Zithers

A zither is a musical instrument introduced into England and America ca. 1850 from Austria, and having thirty to forty strings let into the lower rim of a shallow wooden resonance-box. It bears fretted melody strings of metal, usually five in number and tuned by machine screws, and unfretted strings of gut or nylon, sometimes numbering thirty or more, tuned by metal wrist pins. It is played by striking with the fingers and thumb. In modifications of the instrument a fretted finger-board is fitted across a resonance-box shaped like a heart (bow zither) or like a viola (viola zither), and the instrument is played with a bow.