Altzither strings and tuning

[Andy]

Hello all,

Before the end of last year, I placed an order for a new Altzither. After months of waiting, it has finally arrived - and naturally after a three month wait, the first thing I did was break the D string on the fretboard... doh...

Which brings me to my question - Is the Altzither tuned the same as the Harfenzither? (A = 440 and so forth?). Also, are any of you familiar with a place in the states to get new Altzither strings? I'm cringing at the idea of waiting another 3 months for a set of strings to arrive.

Thank you much,
- Andy

[Andy]

Oof, I understand my mistake now. Its a half octave lower, the D string on the Fretboard is an A. E E A D G not A A D G C. Oh my head. Thankfully I had a spare accompaniment A string lying around that fit and tuned up well - still not he right material, but a nice hold over until a suitable replacement arrives.

- Andy

[DonO]

Andy-

My Zither is an Altzither (you'll find it pictured elsewhere on the Zither US Forum). If you need a tuning guide for the Altzither strings, send me an email (DonOffinger@gmail.com) and I'll be glad to share and email you back my running guide....it is very useful to know what each string tunes to. I think I have attached it here, but if it didn't take send me an email.

As to strings, I've always gotten a good deal from Schneidermusik.de . There you will find Lenzner Soloklang, Bergfee and Pyramid. They ship by UPS, which can be a bit pricey depending on what the Euro->Dollar exchange is; but the package comes within days.

alt zither tuning guide.pdf

(828.21 KiB) Downloaded 402 times

[Andy]

Don,

Thank you very much for the info, and for the chart, thats a big help. Its nice to see that the tuning on the free-strings isn't all too complicated, looks like all the notes have just shifted down one.

- Andy

[DonO]

Andy-

Delighted to be of help. I know you will find the tuning guide for the AltZither strings a wonderful resource. Tune your strings to those pitches, but know that you play your strings like you would a concert zither. If you play in an ensemble of key of C zithers, you will have to transpose your notes accordingly as the AltZither is in the key of F. Some years ago I played with a zither ensemble nearby, and the director (Kathryn Prinz) was very kind to provide me with the AltZither tuning guide, and I am happy to provide it to you.

[Rudy Mueller]

Thanks Don and Andy,

Is the stringing of the "alt Zither" in the vein of the discussion raised in "Zither for D"? Check this site "OTHER ZITHERS", then click "zither for D".

"Why" did the alt zither come about? Did some of the olde Austrians also have issues? Hmmmm.

Rudi

[DonO]

Rudi-

My guess is that similar to a brass quartet/quintet of Trumpet(s), French Horn, Trombone and Tuba, the AltZither takes the similar place as the French Horn in the ensemble.

I would be interested to know, however, why the name "Alt"Zither.

BTW, are you back to ZitherSundays? I always enjoyed hearing what you were having for lunch.