HOW TO RE-STRING A CONCERT ZITHER

[@yvoncodere7648]

I am very happy to have found your video. Without it, I would have not been able to string my Concert Zither made by J. Haslwanter in Germany about 150 years ago.

[@zithergirl]

Thanks for your nice comment, glad it helped. Are you going to play the instrument?

[@ducttapeallthetime]

Great video and explanation! Super helpful and informative, thank you!

[@zithergirl]

Thanks for watching❣

[@janemorriss4548]

Thanks so much

[@ilseharris4434]

thanks for watching and comment!❤

[@natalyaizergina8837]

Brilliantly clear instruction, thank you very much!!❤

[@zithergirl]

glad it helped, thanks for looking at my channel.Write if you have any other zither problems, I'll help if I can.

[@dr.zither]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@ilseharris4434]

Thank you for watching. Hope it helps people. I'm always happy to answer emails if there are more questions.

[@ImCarolB]

I am glad to find your channel! I just came into possession of my great-grandfather's concert zither. It was made by Franz Schwartzer in Missouri, USA, in 1891, and bought by my ggf after 1894, when he emigrated from Vienna to NYC. It is missing some strings and no doubt the ones that are there are well over 100 years old, as he died in 1912. I will give the zither to my two grandsons who are very enthusiastic about playing instruments from "the Old Country".

[@DieterLo1]

After practicing each day little bit as beginner it is getting better. Simple Melodie’s are possible and few chords also work, but needs training for finger 2 and 3 to handle it more constantly and gradually faster. It was not easy!!! Patience and strong will was necessary. But feel good about each little betterment. Greetings from Germany!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

I find that removing all the Strings at once allows me to polish my zither so it really shines in the Spotlight & clean those Frets.

[@ilseharris4434]

Thanks for comment. I agree for an experienced player it would be ok to remove all strings and do other maintenance work at the same time. But I write for people who are not experts, live in countries where there are no repairers, or people who are new to the zither and don't know how it is tuned. I also showed in the video that I save old strings and put them in the packet where I took out the new string, always good to have a replacement even an old one, especially here in far off Australia. I'm lucky to have a fairly new zither and brought a set of spare strings from Germany.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@@ilseharris4434 I'm a multi-Instrumentalist & Singer so I always do that w/ any zither. I also recycle my strings so they can be reused. I love using Optima Strings (Bergfee Blue) because they do produce a Special Sound. The Melody Strings are Chrome Nickel Flatwound & the Accompaniment Strings (as well as the Basses & Contrabasses) are Silk & Steel.

[@roderichunicorn8056]

If it's not too stupid of me to ask... After you remove all the strings and replace them with new ones, how do you install them? Admittedly I have a chord zither, but it's hard to find information on any zither maintenance, so I may as well try asking here. The thought about placing new strings gives me anxiety because of the enormous tension the whole instrument is under. Instinctively I'd try to install them all quite loosely and tune them gradually in many rounds not to stress any part of the zither too much. But would it be enough to preserve safety?

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@@roderichunicorn8056 They have to be special gauges w/ a low enough tension to make it easier. There's lots of videos on how to put these strings on.

[@roderichunicorn8056]

@@RockStarOscarStern634 Thank you very much for your reply. I'll look for some videos then.

[@Omriki_triki]

Thank you so much ! this is very helpful 💕🫶🏻

[@ilseharris4434]

Thanks for watching. I am only an email away if you have more questions.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

zithergirl I always recycle my Strings when I restring an instrument that has quite alot. The Red Strings on a Zither mark the C#/F/A Augmented Chord (for the Quint & Alto Zithers it's G#/C/E), this is very akin to the Harp w/ the Red C Strings & Blue F Strings because it makes it easier to see where your hands are when you're strumming. Optima Strings are my favorite because they come in 3 Different Types, Green for Nylon Core Silver platted Copper Wound Accompaniment Strings & Phosphor Bronze Flatwound Melody Strings, Blue for Steel Core Nylon Silk Wound Accompaniment Strings & Chrome Nickel Flatwound Strings, & finally Red for Silk & Steel Core Silver Platted Copper Wound Accompaniment Strings & Silver Platted Copper Wound Melody Strings. They make sets for Extended Vienna Tuning (42 String Harp Zither Sets) going down to a Low C#1 which is a whole step above the Lowest note on a 5 String Bass Guitar as well as a Fretboard F String.

[@ir.assuncaoguedes1325]

Excellent!

[@ilseharris4434]

thank you for feedback♥

[@ir.assuncaoguedes1325]

@@ilseharris4434I would like to have your adress

[@anonjr]

I'm an apprentice luthier, and I mostly work with guitar and orchestral stringed instruments. I noticed you tuner was set to 438 instead of 440. Is that a personal preference or what I should change my tuner to? My grandmother recently passed and one of my uncles is taking her old zither. I'm doing some repairs and cleanup (well, as best I can. First zither I've worked on) and want to make sure I get it as right as I can.

[@spaceair1]

Hi! when user can now that you need to replace strings strings? Thank you!

[@ilseharris4434]

Hi Borut B. Thanks for watching.I live in Australia and I have to buy strings from Germany. A full 42 string set costs abt EU 130 plus postage. Important to play with clean hands and keep zither covered when not in use, keep instrument away from moisture, temparature changes.Some proffi. players say every few months. I keep mine for a few years as I only play at home. The contra bass strings dont need replacing if you don't play them. I replace a string if it sounds dull. The thin E 8 string breaks the most with me, maybe I'm rough with my fingers?I know prof guitar players who say they replace strings" when needed." Merry Christmas from Australia. Ilse

[@spaceair1]

@@ilseharris4434 stell or nylon strings?