I've always loved this song. Powerful message. We really don't have anything to worry about. God watches the little sparrows, lest they should fall, so He's watching over us.
My grandma got an Autoharp a year and a half ago or so and 2 days after my divorce a year ago next month I got to go see grandma in Florida and I saw it. She even played it for me. She's learning to play it as well. She also play the home organ. I had my guitar with me and I played with her on both organ and Autoharp. What fun it was.
A very beautiful performance of this piece Jo Ann. Your sensitive phrasing and dynamics show the great potential of the fine art of autoharp playing. Thank you.
Hello JoAnne! FANTASTIC version of this song! I heard you play a several years ago on UA-cam- so I always come back and listen to it again it’s so beautiful and one of my favorite Christian songs. I love it. a very good singing version, is Tammy Faye version…… when it comes to auto harps, you have this song hands-down, as best!!! ❤🎉😊
I feel like anyone can play an autoharp. You strum and press a key and at the very least you have a chord. HOWEVER you make it sound so beautiful, while making it look so easy - but I know the strumming is a learned skill. I haven’t played in over 30 years and my new harp comes tomorrow I can’t wait. I am going to study you. Your music is SO BEAUTIFUL. I’m only sad my mom’s no longer alive as she really wanted me to go back to playing. Thank you for your channel!
I love all your autoharp videos but this one is my favorite. I have been thinking about buying an autoharp for a while and when I saw your video about moving the minor chord bars I realized I could set it up any way I wanted to so I bought one five days ago. Along with moving the minor chord bars I flip-flopped all the chord bars so that (for instance) when my index finger is over the G, my ring middle finger is over the C and my ring finger is over the F. That is how it is on the Qchord which I have played for several years. Having also played ukulele for many years I can "hear" chord changes coming and I am doing quite well on strumming the autoharp to sing with. I've got a long, long way to go on hitting the right string when picking out a melody. I will be following you and watching all your videos on UA-cam. Thank you for being a part of my decision.
Jo Ann when I first saw your videos of you playing amazing grace and wonderful counselor among other songs, I had to subscribe to you. You did fabulous on this one. You've inspired me to someday go out and buy an Autoharp. If we met in person we'd play together. Keep up the blessings god gave you. God bless you. Billy
Yes, autoharps can be a pain to tune -- but the more you do it the easier it gets. They are usually pretty stable, so if you tune regularly you can do a quick brush-up tuning in 5 minutes.
@@autoharpist oh definitely I think I'm down to about that time on a fine tuning by now, still to long for me because I'm lazy! Have you ever heard of autoharps exploding because there is so much tension and pressure built up by all the strings! I'm a hypochondriac and I'm always worried I'm going to tune G# to an F and have to go to the emergency room!
There is a lot of tension - about a ton, actually - but the frame is made of laminated pin block, about 2 inches thick. That’s one of the reasons the autoharp is as heavy as it is. The top is braced as well, and the main reason that they don’t have much volume. I know somebody who accidentally backed over his autoharp with a truck, and it was fine - so don’t worry! :)
@@autoharpist haha ok thanks for the reassurance! Do you have any recommendations as far as picking goes. I have some finger picks but I feel more comfortable using a small guitar pick for my index fingers and I have been letting my right middle and ring finger nails grow out.
My best advice is to do what feels comfortable and gives you the sound you’re looking for. Try a lot of different things; what works for one may not work for another. It’s an evolution process. I went through a lot of different picks and playing styles before settling on what I’m doing now.
Lovely music. Do you know of anyone who would make an auto harp so that it has a lower register...i.e. say, making it bigger? Or different string array?
I don’t know of anyone who is producing a “bass autoharp” today. A gentleman named Frank Baker (who is no longer with us) used to make a bass model. I don’t know how many he actually made. You might want to pose the question to the Facebook Autoharp group; a number of members knew Frank and might have some insight about his design.
