The Autoharp is associated with with American, particularly Appalachian, folk music. It is a development of the zither dating from the 1880s in Germany. The Autoharp is almost identical to a Chord Zither with the addition of a set of spring wooden bars with felt dampers which effectively fret and dampen the relevant strings for each chord. The Autoharp is currently easily the most popular instrument in the zither family.
