G7
D7
Ab Bb7 Cm
D
A
A7
E7
B7
Gm Dm Am
©J
F7
F
5
Sm
Bb
1
oA
nn
Eb
4
Key of G
ith
Key of C
Eb
Bb
F7
Em
C7
F
G7
4
1
5
C
G
D
5
2
D7
A7
Ab Bb7 Cm
A
E7
Gm Dm Am
B7
Em
arp
ist
.co
m
Basic Autoharp Theory Summary
The reason these three adjacent major chords and 7th chords work so
well together is that they contain only notes that are found in a
particular key.
❖
Using the key of C again as an example, we know that the key of C
has no sharps or flats. If you look at the notes found in each of the
chords used in the key of C, they contain only these notes:
C,D,E,F,G,A and B. The D7 chord is the only exception, because it
contains an F# - but it is a great transition chord that is often used in
the key of C.
❖
Having these chords arranged in a way that maximizes convenience
makes chording easier and more consistent from key to key.
©J
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Au
toh
❖
ist
.co
m
The Minors
The third row of the chord bar assembly contains mostly minor chords.
❖
As with the major and 7th chords, the minor chords are arranged in the
‘circle of fifths’ discussed earlier.
❖
However - notice that the third row begins with a major chord (Ab)
and is followed by a 7th (Bb7). The minor chords then follow,
beginning with C minor on the third button.
Sm
ith
Au
toh
arp
❖
Bb
F
oA
nn
Eb
©J
F7
C7
C
G7
G
D7
Ab Bb7 Cm
D
A7
Gm Dm
A
E7
B7
Am
Em
ist
.co
m
Using the key of C again as an example, there are three minor
chords used in the key of C: Dm, Em and Am. They contain
only notes in the C scale - no sharps or flats.
❖
Remember we determined that you needed 1, 4 and 5 for the
major chords? Well, you need 2, 3 and 6 for the minor chords.
If you count it out again, you’ll find that in the key of C, D is
2, E is 3, and A is 6. Therefore, you’ll need Dm, Em and Am.
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Au
toh
arp
❖
C D E
F
G
A
B C
1
4
5
6
7
©J
2
3
4
1
5
ist
.co
m
F
C
G
D
Bb
C7
D7
Bb7
Cm
oA
nn
Sm
Ab
G7
A7
ith
F7
A
2
Au
5
toh
Eb
arp
Look where the minors are for the key of C.
Gm
E7
B7
Dm
Am
2
3
Em
6
©J
Uh, oh. This doesn’t seem logical. Why are the minors so far out of reach?
arp
ist
.co
m
Parallel vs. Relative Minors
The original OS arrangement places the parallel minor chord in
proximity to its major. In other words, C minor is directly below
C major, G minor is directly below G major, etc. While this may
seem logical, in reality the parallel minor is very rarely used in
conjunction with its parallel major. The reason is that the parallel
minor is based on an entirely different scale - a minor scale based
on a different set of notes. As a result, they don’t relate well
together.
❖
The relative minor chord, on the other hand, is a much better
choice to have in close proximity because it’s composed of notes
from the same scale as its major. (Are you confused yet?)
©J
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Au
toh
❖
ist
.co
m
Okay, so what does relative minor mean? It means that the
relative minor chord for the key of C is made up of the
same stuff (notes) you find in the key of C. No sharps or
flats. The minor scale that fits that description is A minor.
The A minor scale has no sharps or flats — so the two
scales can relate. They’re on the same level and speak the
same language. In other words, they get along great.
❖
The easiest way to find the relative minor of a major scale
or key is to count up to the 6th note of that major scale.
Thus, the relative minor for the key of C major is A minor.
The key of F? D minor. The key of G? E minor. The key of
D? B minor.
©J
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Au
toh
arp
❖
ist
.co
m
The logical next step would be to come up with a chord
bar arrangement for the third row that puts the
RELATIVE minor within easy reach of its major key.
❖
It would also be very cool if the minor row followed the
same “Circle of Fifths” pattern we have in both the first
and second rows (majors and sevenths).
Sm
ith
Au
toh
arp
❖
©J
oA
nn
Drumroll please…
ist
.co
m
arp
A Better Way: The Unified Arrangement
F
C
F7
C7
G7
G
D7
Au
Original Arrangement:
Bb
toh
Eb
Bb7 Cm
A7
A
E7
B7
Gm
Dm
Am
G
D
A
Em
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Ab
D
©J
Unified Arrangement:
Eb
Bb
F7
F
C7
Gm
C
G7
Dm
D7
Am
A7
Em
E7
B7
Bm F#m C#m
arp
ist
.co
m
The Unified Arrangement
The UNIFIED chord bar arrangement puts the relative minor
chord in the third row, directly below its relative major chord. By
arranging the chord bars in this way, all of the chords needed to
play the vast majority of songs and tunes are in close proximity to
each other.
❖
The arrangement is the same for each key, so the player can
switch from one key to the next with no change in fingering.
❖
Transposing to a different key involves nothing more than
moving up or down one or two buttons on the first row, and
proceeding to use the same chording (fingering) pattern as before.
©J
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Au
toh
❖
ist
.co
m
In order to put the relative minor chords in in close proximity
to their relative major keys, the following changes were made:
Bb7 Cm
Am
Em
Gm
These four chords
were moved to the left
Dm
Am
Em
Bm F#m C#m
These three chords
were added
ith
These three chords
were eliminated
Gm Dm
Au
Ab
toh
arp
❖
The result is a UNIFIED chord bar arrangement that places the
necessary major, seventh and minor chords in close proximity to
each other for easy access.