Amazing can you come to play at our hymn sing at Boca raton community church in January On Sunday night we have a full music group to back you up I love it please let us know
I love your playing and your videos. I would so much like to watch the left hand at work, too, though, and many of your videos don't show that. Would you consider pulling back camera-wise just a bit so that we can see the coordination of the whole two-handed show? Thanks for your beautiful music-making, regardless! :D
I listened to some professional autoharpist and they get it to almost sound like a harp. I had to write to my sister in law. She is a professional harpist.
I completely new to autoharp. I bought a used 1970s Oscar Schmidt 15bh model (15 buttons), and it seems to have all strange notes. I cannot seem to even begin to pick out a melody at all. Im experienced with several stringed instruments, so I see where i could play melodies pretty easy if i had the right notes. Do you have any advice for me?
Each of the 36 strings should be tuned to the note that is printed on the body near each tuning pin. The chord bars work by muting all of the strings except the specific notes need to make the chord printed on the button. For instance, the C Major chord will mute all of the strings on the autoharp except the strings that are tuned to the notes C, E and G. If you are experiencing “strange notes”, check the felt on each of the chord bars and make sure the felt is intact and muting the correct strings for the chord printed on the bar. If everything is tuned correctly and the felt is intact and in the proper places, then you might be hearing harmonics. Sometimes a string will ring an octave higher than its tuning if a piece of felt meant to mute it happens to touch the string at its mid-point - similar to creating harmonics (on purpose) on a guitar. You can’t fix this, it’s just the nature of the beast.
+Charlotte Fairchild Thank you so much for the kind words! Making a living with the autoharp would be an amazing adventure, but for now I'll have to stick with the day job (and regular paychecks!). I perform locally as much as the job and family allows, and can occasionally make it to some of the bigger venues. I'm planning on more videos and also looking into online collaboration and possibly lessons and/or teaching materials as time permits. In the meantime, thanks for the wonderful comments! The best part of playing this amazing instrument is finding that others enjoy it as much as I do. :)
There are too many people who have never heard of an autoharp, and think of it in a limited capacity if they do know about it. I wish for you to play at Spivey Hall in Metro Atlanta, and large churches for the holidays. I enjoy your music so much.
Have you ever tuned one of these into just intonation? Considering it is in one key, it seems it would be perfect for that and add even more to the beauty of the chords.
I have tried just intonation, and several other ‘sweetened’ tunings. These modifications to the tuning, as you have noted, are beneficial to the chords. But playing chords is only one part of the whole package of playing the autoharp. When specialized tunings other than equal temperament are used, the chords may sound great but the melody suffers way too much. Here is a link to a blog entry I wrote a couple of years ago about exactly this subject: www.autoharpist.com/autoharpist-blog/2018/10/21/sweetened-tunings
A number of retailers carry the Oscar Schmidt brand of soft and hard autoharp cases. Some models do have backpack straps. Just Google " autoharp case " and you'll get a number of hits. If you are in the market for something more luxurious, check out Blue Heron cases www.blueheroncases.com/soft-case-products/autoharp .
Linda Martin I can think of several off-hand, but I don’t think they’re on UA-cam. But on the Facebook Autoharp group there are lots of videos that people have posted of themselves playing and singing. You’ll find some excellent examples there.
Hi, Gloria. There are a number of options, but my best advice is to start out on a standard chromatic autoharp that has been set up by a pro who knows autoharps inside and out. Your choices range from a brand new Oscar Schmidt or Chromaharp which will need to be set up by a professional before it will play easily -- OR a used autoharp that has also been refurbished and set up by a pro. Many of these pros have used instruments and new instruments on-hand and can get you just what you need. There are a number of folks who can do this for you; just Google "autoharp repair" and you'll find several. Even though the autoharps I generally play are tuned differently, that is they are tuned to a single key, I still recommend that every new player starts out on a chromatic autoharp. This is how I learned to play. If you click on this link joann-smith-xqsq.squarespace.com/s/UNIFIED-CHORD-BARS.pdf you will find an article I wrote that shows my recommendation for chord layout for a chromatic autoharp. Once you find someone to do business with, have them set up your autoharp with the recommended layout in the article and you will be on your way!
