Zitherist William Kolb has often wondered, as many players of stringed instruments surely have, what's behind the strings which eventually find their way to his zither. On a recent trip to Germany, his long standing questions were answered. It was here, in Erlbach, Germany, that he was provided with an opportunity to witness the string manufacturing process first hand by paying a visit to the skilled craftsmen at Lenzner string manufacturers.

Anton Karas, through his music in the film 'The Third Man', propelled the zither to new heights of popularity around the world. In this article, Dr. Günter Wittenstein details the life and zithers of Anton Karas, whose zither music carried the mood and so brilliantly accented the plot of The Third Man movie.

Gerhard Strassgschwandtner works as a guide in Vienna, Austria and collects all kind of objects related to the movie The Third Man, which was shot in the postwar ruins of Vienna in 1948. Passion meets profession when Gerhard decides to create a museum out of his extensive collection. On September 15, 2005 the Third Man Museum is officially opened by the British Ambassador and the Vienna City Councilor for Culture.

The zither, with its full range of tones, is perfectly suited for solo interpretations of folk music. Folk music, with its close ties to folk dances and folk songs, is an expression of the regional identities from which it has evolved. In this article, zitherist Uwe Schmid provides an excellent survey of traditional Bavarian folk music.

In the early days of the zither, variations on how to tune the zither abounded. However, over time, two predominant methods of tuning the zither emerged. These two tuning methods are known as Munich and Viennese tuning. This article will walk you through the steps required to tune your zither to what is commonly referred to as "Munich tuning". If you've never tuned a zither before, tuning the strings that lay before you may seem like a daunting task. Don't be deterred.

Zither players should avoid approaching the warm-up process in an ad-hoc and unstructured manner. Like each practice session, warm-ups should be arranged in order to make the most gains for the time invested. Doing so will help facilitate memorization, expand one's repertoire and, over time, once difficult passages will be played with greater confidence and fluency. In this article, Jane Curtis offers sage advice on how to make the most of the warm-up process.

Adam Darr was a guitar and zither virtuoso. His zither method was well received and would go on to be published in three languages. In this article, Fritz Stang explores the life of the artist through letters written by A. Darr to his publisher, P.Ed.Hoenes. In these, A Darr's hopes and ambitions, as well as his frustrations, are revealed. Authored by Fritz Stang, this article has been translated from the original German by Jane Curtis.

Did George Washington play the zither? Follow Jane Curtis as she investigates the musical inclinations of our nation's Founding Father and clears up some previously held misconceptions in the process. Jane continues with a biographical sketch of Franz Schwarzer, Missouri's famous zither maker.

Zither players from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey convened once again for the 30th Sterling Zither Seminar. Jane Curtis served as host for the event and also led the zither enthusiasts through the seminar program, which spanned two days. The seminar was held at the Greenspring retirement community in Springfield, VA. This entry includes Jane Curtis's report on the event and the program for the zither pieces played during the seminar.

Are you interested in learning how to play the zither? Are you wondering how to start? Your initial challenge is to first locate a zither, find resources to help you learn how to play and then to instill playing habits that will help you to master the instrument over time. This article will attempt to address some of the initial questions a prospective zither player may have on where to begin. If you already play another stringed instrument, you will find that much of what you know also holds true for the zither.