This instrument originated over two hundred years ago in the German-speaking alpine regions of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It began as a rudimentary device with three strings over a diatonic fretboard and (at first) only one open string acting as a drone accompaniment. From this modest ...
Zithers are well known in Germany and Austria, but not in the U.S. But, thanks to the Chicago Zither Orchestra, the instrument has a presence. "It's like a soul. When you can create music and it makes you feel good. It has everything in it from the bass to the rhythm to the...