I don't see how you're playing the melody while strumming. How do you keep track of where you are when not looking? Or was the melody recorded separately?
Unfortunately there is a bit of delay in the video, so the motion and sound don't sync up exactly, but the melody and background strum accompaniment are all being done at the same time. There wasn't any overdubbing or editing, I just stick a mic in front of it and try to get through it in one take. What you can't really see is what my fingertips are doing. I'm picking out the melody notes with my fingers, and the thumb is providing the bottom end backfill. As far as how I know where the notes are without looking, that just comes with being very familiar with how my autoharps are laid out. And practicing a lot ;). One of the keys to getting good clear melody notes is to not cover them up with too much backfill. Think of it like you would singing. You want the singer (melody) to be the focus, so don't let the accompaniment overpower it.
It's actually a half-size bass that I got several years ago with the intention of learning to play it. I discovered that my left hand strength didn't measure up to the task, so I plan to sell it if my daughter decides not to pursue it.
The way you play the autoharp is so beautiful that only one other version of this song brings me to tears: ua-cam.com/video/vMInBeHrDHk/v-deo.htmlsi=nqsVBb_tXmAV1ln9 But let me point out again - your version can bring me to tears without anyone singing!!!!!! lol. 😊 That means it’s very very very very, very good !!!! praise the Lord
Hi, Andrew. Thank you for asking me to come and play at your hymn sing. I would love to come down to Boca Raton (particularly in January!), but with work and upcoming family commitments I will only be able to do gigs that are closer to home for the time being. However, I anticipate this to be temporary, so be sure to contact me again - particularly if you see that any of my concert destinations are close to you. I post my upcoming concerts on both my website: www.autoharpist.com and on my Facebook Page: facebook.com/autoharpist/
I've always loved this song. Powerful message. We really don't have anything to worry about. God watches the little sparrows, lest they should fall, so He's watching over us.
Beautiful Jo Ann beautiful , brought a tear to my eye . Bill .
Thank you, Jo Ann, for this healing, heavenly sounding music. You play like an angel! I am so glad that I discovered your videos here on You Tube!
+Rajnoma I hope to be posting more in the near future, so stay tuned! :)
Wunderschön!!! ❤️❤️❤️ wo findet man Noten? Ich wohne in der 🇨🇭
My grandma got an Autoharp a year and a half ago or so and 2 days after my divorce a year ago next month I got to go see grandma in Florida and I saw it. She even played it for me. She's learning to play it as well. She also play the home organ. I had my guitar with me and I played with her on both organ and Autoharp. What fun it was.
what a beautiful story
Great inspiration for me as I begin my autoharp journey.
It's the first song I ever heard on autoharp. I've listened to it a dozen times and it's never failed to bring tears to my eyes. Beautiful
Oh JoAnn, I am so glad to see that you are back on UA-cam sharing your beautiful music. A blessing to see you and hear you play on this Easter morn.
I enjoy watching, and listening to this lovely music.
Too beautiful for words, brings a tear. Thank you so much.
A very beautiful performance of this piece Jo Ann. Your sensitive phrasing and dynamics show the great potential of the fine art of autoharp playing. Thank you.
I simply had to subscribe! Your music reminds me of the nearness of God. Thank you.
This is angelical! So lovely! Thank you for sharing your talent to the world. Greatly appreciated. God bless you! To God be the glory always!
Thanks for the kind words -- God bless you, too!
Fabulous and very moving. Liked and subbed in an instant - thank you so much for this blissful performance!
Hello JoAnne! FANTASTIC version of this song! I heard you play a several years ago on UA-cam- so I always come back and listen to it again it’s so beautiful and one of my favorite Christian songs. I love it. a very good singing version, is Tammy Faye version…… when it comes to auto harps, you have this song hands-down, as best!!! ❤🎉😊
What a beautiful rendition of this song. Thank you for sharing!!!! May God richly bless you.
