Zitherist

Zither

Typical concert (or fretted) zither
String instrument
Classification	(Chordophone), String instrument
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	314.122-4 (Simple chordophone sounded by hammers)
Developed	Antiquity

Zither (/ˈzɪ.ðər/ or /ˈzɪ.θər/,German: [ˈtsɪtɐ]) is a class of stringed instruments.

The word zither is a German rendering of the Latin word cithara, from which the modern word "guitar" also derives. Historically, it has been applied to any instrument of the cittern family, or an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat body – similar to a psaltery. This article describes the second variety.

Zithers are played by strumming or plucking the strings, either with the fingers (sometimes using an accessory called a plectrum or pick), sounding the strings with a bow, or, with varieties of the instrument like the santur or cimbalom, by beating the strings with specially shaped hammers. Like a guitar or lute, a zither's body serves as a resonating chamber (sound box), but, unlike guitars and lutes, a zither lacks a distinctly separate neck assembly. The number of strings varies, from one to more than fifty.