Explanation: Zithers are played by strumming or plucking the strings , either with the fingers (sometimes using an accessory called a plectrum or pick), sounding the strings with a bow, or, with varieties of the instrument like the santur or cimbalom, by beating the strings with specially shaped hammers.
What does a zither mean?
: a stringed instrument having usually 30 to 40 strings over a shallow horizontal soundboard and played with pick and fingers.
Is a zither like string instrument?
zither, any stringed musical instrument whose strings are the same length as its soundboard . The European zither consists of a flat, shallow sound box across which some 30 or 40 gut or metal strings are stretched.
What is the zither of thirteen double string called?
Soh is a Japanese traditional musical instrument. It is classified into the zither group of stringed instruments. It is generally called koto and the Chinese character ‘琴’ is used, but to be exact, it should be ‘箏’ (soh) and ‘琴’ (kin) is another musical instrument.
What is a zither like string instrument with but recent variants have been constructed with 21 or more numbers of strings?
The gayageum or kayagum is a traditional Korean plucked zither with 12 strings, though some more recent variants have 18, 21 or 25 strings. It is probably the best known traditional Korean musical instrument.
What instrument has only 3 strings?
The balalaika (Russian: балала́йка, pronounced [bəɫɐˈɫajkə]) is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck and three strings.
Is a sitar a zither?
By about 1725, the name sitar was used in the Hammir-raso by Jodhraj, a Rajasthan author. The instrument had 5 strings by this time. ... The gourd mounted in the top of the instrument came from the stick zither tradition, in which the Veena is prominent.
What is the use of zither?
A zither is a musical instrument, kind of like a guitar without the neck and way more strings. You play a zither by strumming or plucking the strings with your fingers or a pick .
What is the origin of the zither?
The word ‘zither’ is derived from Latin cythara , which was used in this form for the title covers on many 16th and 17th century German printed manuscript books originally for the ‘cittern’ – from the Greek word kithara, an instrument used in Ancient Greece.
When was the zither invented?
Max Amberger, an instrument maker in Munich, fabricated the first concert zither in 1862 based on Weigel’s revolutionary design. It is this instrument with its 5 melody strings (a, a, d, g, c) covering 29 frets along with 37 accompaniment strings that constitutes the concert zither.
What is another name for a zither?
In this page you can discover 16 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for zither, like: zithern , cither, stringed-instrument, shawm, zurna, koto, , mouth-organ, lute, dulcimer and shakuhachi.
Is the zither hard to learn?
The zither is not an easy instrument to learn , so it is important that you learn to appreciate your small advances with each practice session. ... If you do not have another zither player to practice with, other instruments, such as the piano and the guitar, will also make a nice accompaniment for the zither.
Is a violin a fiddle?
Western classical players sometimes use “fiddle” as an affectionate term for the violin , that intimate companion and workmate. But in the United States, most often “fiddle” means the violin as used in Irish-Scottish-French traditional music and all the descendant American styles: Appalachian, bluegrass, Cajun, etc.
What is the example of bowed strings?
Bowed instruments include the string section instruments of the Classical music orchestra ( violin, viola, cello and double bass ) and a number of other instruments (e.g., viols and gambas used in early music from the Baroque music era and fiddles used in many types of folk music).
Is Chordophone a Kayagum?
The kayagŭm is a plucked box-zither chordophone of Korea used in a variety of court and folk genres as an ensemble, vocal accompaniment, and solo instrument.
What is the most popular stringed instrument?
- Guitar. At this point, the guitar is probably the most popular stringed instrument. ...
- Banjo. In its essence, banjo also relies on the same basic principles as the guitar does. ...
- Bass Guitar. ...
- Harp. ...
- Mandolin. ...
- Ukulele. ...
- Violin. ...
- Cello.
