How the bar zither makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the bar zither belongs to the bar zithers: strings are stretched along a rigid bar or stick, often with a gourd resonator.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
Bar zither is class of musical instruments (subset of zither) within the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system for a type of chordophone (stringed instrument), in which the body of the instrument is shaped like a bar.
In the system, bar zithers are made up of musical bows and stick zithers. Musical bows have flexible ends, stick zithers are rigid or have only one flexed end. Bar zithers, whether musical bow or stick zithers, often have some form of resonator. Examples of resonators include the player's mouth, an attached gourd or an inflated balloon or bladder.
Other bar zithers
Frequently asked questions
What does a bar zither sound like?
As one of the bar zithers, its sound comes from the way strings are stretched along a rigid bar or stick, often with a gourd resonator.
What type of instrument is the bar zither?
It is classified as bar zithers (Hornbostel–Sachs 311).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q30034751 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Bar zither – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Unknown author Unknown author – Public domain