Between harpsichord and grand piano paradigms—Acoustical differences of modern fretted zithers

Fretted zithers, also known as concert zithers, originated in the Alpine region during the mid-19th century. As a relatively young instrument, their construction is still evolving. This study examines the acoustic properties of two modern zithers, which, while having similar shapes, have very different underlying designs. The bending wave propagation on both instruments is measured using a miniature impact hammer to excite the instruments at the bridge and a laser Doppler vibrometer to measure time-dependent velocity responses. The detected acoustical differences between the two zithers are compared to similar measurements from grand piano and harpsichord soundboards to judge their musical meaning. The traditionally constructed zither shows some similarities to the vibrational behavior of a grand piano, which may reflect their shared origins in the Romantic period and, thus, similar musical aesthetics. Conversely, the second zither exhibited some acoustic parallels to harpsichords, possibly reflecting the needs of modern musicians moving away from traditional zither music.