zither tuning

[Richard Moody]

----- Original Message -----
From: Jason Kanter <jkanter@rollingball.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 10:03 PM
Subject: Re: zither tuning


| >From http://www.zithers.com/Stringing.html
|
| There are two zither stringing formats in use today:
Munich and Vienna.
| Munich is the most commonly used because it incorporates
every note in the
| chromatic scale encompassed by the scope of the
instrument. The stringing
| pattern on the fretboard is like the violin family, a
fifth apart. The open
| strings are in the circle of fifths, broken between Eb and
Ab an laid flat
| on the zither, similar to a accordion layout.

I am wondering if the tuning is actually "broken" between Eb
and G#? (Instead of Ab)    If tuned according to the circle
of 5ths, Ab is not the same as G#.   To illustrate, a common
tuning scheme since 1523,  5ths are tuned up from C to G#.
Then another series is tuned from C down to Eb.   Thus the
"break" or "wolf" occurs between Eb--G#.

Consider the series.by 5ths up....
C--G--D--A--E--B--F#--C#--G#
And the series by 5ths down from C--F--Bb--Eb.......The next
note would be Ab but that has already been tuned to G#.
These two notes are not the same unless tuned by ET.
---ric




|
| In addition to the basic 29 fretboard, accompaniment and
bass strings,
| zithers may have 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 13 contra bass strings -
the full harp
| zither has 42 strings (5 fretboard and 37 open strings).
In some early
| versions, and on perfecta zithers, the contra basses were
arranged in the
| same circle of fifths as the accompaniment and bass
strings. Munich tuning
| was often expressed in treble clef (violin key, or similar
to guitar clef)
| but today is mostly written in bass clef.
|
| Viennese Tuning was/is prevalent in Austria/Hungarian
Empire regions (i.e.,
| Bohemia, Vienna) and stems from the teachings of Carl J.
Umlauf in the
| middle 19th Centry, while Munich Tuning generally
speaking, stems from the
| teachings of Adam Darr and others in Bavaria. Viennese
tuning was always
| written in bass clef.
|
| Zithers tuned in the Viennese mode have 38 strings - the
addition of the
| first accompaniment string of ab-0 and 8 contra bass
strings comprise the
| total strings. Other differences are the fretboard has a
high "g" instead of
| two "a¹s", strings g-5 and f#-10 are an octave higher, and
5 contra basses
| are inserted in the bass strings: Eb-13, F-15, D-18, E-20
and C#-23.
| Zitherists working in entertainment settings often
utilized the 5 contra
| basses, but not other features of the Viennese tuning.
|
|
|
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| jason kanter * piano tuning * piano teaching
| bellevue, wa * 425 562 4127 * cell 425 831 1561
| orcas island * 360 376 2799
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|
|
| From: "Keith Roberts" <kpiano@goldrush.com>
| Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
| Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 15:46:53 -0700
| To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
| Subject: zither tuning
|
|
| I had a customer ask if I knew how to tune a zither. About
two octaves of
| tuning pins and a fretted section with guitar type tuning
pegs. I think I
| saw one once about 40 years ago. Can't recall if anyone
played it.
| Keith R.
|
|
|