Old School Stringed instrument time.... 1860's German Zither

This has been in the family for generations - my mother gave it to me years ago, I've decided to work out how to tune it. I think you have to be an octopus to play it though. Either that or extremely talented. I'm hoping to find someone in Melbourne who knows how to play one and take some footage of it in action, instruments should be played and not hidden away in an attic like this thing has been.

Unfortunately, I reckon the guitar to zither player ratio is 50 million to one so wish me luck in my quest.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Zither
• J Haslwander

[numbersixmusic]

fantastic version you've got there...i'll be dogged if i know what tuning was intended for the fingerboard section...maybe just straight cello tuning. my dad loaned me one of his concert zithers, in a munich tuning. i've been fascinated for the last three weeks. it's the golf of stringed instruments!

[EVHGUITARS4LESS]

Haha - I stare at it from time to time, absolutely mystified.....

[rainharper62]

Thanks for posting this-i have two old zithers also-beautiful!-your tuning on the four strings is starting from the bass C, G, D, A.......then your next strings leaving the bass strings are your chord strings--starting from bass string is Ab, Eb,Bb,F, C, G, D,

A, E, B, F#, C#, G#, Eb, Bb, F,C, G,D, A, E,B, F#, C#, G#--I can tell you more on how to play it if you email me!!-I can also show or send schematics for it-you can use regular guitar pick for thumb-- slumak3@aol.com

[vornedran1]

It is terrible! You show us an very early original Haslwanter Zither. A Treasure.

And with careless fingers the owner touches all the excellent craftmanship of instrument and case without any knowledge, how to be used and played.

A nightmare vor every true Bavarian!

[13COU]

this is completely badass!

[curious2159]

the fingerboard tuning is like a viola's (ie c g d a - modern zithers have just the a string doubled) the accompaniment strings were tuned as they are now, in a cycle of 4ths and 5ths starting with e flat then b flat, f asf you should be able to find a stringing sample on the internet , at any string manufacturer's

(in Bavari< the zither to guitar players ration might be around 1 to 5 only ...)

[Hikikomori013]

I think a Munich zither is actually supposed to have 6 strings, but in 5 courses.

It looks fairly easy. One hand frets the neck and the other plucks the strings with the thumb and plays the bass accompaniment with the other fingers. Kind of like playing an instrument in each hand while tap dancing. How hard can it be?

[Buffalo49]

Because it was made with only 4 strings, it may be a mandolin-zither.

[Gibsonwilshire]

i bet u play it like a harp. use it like a guitar possibly

[jakethefiddle]

Hi i just looked at your zither that you kindly filmed,its a lovely one isnt it and the box has great worrkmanship two! I recon that 's worth a fair bit of wonga being unusual as it is ,but if it isn't being played i would recommend that you slacken off the strings with the key because i have an old one like that ,when i got it the wood had all pulled appart with the tention.cheers jake.

[ohjiozubon]

treasure;)