I feel like anyone can play an autoharp. You strum and press a key and at the very least you have a chord. HOWEVER you make it sound so beautiful, while making it look so easy - but I know the strumming is a learned skill. I haven’t played in over 30 years and my new harp comes tomorrow I can’t wait. I am going to study you. Your music is SO BEAUTIFUL. I’m only sad my mom’s no longer alive as she really wanted me to go back to playing. Thank you for your channel!
@@danielhall8037 Thank you for the kind words! ❤️
Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you!
You are so welcome!
Beautiful! You inspire me to get better at my Autoharp, thank you. Blessings to you!
I enjoy your playing so much. You truly are inspiring.
I’ve probably told you this before. I just love it when you play this Hymn ❤️
Thanks!
Wunderbar ! Thank you and greetings from North Germany
What a great sounding instrument. Amazingly well played... Loved it!
just discovered your channel. having a jolly ol' time watching these videos.
Ohhh just beautiful - Lovely listening. Thanks for sharing. Gwen
Absolutely beautiful GOD BLESS
Thank you for sharing your lovely songs!
Please keep playing , so beautiful, great instrument!
Loved it, thanks. You are one with the music and instrument, very impressed.
I love all your autoharp videos but this one is my favorite. I have been thinking about buying an autoharp for a while and when I saw your video about moving the minor chord bars I realized I could set it up any way I wanted to so I bought one five days ago. Along with moving the minor chord bars I flip-flopped all the chord bars so that (for instance) when my index finger is over the G, my ring middle finger is over the C and my ring finger is over the F. That is how it is on the Qchord which I have played for several years. Having also played ukulele for many years I can "hear" chord changes coming and I am doing quite well on strumming the autoharp to sing with. I've got a long, long way to go on hitting the right string when picking out a melody. I will be following you and watching all your videos on UA-cam. Thank you for being a part of my decision.
Jo Ann when I first saw your videos of you playing amazing grace and wonderful counselor among other songs, I had to subscribe to you. You did fabulous on this one. You've inspired me to someday go out and buy an Autoharp. If we met in person we'd play together. Keep up the blessings god gave you. God bless you.
Billy
Beautiful hymn. Thank you.
Thanks for answering me Jo Ann. I've got to get lessons. I never knew what an autoharp could do.
Beautiful!
One of my favourite hymns. You do it justice
Great performance. I just got an autoharp and aside from the pain it is to tune I love it!
Yes, autoharps can be a pain to tune -- but the more you do it the easier it gets. They are usually pretty stable, so if you tune regularly you can do a quick brush-up tuning in 5 minutes.
@@autoharpist oh definitely I think I'm down to about that time on a fine tuning by now, still to long for me because I'm lazy! Have you ever heard of autoharps exploding because there is so much tension and pressure built up by all the strings! I'm a hypochondriac and I'm always worried I'm going to tune G# to an F and have to go to the emergency room!
There is a lot of tension - about a ton, actually - but the frame is made of laminated pin block, about 2 inches thick. That’s one of the reasons the autoharp is as heavy as it is. The top is braced as well, and the main reason that they don’t have much volume. I know somebody who accidentally backed over his autoharp with a truck, and it was fine - so don’t worry! :)
@@autoharpist haha ok thanks for the reassurance! Do you have any recommendations as far as picking goes. I have some finger picks but I feel more comfortable using a small guitar pick for my index fingers and I have been letting my right middle and ring finger nails grow out.
My best advice is to do what feels comfortable and gives you the sound you’re looking for. Try a lot of different things; what works for one may not work for another. It’s an evolution process. I went through a lot of different picks and playing styles before settling on what I’m doing now.
So wonderful and God bless you and I wish I play this and I tell you I am classical Singer
Thank you for the kind words. God bless you as well!
