An autoharp is a type of zither, but it is not the same thing as every instrument called a zither. The word zither[1] can describe a wide family of string instruments whose strings run across a body or board. The autoharp is a narrower, modern instrument within that family, known for its chord buttons, felt…
The difference between a zither and a dulcimer depends on how the words are being used. In broad instrument classification, some dulcimers are types of zither[1]. In everyday musical language, however, “zither” often points to a wider family of string instruments, while “dulcimer” usually points to either a hammered dulcimer or an Appalachian mountain dulcimer….
The psaltery is best understood as a plucked box zither: a stringed instrument whose strings run across a shallow wooden body rather than along a separate neck. In medieval Europe it was played with fingers or small picks, often with each string left open for a fixed pitch. That simple idea gives the psaltery its…
The santur is usually described as a hammered dulcimer, but organologically it also belongs within the wider zither family. Its strings run across a resonating body, and the player sounds them with light wooden hammers rather than plucking them by hand. That double identity is the source of the common question: is the santur a…
The qanun is a plucked box zither: a flat, usually trapezoidal instrument with many strings stretched across a shallow wooden body. It belongs to the wider zither family, but it is not simply a “Middle Eastern guitar,” a small harp, or a dulcimer. Its identity comes from three things working together: courses of strings, a…
The scheitholt is a historic German fretted zither: a narrow wooden instrument with strings stretched along the length of its body, some used for melody and others left to sound as drones. It sits inside the wider zither family[1], but it should not be confused with the later concert zither, the Appalachian dulcimer, or the…
The gusli is a Slavic plucked zither[1]: a string instrument whose strings lie across a wooden body rather than running along a neck. In organological language, it is a chordophone[2], but the zither label is more useful for understanding how it works. The player does not stop strings against a fingerboard like a violin or…
The kantele is a Finnish and Karelian plucked zither[1] with a clear identity of its own: strings run across a wooden body, each string gives a set pitch, and the player shapes melody, chord, and ringing sustain directly with the fingers. It belongs to the wider chordophone[2] family and, more narrowly, to the Baltic psaltery[3]…
A concert zither[1] is a European table zither with two working areas: a fretted melody side and a larger field of unstopped strings for harmony, bass, and color. Its left-hand fretboard[2] makes it different from many other zithers, yet its strings still run across the body rather than along a separate neck. The word zither[3]…
The đàn tranh is a Vietnamese plucked zither[1] with a long wooden body, metal strings, movable bridges, and a bright singing tone shaped by the player’s two hands. It belongs to the wider zither family, but it is not simply a Vietnamese copy of the guzheng, koto, or gayageum. Its construction, ornamentation, repertory, and playing…