What string instrument is this? (with pics)

[PTsniper]

Hello there!

This is my first post on the forum and to be honest, I just found it because I was looking for information on a recent musical instrument that I bought on an antique fair. The lady that sold it to me didn't know anything about this instrument and I've failed as well. It's quite easy to play, specially when you have the music sheets for this particular instrument (which were included), but I want to know more about the history of it. It's definitely a string instrument, and you can play it the same way you play a guitar, but apart from that, I don't know much. I hope somebody can fill me in with more information





Thanks in advance

[Mat]

Hi PTsniper and welcome to the forum.

I believe that's a zither.

[Lusaka_Guitarist]

Wow. Never seen a thing like that. No wonder the seller too didn't know much about it. How big is it? Is it as portable as a guitar? I can only imagine the sound it produces.

Frederik might have clue as to what it is.

Lovemore Nanjaya.

[Lusaka_Guitarist]

Hi PTsniper and welcome to the forum.

I believe that's a zither.

Matt, you know what that is? I would like to hear the sound it produces. Looks like an interesting instrument. I'll google it and see what I'll find.

Thanks.

Lovemore Nanjaya.

[PTsniper]

Thank you so much for both answers.

Yeah, I think it's a Zither alright, thank you. But I'm quite surprised to see that a zither can have so many different shapes and different number of strings and still be called the same way. It should be interesting to find strings for this instrument

The size of it is probably 40cm per 20cm. So it's much smaller than a guitar and quite practical to carry if you have an appropriate box or something to protect it

[Lusaka_Guitarist]

I googled it and found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zither. I also found this on youtube - Anton Karas playing the theme from "The Third Man." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFz79SBnuk8

I've learnt something new today. Thanks PTsniper and Matt.

Lovemore Nanjaya.

[teddy]

Hello PTsniper and welcome to the forum

The zither is not as popular in this country as it was a few years back. The theme from The Third Man is quite a famous piece, amoung people of my age.
The lovely thing about this forum is the variety of music you hear and the strange instruments that appear.

teddy

[PTsniper]

Thank you so much for all the answers.
I'm really glad I got to know the name of the instrument

Cheers

[John Watt]

A zither? Are you sure?
That looks like a public, board of education string resonator,
the kind they used to plink on when the public address system comes on,
a more ethnic tone than military sounds.
The last grade school I visited was using the intro from "Close Encounters of a Third Kind".

[JHC]

The zither is not as popular in this country as it was a few years back. The theme from The Third Man is quite a famous piece, amoung people of my age.

teddy

There was a pop singer that played the Zither in the 50s but I cant remember the name

[simpleinstruments]

that look like kecapi in china

[Nikam]

JHC, I'm reliably informed it was Shirley Abicair!

[JHC]

@ Nikam Yep she is the one, Australian maybe