A chordophone[1] is any musical instrument whose sound begins with a stretched string. A zither[2] belongs inside that family, but it occupies a special place: its strings are carried by a body, board, tube, box, trough, or frame rather than by a separate neck like a lute or guitar. That one detail explains why organologists…
Idiochord[1] and heterochord[2] describe how the strings of a zither[3] relate to the body of the instrument. An idiochord zither uses strings made from the same material as the body, often lifted or cut from the surface itself. A heterochord zither uses separate strings added to the body, usually made from another material such as…
A zither can be plucked, struck, bowed, or played through a chord mechanism, and each method changes how the same basic idea feels under the hands. The word zither[1] can describe a broad family of chordophones[2] whose strings run across or along a body without a separate neck. That body may be a flat board,…
Board zither and box zither are closely related terms, but they do not mean exactly the same thing. A board zither is a zither[1] whose strings run over a board-like string bearer[2]. A box zither is usually a board zither with a box-shaped resonator[3] attached to or built beneath that board. The difference is mainly…
Hornbostel-Sachs places zithers inside the chordophone family, but it uses the word zither in a wider technical sense than everyday music language. In this classification, a zither is not only the European concert zither. It is a type of string instrument whose strings are stretched across, along, or over a body that acts mainly as…