Music from centuries-old folk songs and contemporary and classical tunes emanates through the hallway at the Bangs Community Center on a recent morning, as some of the autoharp players hold the instrument upright against their shoulders and below their chins, and others keep it flat on the table.

Gathered in Room 101 most Monday mornings, arranged in a circle, the musicians begin their jam session by performing a series of finger-pick melodies, like “Southwind,” an early 18th century traditional Irish waltz, “Wabash Cannonball,” a 19th century American folk song, and “Golden Slippers,” a 19th century spiritual.

On a large screen, they are joined by autoharpists via Zoom, from Pennsylvania, where the annual Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering takes place, Connecticut, and New York, and even occasionally by players as far away as Alaska, playing selections already known or to be practiced under the guidance of Marie Hartwell-Walker.

An Amherst resident, Hartwell-Walker for the past few years has been leading the enthusiasts in playing melody or the back-up chords, and learning how to read common autoharp tablature. “Every folk song can be played after four lessons with me,” Hartwell-Walker says.

Playing the autoharp, and getting others interested in the stringed instrument created in the 1800s, is a passion for Hartwell-Walker. For the past few years, she has led weekly two-and-a-half hour sessions, in a casual format that mixes music and chit chat, as she puts it, and also attracts people via Zoom. It’s all about giving an opportunity to meet people from near and far who play the autoharp or want to learn the instrument.

The local participants also happen to be preparing for “Make Music on a Porch Day,” a global event set for Saturday, with the autoharp workshop to perform and record two songs from the porch at Hartwell-Walker’s downtown home, and later to be posted to YouTube.

Origins

A former guitarist, Hartwell-Walker explained that arthritis forced her to give up playing that instrument and turn to the autoharp. But she didn’t immediately plan to lead an autoharp workshop. “This thing has grown so organically, just word of mouth and people talking about it,” Hartwell-Walker said.

It was about eight years ago, when Richard Ballon, now a Florence resident and at the time Hartwell-Walker’s neighbor in Amherst, heard her practicing the autoharp. He offered to provide vocals to accompany her in-house  performance.

Then, as COVID hit in 2020 and so many activities migrated online, Jane Markarian of Belchertown, also coming from a guitar background, rediscovered the instrument. “When COVID happened, I brought my autoharp out of the closet,” Markarian said.

She also connected with Hartwell-Walker for Zoom sessions and soon a trio was formed, eventually returning to the porch. “I joined Richard and Marie in the front porch playing,” Markarian said.

But with the front porch small and cold weather setting in, the autoharp players expanded again when Karen Lemoine of Amherst learned about the group while on a camping trip near Lake Champlain in Vermont. Lemoine said she ran into Ware residents familiar with Hartwell-Walker’s work.

Making it too big to continue in her living room, Hartwell-Walker founded the autoharp workshop and discovered it could be accommodated once a week at the senior center, Mondays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., except holidays. “The senior center has been so gracious and welcoming,” Hartwell-Walker said.

Zoomers also come and go. “People have found out and ask if they can Zoom in,” Hartwell-Walker said.

While anyone is welcome to drop in, Hartwell-Walker understands that the timing of the workshop works best for retirees. She is hoping to expand her workshop by offering beginner classes at her home on Tuesday evenings, 7 to 8:30, starting Sept. 17.  She has a stable of loaner autoharps for those who are curious, so there are no upfront costs.

“That means no one has to commit to buying them,” Hartwell-Walker said, noting that even used autoharps can cost hundreds of dollars. Her program is similar, though on a smaller scale, to Angel Autoharp, a national program to make playing them more accessible.

In fact, she started collecting autoharps for very little money, and with a dozen in hand during COVID, her project was to make each one playable.

Autoharp background

Invented as a table instrument, Hartwell-Walker plays it as intended, thus reducing any strain and weight from having to hold it. The upright way of playing, she explains, was popularized by 20th century country musician Maybelle Carter.

“The lovely thing about the autoharp is there is no right way to play,” Hartwell-Walker said. 

Hartwell-Walker likes to talk about the instrument’s history and background of the songs. When practicing “Blind Mary,” a traditional Irish march, she reflects on the blind minstrel who likely composed the song.

With the 18th century English folk song “My Thing is My Own,” she expresses more admiration for the lyrics. “I love it because it affirms humanity,” Hartwell-Walker said.

And with “I’ll Fly Away,” the origins as a spiritual among enslaved African Americans is noted.

In the workshop, there is room for people who want to get more complicated with their playing, as well as those who want to keep it simple by muting the chords.  “There’s an enormous range of playing that is inclusive,” Hartwell-Walker said. 

A new batch of songs is learned every month, with the group in the third week of working on “Angeline the Baker,” a 19th century composition. Hartwell-Walker leads in breaking down the playing, saying “pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch pluck” and then “thumbs, string, fingers.” After playing, she says, “too fast,” “sounding good,” and “more or less pretty good.”

“This is where we start, this is where we learn,” Hartwell-Walker said.

While Massachusetts is not considered a hotbed for the autoharp, Hartwell-Walker’s workshop has spurred more interest.

“What got me here was the music,” said Amherst resident Kay Flatten, who recently joined the grou. “I walked by and heard the singing.”

Flatten is still learning many of the finer points of playing the autoharp, but it hasn’t cost her any money, and she appreciates that there is no criticism. “There’s no fear of failure,” Flatten said.

Already owning an autoharp, Betsy Krogh of Amherst said joining the group was logical for her, and Hartwell-Walker’s love for the instrument has made participation enjoyable. “Something about Marie’s energy swept me along,” Krogh said. 

Susan Mower of Greenfield, who had already played guitar, and inherited an autoharp from her late sister before moving to the Pioneer Valley, said discovering the group has helped her adapt to the region. “For me, it’s been a lifesaver to meet people and to play music,” Mower said. 

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.