| Introduction to Zithers |
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Introduction to Zithers Editor's Note: I wrote this article because I've had a few reader questions about the classes of instruments described here. When my research led to conflicting information, I wound up purchasing several examples to make certain I could verify what I was writing about them. That said, I am a one-time fact-checker and history book author who loves studying unusual instruments, but I am not a zither player. f you know more than I about the subjects on this page (which wouldn't be that hard), please let me know what I should consider adding, subtracting, or modifying. We now return you to our regularly-scheduled article. The term "zither" comes from ancient Green and Latin words for stringed instruments, "cythara" being one spelling. In modern days, the term specifies any instrument on which the strings do not extend past the body of the instrument. More simply, the instrument lacks a "neck." Which is to say that academics might claim that autoharps, hammered dulcimers, bowed psalteries, and Appalachian dulcimers all fit into the category.
But today, when musicians and music historians say "zither," they're nearly always referring to certain classes of European instruments that emerged before the autoharp and evolved alongside it for the first half of the 20th century. To "newbies," many look rather like autoharps that have been robbed of their chord bars. But they nevertheless offer provision for playing chords, especially through the use of "chord clusters," several strings clustered together that would play a chord if you strummed them all at once. The German Fretted Zither
The player would fret the fretboard with the left hand. Using a thumbpick and finger picks, he or she could play the melody with the thumb and pick out an accompaniment on the open strings with the fingers. At least one modern player plays mostly on the fretboard, fingerpicking as you might a classical guitar. I have bought a basket case version of one of these to mess around with but have not really restored it, much less learned to play it. So if you get one, I won't be much help. These instruments have a unique sweet sound that was later popularized in the US through the theme of Orson Welles' The Third Man. (They also gave the name to a rare class of banjo, the "zither banjo," because those instruments had a similar sweet sound.) "Guitar Zithers"Between the 1880s and the 1920s, a wide range of zither-type instruments were sold door to door in North America and Europe. Most offered preformed chord clusters and an octave or two worth of open strings for playing the melody.
One class of these instruments has retroactively been given the name "Guitar Zither," since that was the standard name in Europe. But in the American versions, there isn't a standard name for these. The names "Celeste" and "Pianola" sometimes come up, but those names are often used on other configurations as well. In my early research, I assumed that this was a "precursor" to the autoharp, since similar instruments had existed decades earlier. However, the first patent on this specific configuration was issued to Friederich Menzenhauer after the first patent on the autoharp. If you think about it, it was a direct competitor, back when most autoharps had only three or five chords. And it was a lot cheaper to build. Autoharps didn't "leave them in the dust" until they started going to eight chords (and then twelve). The example shown above was sold by the Paramount manufacturing company in the early 1900s. While this was being made, the Otto Schmidt company (later called "Oscar Schmidt") was making their own version that had a handle and doubled the melody strings. Eventually Oscar Schmidt apparently took over the Paramount line and started manufacturing this exact zither under their own brand name. Other American manufacturers included Phonoharp, who also made Zimmerman/Dolge-branded autoharps for a time. The preformed chords on this Paramount zither are Bb, D, F, G, and C. The individual strings give you a chromatic scale in two octaves. The photo below shows the chord and note name label from the zither shown to the right. The black and red note names correspond with the white and black keys of the piano. You'll notice that Bb, Eb, and Ab are listed as A#, D#, and G#, a convention shared with autoharps of the same era. Like most 5- and 6-chord zithers I've seen, the scale is chromatic. (Three-chord guitar zithers may have diatonic scales or have a mostly diatonic scale that includes "A#" and maybe F#). 
It would be possible to use a fingerpick on your left index finger to pick the chords and use a flatpick or fingerpicks on your right hand to pick the melody. Less common - as far as I can determine - you could use a thumb pick in your right hand to pick the chords. The pattern around the hole of Paramount-designed zithers was paper. So was the label inside. Many of the surviving models from this era have a warning that this instrument can only be purchased by being ordered by through a "special agent," "demonstrator," or some such (meaning door-to-door salesman). Picture this, in the late 1980s and early 1900s - an army of door-to-door salesmen, each of whom has learned to play two or three complex songs very well, convincing families who couldn't afford a piano or music lessons that members of the family could teach themselves to play and bring music to the home. And you could even buy them on installment plans. The truth is, they sound great when played properly by someone with skill, but they're actually quite difficult to get started on. Many were discarded; the few that have survived show signs of age and bad storage, but very few signs of heavy use. Yes, There Were Many Experiments - If you google "zither" today, you'll find a wide range of diverse instruments, some of which look entirely different from the zithers we're discussing here. And they really are almost all one kind of zither or another, using the "textbook" definition. But the "Guitar Zither," also known by several other names, is the kind that survived in the greatest numbers and was manufactured the longest (they're still being made in Germany). Our article "Autoharp Precursors" describes several of the early competitors to this class of instrument. German "Guitar Zithers" Back when Paramount and Oscar Schmidt were building the instrument shown above, the Hopf family, then ensconced in Bavaria was busy making zithers and autoharps.
