Zither

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Trapezoidal wooden box with 16 horizontal strings of various lengths

A zither is any instrument with strings stretched across a thin, flat body. This general criterion leaves room for many different types of zithers that have been fashioned all over the world. One of the most basic versions of a zither is one known as the “lap harp”. These beautiful, trapezoid-shaped instruments typically have 16 strings that span two octaves. Players pluck the strings, which causes the entire body of the instrument to vibrate and produce calming and long-lasting tones.

How to Obtain

You can find lap harps online for $40 or less. You will also need a special, square-shaped tuning key (usually included) to tune your instrument. It’s relatively easy to do using a tuner or smartphone app. Lap harps often come with a unique notation system that is easy to learn: trapezoid-shaped song cards slip underneath the strings and show you which strings should be plucked (and in what order). If you are interested in learning to play certain songs, look for a lap harp that comes with some of these notated, trapezoidal pieces of paper.

How to Learn

Zithers are also wonderful for improvised background music. They usually sound beautiful, even if you are inexperienced and don’t have a strategy for which notes should be plucked. You can change the volume of the note by plucking harder or softer!

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