Please You send me your Email address
MY I email address Shanyounas1@gmail.com
I want talk with you please
I love hearing you play.... This is just beautiful.. :0)
Beautifully played
Beautifully played. Thanks for sharing
That was great. Thanks loved it!
Always beautiful! Thank You! :)
Excellent!
Thanks!
Fabulous.
This is absolutely lovely. Thank you! :)
Emma Hollen You’re welcome!
Beautiful
Beautiful❤️
Beautiful xx
Thank you!
Amazing can you come and play for our Sunday night hymn sing in January at Boca raton community church
So beautiful!!!!
So glad you like it! Thanks!!
Very nice 👏
Lovely music. Do you know of anyone who would make an auto harp so that it has a lower register...i.e. say, making it bigger? Or different string array?
I don’t know of anyone who is producing a “bass autoharp” today. A gentleman named Frank Baker (who is no longer with us) used to make a bass model. I don’t know how many he actually made. You might want to pose the question to the Facebook Autoharp group; a number of members knew Frank and might have some insight about his design.
Brilliant
Amazing can you come to play at our hymn sing at Boca raton community church in January On Sunday night we have a full music group to back you up I love it please let us know
I love your playing and your videos. I would so much like to watch the left hand at work, too, though, and many of your videos don't show that. Would you consider pulling back camera-wise just a bit so that we can see the coordination of the whole two-handed show? Thanks for your beautiful music-making, regardless! :D
J'adore cette musique jouer avec une autharpe d'origine
I listened to some professional autoharpist and they get it to almost sound like a harp. I had to write to my sister in law. She is a professional harpist.
I completely new to autoharp.
I bought a used 1970s Oscar Schmidt 15bh model (15 buttons), and it seems to have all strange notes. I cannot seem to even begin to pick out a melody at all. Im experienced with several stringed instruments, so I see where i could play melodies pretty easy if i had the right notes.
Do you have any advice for me?
Each of the 36 strings should be tuned to the note that is printed on the body near each tuning pin. The chord bars work by muting all of the strings except the specific notes need to make the chord printed on the button. For instance, the C Major chord will mute all of the strings on the autoharp except the strings that are tuned to the notes C, E and G. If you are experiencing “strange notes”, check the felt on each of the chord bars and make sure the felt is intact and muting the correct strings for the chord printed on the bar. If everything is tuned correctly and the felt is intact and in the proper places, then you might be hearing harmonics. Sometimes a string will ring an octave higher than its tuning if a piece of felt meant to mute it happens to touch the string at its mid-point - similar to creating harmonics (on purpose) on a guitar. You can’t fix this, it’s just the nature of the beast.
@@autoharpist I think the notes are playing in tune, but they don't seem useful for playing a melody. Is that strange.
How many virtuoso autoharp players are there? How many are able to make a living with the autoharp? I so admire what you do Jo Ann Smith.
+Charlotte Fairchild Thank you so much for the kind words! Making a living with the autoharp would be an amazing adventure, but for now I'll have to stick with the day job (and regular paychecks!). I perform locally as much as the job and family allows, and can occasionally make it to some of the bigger venues. I'm planning on more videos and also looking into online collaboration and possibly lessons and/or teaching materials as time permits. In the meantime, thanks for the wonderful comments! The best part of playing this amazing instrument is finding that others enjoy it as much as I do. :)
There are too many people who have never heard of an autoharp, and think of it in a limited capacity if they do know about it. I wish for you to play at Spivey Hall in Metro Atlanta, and large churches for the holidays. I enjoy your music so much.
this rocks
Have you ever tuned one of these into just intonation? Considering it is in one key, it seems it would be perfect for that and add even more to the beauty of the chords.
