PRESS

“Like many musicians – and college students in the 1960s – Robert Grappel plays the guitar. But unlike many, he can also play the autoharp. “It’s a lot easier than a piano, and a lot simpler to learn than a guitar,” Grappel said. The autoharp, an American folk instrument that looks like a trapezoidal box with strings across it, was brought into the public eye by June Carter Cash and got another boost from the movie ‘Walk the Line.’”
– Concord Journal, December 4, 2008: Resident’s CD ‘Harp on It’

“It was a musician’s worst fear. Instead of making last minute preparations for their performances at the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering last month, Bob Grappel and Lynda Cohen found themselves in the emergency room. Grappel had fallen, dislocating his thumb. The doctor reset it, then encased his hand in a cast – not at all the ideal situation for someone who was planning on playing an instrument that looks like a box with lots of strings across it. But the couple adapted …”
– Concord Journal, July 24, 2009: Couple Prevails at Autoharp Competition