flat zither

A flat zither is a type of stringed musical instrument where the strings lie parallel to and are the same length as the string bearer, which often also serves as the resonator. These instruments are found across Eurasia, the Americas, and Africa.1

The European zither typically features a flat, shallow sound box with many gut or metal strings. Melody notes are produced by stopping strings against a fretted fingerboard with the left hand while plucking with a plectrum on the right thumb. Simultaneously, the right hand plucks accompaniment strings that remain unstopped.2

Other forms of flat zithers include the African board zither, made from a hollowed plank, and the raft zither, constructed from individual canes lashed together, each with a single string. Trapezoidal box zithers, like the Middle Eastern qānūn and the Persian santoor, are struck with hammers or plucked and are ancestors to keyboard instruments like the harpsichord and piano. In the United States, the hammered dulcimer and autoharp are popular examples of plucked box zithers.13