❖
The chord arrangement is IDENTICAL in every key. Look at the
following examples:
©J
oA
nn
Sm
❖
ist
.co
m
The Unified Arrangement
C7
C
G7
G
D7
Gm Dm Am
D
A7
E7
Sm
C
G
D
C7
G7
D7
Gm Dm Am
A7
A
E7
B7
Em Bm F#m C#m
©J
F7
F
B7
oA
nn
Bb
Eb
Bb
F7
Em Bm F#m C#m
Key of G (Em)
Eb
A
F
toh
F7
F
Au
Bb
C7
C
G7
G
D7
Gm Dm Am
ith
Eb
Key of C (Am)
arp
Key of F (Dm)
D
A7
A
E7
B7
Em Bm F#m C#m
Key of D (Bm)
Eb
Bb
F7
C7
F
C
G7
G
D7
Gm Dm Am
D
A7
A
E7
B7
Em Bm F#m C#m
F7
C
G7
G
D7
Gm Dm Am
D
A7
A
E7
Eb
B7
Bb
F7
Em Bm F#m C#m
C7
F
C
G7
G
D7
Gm Dm Am
D
A7
E
A
E7
B7
Em Bm F#m C#m
Au
Cm
C7
F
arp
Bb
Key of A (F#m)
toh
Eb
ist
.co
m
Key of Bb (Gm)
Sm
ith
The key of Bb is supported for the most part, but is missing C minor. In practical
use, this would not preclude playing a tune in the key of Bb. Even if the tune does
include minor chords, the odds are very good that the minor chords needed would
be G minor and D minor. A straight major tune in Bb would be no problem.
©J
oA
nn
The key of A can be played with very little issue, even though it is missing E major.
The reason? An E7 chord can be used in place of the E major chord in most
instances. There will be occasions where the E7 doesn’t quite fit, particularly in
solo situations, but if it comes down to playing along or not playing along on a
fiddle tune in the key of A, you can bet I will use the E7 rather than sit out.
arp
ist
.co
m
“Having it All”
Most chromatic autoharps are capable of playing reasonably well in
approximately 4 keys. The chord bars that reside at the extremes (the upper
and lower ends of the chord bar assembly) typically have problems
damping the strings completely or will generate harmonics. Harmonics
tend to be worse on chord bars that are closest to the sound hole.
❖
Most players typically discover that they end up playing tunes and songs in
2 or 3 keys at the most and utilize the other keys rarely, if at all. Key ranges
typically fall into two camps: The keys of F, C and G or the keys of G, D
and A. The former being good for vocals, and the latter for instrumentals.
❖
A good chromatic autoharp should cover all of these keys as completely as
possible. The Unified Arrangement accomplishes this goal.
©J
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Au
toh
❖
F
Bb
C
G
C7
G7
D7
Sm
F7
Dm
oA
nn
Gm
Am
A7
Em
E7
Bm
A
B7
E
F#7
F#m C#m
G#m
The only change was to shift all of the chords to the left by one step in the
“circle of fifths”. This removed Eb, F7 and Gm. At the other end, we
added E, F#7 and G#m. Now the keys of F through A are fully supported.
©J
❖
D
Au
Eb
toh
arp
If the key of Bb isn’t high on your priority list, you might consider
the following arrangement which gives full support for the key of A
(a popular key with fiddle players):
ith
❖
ist
.co
m
Alternative Arrangement
ist
.co
m
The Unified Arrangement - with Custom Bars
Dm
D7
D
A
Am
E
A7
E7
Em
Bm
F#m
B7
F#7
C#m
G#m
oA
nn
Sm
Gm
G7
G
Au
C7
C
toh
F
ith
Bb
arp
(Author-preferred)
©J
If a CUSTOM set of chord bars is in your future, give serious consideration to this
modification. By moving the G# minor chord bar to the first position in the minor row
and changing the felt to voice G minor, you now have full and complete support for
keys F, C, G, D and A. A custom chord bar set is not constrained by a cover, and allows
this type of flexibility.
arp
ist
.co
m
Specialized Arrangements
In the brief history of the autoharp, many players have taken the
original chord bar arrangement and modified it to suit their particular
needs and tastes in music.
❖
A player who prefers Jazz, Big Band, Ragtime or other types of highly
chromatic music may opt for an arrangement that makes room for
specialized chords, such as diminished 7ths. A player who plays
hymns may wish to include some suspended 4ths.
❖
The individual player will ultimately decide what works best for
him/her. The goal of this lesson is simply to offer a logical, consistent
chord bar arrangement that (in the author’s opinion) is superior to the
original and meets the needs of the vast majority of autoharp players.
©J
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Au
toh
❖
ist
.co
m
Gotcha Covered!
G7
D7
Am
A7
Em
A
E7
toh
D
E
B7
E
F#7
Bm F#m C#m G#m
oA
nn
Dm
G
Covers keys F, C, G, D, and A,
with strong support for E.
©J
B
Gb
Db
Ab
Eb
Au
C7
C
ith
F
Sm
Bb
Unified Chromatic II
(flat keys)
arp
Unified Chromatic I
(natural keys)
Gb7 Db7 Ab7 Eb7 Bb7
G#m Ebm Bbm Fm
Cm
Bb
F7
C7
Gm
Dm
Covers keys B, Gb, Db, Ab, and
Eb, with strong support for Bb.
arp
ist
.co
m
Final Thoughts
The ultimate goal of any revisions to the autoharp is to
make the instrument easier to play.
❖
The Unified Arrangement accomplishes this by grouping
chords according to key. This results in a fingering
pattern for the chording hand that is identical from key
to key, no matter which key the player chooses.
❖
For further information, questions or comments, please
visit http://autoharpist.com
©J
oA
nn
Sm
ith
Au
toh
❖