zithers
Tabletop stringed instruments
Zithers is the plural of zither, a stringed instrument with a flat wooden soundbox, played by plucking with fingers or a pick.
The strings stretch across the body rather than along a neck.
Zithers appear in various forms across cultures, from the Austrian concert zither to the Chinese guzheng.
The museum displayed antique zithers from central Europe.
Tone-amplifying wooden surface
- stringsThin flexible lines
- bridgeStructure spanning an obstacle
- fretsWorries or string dividers
- fingerboardString instrument's pitch surface
resonator · trapezoid · rectangular · picks · plectrums · hammers · luthier · craftsmanship
Removing by tugging
- strummingSweeping across guitar strings
- fingerpickingPlucking strings by hand
- hammeringStriking repeatedly with force
- bowingBending forward in deference
tremolo · glissando · pizzicato · harmonics · vibrato · arpeggios · tablature · tuning
Japanese plucked string instrument
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- toneQuality of sound
- timbreSound's distinctive character
- sustainKeep something going continuously
- acousticRelating to sound
melodic · harmonic · delicate · shimmering · ethereal · meditative · plangent · bright
Following long-held customs
- alpineOf high elevations
- AppalachianEastern U.S. mountain region
- PersianOf or from Iran
- KoreanOf the peninsula nation
Vietnamese · Baltic · European · Asian · ceremonial · regional · ethnomusicology · world-music
soundboard
Tone-amplifying wooden surface
fingerboard · resonator · trapezoid · rectangular · picks · plectrums · hammers · luthier · craftsmanship · inlay
plucking
Removing by tugging
- strummingSweeping across guitar strings
- fingerpickingPlucking strings by hand
- hammeringStriking repeatedly with force
bowing · tremolo · glissando · pizzicato · harmonics · vibrato · arpeggios · tablature · tuning · fretting
koto
Japanese plucked string instrument
resonance
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
acoustic · melodic · harmonic · delicate · shimmering · ethereal · meditative · plangent · bright · warm
traditional
Following long-held customs
- alpineOf high elevations
- AppalachianEastern U.S. mountain region
- PersianOf or from Iran
Korean · Vietnamese · Baltic · European · Asian · ceremonial · regional · ethnomusicology · world-music · heritage
- instrumentsguitars, piano, pianos, drum, drums
- Chinese musicerhu, gong, ban, Beijing opera, Peking opera
- folk instrumentsbanjo, bodhrán, mandolin, harmonica, fiddle
- Baltic folksong festivals, wedding songs, harvest songs, seasonal songs, work songs