Also called a lap harp, cymbala, yerbonitsa, or plucked psaltery, zithers are so easy to play from your very first try! You simply slip the sheet music under the strings of the zither, pluck the strings in the order shown on the sheet music, and enjoy immediate success playing music. People never believe me when I tell them that kids as young as 3 or 4 can play the zither. Meet 4-year-old Abby; she has had only nine lessons and not only plays beautifully, but she also knows how to count eighth notes, quarter notes, dotted quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes. Zithers are played by strumming or plucking the strings, either with the fingers or a pick.

The word zither comes from the Latin word cithara, from which the modern word “guitar” also derives. Historically, it has been applied to any instrument of the cittern family, or an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. The most commonly owned zither brands are Melody Harp, Music Maker, Small World Toys, and T.K. O’Brien’s, all of which are compatible with World of Harmony Music books. Just do a web search to find these zithers. You can find new and used zithers from Amazon, eBay, and directly from the various manufacturers.  Not sure if my books will fit your zither? This photo shows the dimensions of compatible zithers. I’d be happy to email you a free piece of sheet music to download, print, and try with your zither! Just email me at [email protected].

Please note that World of Harmony books do not work with First Act or Happy Hape instruments, as those are smaller. You could trim the books and sheet music to fit your First Act or Happy Hape zither, but you may lose a few notes at the beginning or end of some of the songs.

Tuning a Zither

Need help figuring out how to tune your zither? Watch me tune a zither with a free digital tuning app called “Pano Tuner” iOS Android. Just set your phone or tablet next to your zither, and the tuner lets you know when you’ve found the right pitch. Couldn’t be easier! They never arrive to your home or to a store in tune, because shipping knocks them out of whack. Here’s how a zither should sound in G Major scale.

Did you break a string? Here is  a video showing how to replace a zither string.