I have tried just intonation, and several other ‘sweetened’ tunings. These modifications to the tuning, as you have noted, are beneficial to the chords. But playing chords is only one part of the whole package of playing the autoharp. When specialized tunings other than equal temperament are used, the chords may sound great but the melody suffers way too much. Here is a link to a blog entry I wrote a couple of years ago about exactly this subject: www.autoharpist.com/autoharpist-blog/2018/10/21/sweetened-tunings
Thanks you for your turotials Ms. Smith. Question. Where can you purchase a carrier? ( back pack/case)
A number of retailers carry the Oscar Schmidt brand of soft and hard autoharp cases. Some models do have backpack straps. Just Google " autoharp case " and you'll get a number of hits. If you are in the market for something more luxurious, check out Blue Heron cases www.blueheroncases.com/soft-case-products/autoharp .
lovely! Might you know of someone who sings while they play the autoharp? Thank you!
Linda Martin I can think of several off-hand, but I don’t think they’re on UA-cam. But on the Facebook Autoharp group there are lots of videos that people have posted of themselves playing and singing. You’ll find some excellent examples there.
I would like to learn to play one, first I need to buy one. Do you have a suggestion to where I could get one?
Hi, Gloria. There are a number of options, but my best advice is to start out on a standard chromatic autoharp that has been set up by a pro who knows autoharps inside and out. Your choices range from a brand new Oscar Schmidt or Chromaharp which will need to be set up by a professional before it will play easily -- OR a used autoharp that has also been refurbished and set up by a pro. Many of these pros have used instruments and new instruments on-hand and can get you just what you need. There are a number of folks who can do this for you; just Google "autoharp repair" and you'll find several. Even though the autoharps I generally play are tuned differently, that is they are tuned to a single key, I still recommend that every new player starts out on a chromatic autoharp. This is how I learned to play. If you click on this link joann-smith-xqsq.squarespace.com/s/UNIFIED-CHORD-BARS.pdf you will find an article I wrote that shows my recommendation for chord layout for a chromatic autoharp. Once you find someone to do business with, have them set up your autoharp with the recommended layout in the article and you will be on your way!
Wow thank you so much JoAnn, I really appreciate the detail directions now I know what to do and thank you and God Bless you!
I don't see how you're playing the melody while strumming. How do you keep track of where you are when not looking? Or was the melody recorded separately?
Unfortunately there is a bit of delay in the video, so the motion and sound don't sync up exactly, but the melody and background strum accompaniment are all being done at the same time. There wasn't any overdubbing or editing, I just stick a mic in front of it and try to get through it in one take. What you can't really see is what my fingertips are doing. I'm picking out the melody notes with my fingers, and the thumb is providing the bottom end backfill. As far as how I know where the notes are without looking, that just comes with being very familiar with how my autoharps are laid out. And practicing a lot ;).
One of the keys to getting good clear melody notes is to not cover them up with too much backfill. Think of it like you would singing. You want the singer (melody) to be the focus, so don't let the accompaniment overpower it.
круто у меня дома такая же вещь лежит...автоарфа
who plays the cello in the back?
It's actually a half-size bass that I got several years ago with the intention of learning to play it. I discovered that my left hand strength didn't measure up to the task, so I plan to sell it if my daughter decides not to pursue it.
The way you play the autoharp is so beautiful that only one other version of this song brings me to tears:
ua-cam.com/video/vMInBeHrDHk/v-deo.htmlsi=nqsVBb_tXmAV1ln9
But let me point out again - your version can bring me to tears without anyone singing!!!!!! lol. 😊
That means it’s very very very very, very good !!!! praise the Lord
really can't see the chords
We will take a free will offering to cover your expenses
Hi, Andrew. Thank you for asking me to come and play at your hymn sing. I would love to come down to Boca Raton (particularly in January!), but with work and upcoming family commitments I will only be able to do gigs that are closer to home for the time being. However, I anticipate this to be temporary, so be sure to contact me again - particularly if you see that any of my concert destinations are close to you. I post my upcoming concerts on both my website: www.autoharpist.com and on my Facebook Page: facebook.com/autoharpist/
Beautiful!
Thank you!