The zither to the right is typical of the instruments they made right up until the East Germans nationalized the musical instrument industry, destroying many century-old family-owned companies and guilds. Fortunately, the Hopf family's manufacturing traditions survived the hardships. This particular zither has a "Made in the German Democratic Republic" label. This may indicate that it was made before or just after takeover, when the GDR administrators required the Hopfs to discontinue using the rose decals or their own brand names. The history of the Hopf family between the Third Reich's ascension and the Berlin Wall's collapse is a little hazy, and the surviving members of the Hopf family are not forthcoming with details. But it is evident from surviving pieces that they continued to make zithers (and autoharps) under the GDR brand name "Musima." The roses were often replaced with wildflowers (below left). On zithers designed for children, some had other illustrations (below right).
I have acquired a couple of the three-chord zithers in black with wildflower decals. They're charming little instruments. Jubeltone? - The name Jubeltone may have been around for over a century, based on a rare archaic-looking 6-chord zither I've come across. (Though, to be honest, that shape was apparently revived for a short time during the early GDR era.) Though a few 5-chord Jubeltones have been spotted, the name Jubeltone was used mostly for 3-chord zithers that were made in black and red. Most seem to be identical to the Musima versions, except for minor differences like paper note labels instead of screen-printed. The same wildflower decal that was used on the black Musima version was used on both colors. However, the red version may also have a decal of children playing or some such.
Some I've seen are clearly labeled "German Democratic Republic," including the rare child's two-chord version to the right. I have also seen a few identical Jubeltones that had "Made in West Germany" stickers applied on the back. Were they deliberately mislabeled for sale to democratic countries? Or did someone in West Germany also set up shop and manufacture virtually identical instruments? We may never know. So there are mysteries galore associated with these instruments.
Chorded zithers that doubled the melody strings were often labeled "Mandolin Harps" or "Mandolin Zithers," because the sound of the doubled melody strings imitated the sound of a mandolin.
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(Interestingly enough, zither and autoharp manufacturers in Germany were more likely to support "sharp" keys like G and D than manufacturers in the US, who tended to add "flat keys" like Bb and Eb instead. When I got my first 6-chord Rosen autoharp, I thought It must have been reconfigured.)
That's bad news for the original purchasers, but good news for you, because it means 80-year-old zithers that can be restored to playability occasionally turn up on used instrument and auction sites. Look for 5- or 6-chord versions if you can, and examine the photos carefully to make certain there are no cracks on the fingerboard, mold, or excessive rust on the strings or tuning pegs. You might also ask the seller if it smells bad (long story).
If you'd rather not take a risk on a used instrument, these are still being made new, including by the C. Robert Hopf company. They look a lot like the better units pictured above, but they're going to cost you a lot more.
And at least somebody else has been making them. While researching an earlier article, I came across a virtually new unbranded 5-chorder for a no-brainer price.
Interestingly enough, whoever made this one borrowed the filigree pattern of the Paramount version near the top of this article, though it's printed on celluloid versus paper. So I'm not saying you can necessarily try to track this one down, but saying you might keep your eye out for the unexpected.
This site was developed by Garry Harrison in the early 2000s, while he was communicating with Greg Miner (below) about zithers and zither-like instruments. Sadly, Garry died unexpectedly in 2012, but his family kept the site going for several more years.
After requesting permission from interested parties, we have posted an archive that was taken in 2020. As far as we know, it matches the last version that was online.
That said, if you have a correction or a question, please contact me and I'll be glad to hear from you.
Also, if you're a member of the Hopf family who is willing to talk about how your family's instrument manufacturing traditions survived a series of upheavals that drove almost every other family and guild in Bavaria out of business, I'll be especially glad to hear from you.
Whatever else you get out of our pages, I hope you come away with some great ideas for "sharing the joy."
And please stay in touch!
- Paul Race
>All material, illustrations, and content of this web site is copyrighted ? 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 by Paul D. Race. All rights reserved.
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Taking a closer look at the chord clusters nearest the player's belly, you'll see that they have provided major chords for Bb, D, F, G, and C, which would allow you to play "three-chorders" in F, C, and G.
