Delicious Morsel #9 – Autoharp

A college friend thought of me when his sister and brother-in-law were looking for a home for their family auto harp. This beautiful instrument was a catalyst for reconnecting with my friend, and also for learning about other synchronisities. Thank you, Matt, Theresa & Bob!

Delicious Morsel
Autoharp
February 15, 2017 – #9

This past summer when in the middle of recording the CD, a college friend got in touch and asked if I would be interested in an autoharp. The back story is that Matt and I were roommates through grad school. Since we both enjoy music and drumming, we often hosted small drum circles and musical jam sessions at our basement apartment. The owners of the rental space, who lived upstairs, didn’t say too much, so my hope is that we were respectful and not too loud.

Anyway, back to the story of the autoharp. It turned out that Matt’s sister, Theresa and her husband, Bob had an autoharp that once belonged to Bob’s mother. When they asked him if he knew anyone that might enjoy playing it, he thought of me. The most wonderful part of this is that Matt and I connected by phone, which was nice after not being in touch for probably a couple of years. I’m humbled that he thought of me and reached out.

When Matt and I got to talking, it turns out that Bob’s mother was from Arkansas, which is where I was raised. So that made the possibility of having her autoharp even more special. They were thrilled that it would get some use, and I am thrilled to have another instrument to experiment with!

There are ways that I want to explore the autoharp. I want to try some untraditional techniques out of curiosity. But I played it very traditionally in the title track of the CD, “Set Me Free”. If you listen closely you will easily hear it. I love the sweetness it adds to the song, and knowing the history behind this beautiful instrument touches my heart.

Thank you, Matt, Theresa and Bob. And thanks to your mother. Her instrument will ring on forever in this recording.

With love and gratitude.

Janie

Photo from Flicker.

*The Delicious Morsel series were posts shared with those who supported the Set Me Free CD recording project by pre-ordering music, requesting custom songs, and making donations towards my fundraising campaign on Indigogo. I am so appreciative of this group of stellar beings.

Insider Notes

Before playing the autoharp on a song, I re-tuned it to the Solfeggio frequencies, in which A=444. There is a lot of information available online speaking about how these frequencies are more harmonious with nature and subsequently more healing overall. Feel free to explore the topic. It’s quite fascinating and significant.