Musima Kinder Zither

This children's zither (the literal translation of Kinder Zither) differs a little from the instruments previously shown, in that it is an Akkordzither, having two groups of Chord strings at the left edge (unlike the others, which are normally played with the strings horizontal, this is played with the strings vertical), and only twelve rather than fifteen melody strings.

One's left thumb strums a selected chord group to accompany the melody being plucked with one's right hand. Mostly too much for me so far, but I have given it some tries, and am getting better at it -- though so far at the cost of any relaxation or enjoyment of playing. I'm not sure that there isn't still therapeutic benefit though, so I will keep trying.

Larger versions of Akkordzither can have many chord groups and many more melody strings, and are chromatic rather than diatonic. This zither, and those previously illustrated, are diatonic, meaning the strings correspond to a single key, seven of the twelve notes possible in a a full octave. A chromatic instrument can play in any of the keys, and handle notes with "accidentals" -- the sharps or flats that alter a note from the standard pitch for that key.

You may recognize the shape of this instrument (and to a lesser extent then Harbert Italiana Jr Zither) as being very similar to that of the Autoharp, with most of the strings feeding into an angle, then squared off at the base end. Here, that serves the needs of the chord group, but I'm not sure why it happens on the Autoharp.Though since pianos and true harps have a curved version of the same sort of thing, it probably has an accoustical significance I just don't understand yet.

Musima seems to have been the leading producer of Akkordzithers in its 1953-1990 era. It was a government owned operation in Markneukirchen, in the DDR, also known as East Germany, and like many such concerns, did not do well after German reunification in 1989 threw it into free competition with the world. My zither dates from 1982.

Like my previous zithers, the Kinderzither is also distinguished by under-the-strings note sheets, something Autoharps lack, and soon I will try copying some music sheets from the others, reducing them to fit the narrower string spacing (ignoring the chord strings for now). I will need to choose for the narrow range and different key, so that is not a rush job.

Even with the temporarily limited selection of tunes, this is still good Pluck Play.

Perepelochka

Made in Belorus, the former Soviet Republic west of Russia, these fun little instruments are found in many better toy stores, along with extra music sets such as those in the background of the photo. That's a newer version to the left and an older to the right. There has been at least one additional version of the bird logo and "Перепелочка" label ("Perepelochka" -- but "transliterated in eBay listings as Nepenenoyka, Nepenenoc4ka, Nepeneaouka, and who knows what, by those unfamiliar with Cyrillic script).

"Perepelochka" is either "a little bird," or some specific little bird; it is also the name of a traditional Russian song, so it is frustrating me that I haven't been able to pin that down.The American importer, European Expressions, avoids that question, as well as the question of whether they instrument is a Lap Harp or a Zither, by marketing it as "Music Maker."

In spite of the differences in appearance and construction, these are functionally and aurally almost identical to the Harbert Italiana "Jr Zither" illustrated in my previous post. The music sheets aren't quite interchangable, due to the different shapes and different standard tunings (G major for the Perepelochka, C major for the Harbert Italiana), but either can be tuned for the other's key, and the music sheets used by photocopying (a slight reduction/enlargement helps, but isn't totally necesary) and trimming to the other's shape.

These are very satisfactory toys, and are well worth getting, especially for those whose age or disabilities may preclude other instruments.

Good pluck play.

A beginning

Various musical instruments in toy stores have long caught my eye, but I either have been put off by some aspect of quality or function, or have been totally deterred by price. Since becoming re-enthused about music by way of a video soundtrack, I have been looking again, and the "Music Maker" children's zither (or lap harp) appealed greatly, albeit at a daunting $30-$33.

Last week in my favorite sellers space at the Aurora Antique Pavilion, I found a Harbert Italiana "Jr Zither," with several markdowns bringing it to $6, and including a selection of music sheets. Cheap enough for a trial.

The zither is great! I even found an online site that helped me tune it (and also has audio samples if you are curious what this type of instrument sounds like).

The cool thing about these and their ilk is that the music slides under the strings, so playing is like dot-to-dot. You are watching your fingers and the notes at the same time, instead of looking back and forth and having to translate. Also you only use one hand to play, rather than two hands having to try to do different things -- something that runs up against the cross-coordination problems so often found with Aspergers Syndrome (though many Aspies have exceptional musical ability - there is a lot of variation among us).

Many of my better pleasures have been toy store finds. For years, I often felt a little awkward about this, but since my Aspergers Syndrome diagnosis, I have come to accept that pervasive developmental disabilities can make toy stores a very appropriate activity source. Much of the time "beginners" or "hobbyist" materials for adults are just too demanding.