Musima chord zither

I promised zither pics, didn't I?



This "Musima" 3-chord zither is a relatively new instrument, built in 1987 in the former GDR. (I'm calling it relatively new because, frankly, not many zithers are being built these days.) You may notice that 3 chords (C, F, G) are not very many. While this immediately invites all kinds of communism jokes (it's the GDR, they couldn't afford more chords... you know, you know), in this particular case it's not that they ran out of tones. Rather, it's an instrument intended for children. It's almost normal-sized (it has to be, considering the length of the strings demanded by physics) and - very unusually - has a full chromatic (!) scale. (Typical chord zithers tend to have ten tones per octave. This one actually has twelve. It's a bit weird, but, okay. I'll have to get used to it.)

Ahem.

Anyway - I got this one not because I expected to receive a good instrument (it's a GDR product, ffs!) but because I liked the design. The flower motif is a classic - this particular combination of flowers (poppy, cornflower, ...) isn't chosen randomly but represents the typical flowers you'd find growing on the edge of a grain field. As a whole, this design represents something like a good harvest or, more generally, prosperity. It's very common in German folk art. It's less common to put it on a bright orange background, though. XD I think the designer chose this a) to make the instrument more appealing to young girls, and b) because orange is associated with autumn and harvest, too, so it's strangely appropriate. I think it's a really cool design!

The sound quality is... Well. I wonder why-oh-why this sounds like a badly made plywood box with some wires. (It's bad plywood, too...) At least it's in good shape - no cracks in the wood, no rust on strings or pins. Of course, I wasn't able to tune it yet (you know how it is with wood instruments: they need to get used to the new room climate for a few weeks first; otherwise, they will be ruined), and actually playing it is going to be difficult because of the weird tuning, but it's a cute instrument for sure! :3

Inappropriate Zither Design

Okay, guys, this one is weird.



It's a good instrument, no doubt. I will have to wait with tuning (for the same reason as mentioned in the previous post), but it's already obvious that this is an excellent chord zither. Nice, clear, and loud! :) I wasn't able to find out when the instrument was made, but, eh, it's seriously good. In good shape, too - just dirty, some superficial scratches, but not seriously damaged. (One string is missing, but I can replace that.) It's a 6-chord 'mandolin zither' (that is, the melody strings are doubled) with chromatic tuning - absolutely not what I'm used to, but, okay.

But... who the heck designed that?!?!?



This has to be the least appropriate zither art I've ever seen... Actually, that's the reason I bought this thing: exactly my kind of humor... (I burst out laughing when I saw it!) But there's no real doubt the design is also the reason this instrument was dirt cheap: the target group is... Uh, close to nonexistent. For several reasons:

a) Naked lady. German folk art -> nudity -> no-no. This is not an instrument you could display to guests in the living-room of your traditional-style household... (Even less so at the time this was built, actually.)
b) Naked lady on a product for an almost exclusively female target group (men don't play the chord zither! XD), which kind of limits the target group further.
c) Grossly inappropriate symbolism. Like... Water lilies, in German folklore, symbolize death by drowning. So, for that matter, do mermaids. Who on earth thought a death-by-drowning-themed instrument was a great idea?!?

Anyway... I think the design is brilliant in its weirdness, and of course I simply had to have this one! :D

Fomen zither

This "Fomen" 5/21 chord zither is, if I have to guess, from the '50s, maybe?!?



The design is inoffensive, but, as far as I can tell, meaningless - it's some flower thingy I can't identify. (Most likely, the designer tried to do something in the style of older zithers, but without having a solid grounding in folklore and folk art. Ah, city people... LOL. Anyway: Some Flower Thingy it is.)

This instrument needs some repairs, the lower part came a bit loose and rattles - I can fix that, it's just mildly annoying. (Also, the instrument was sold as decoration-only, so I can't really complain.) Otherwise, it's in okayish shape. Sounds a bit thin, but clear, which will make it an excellent practice instrument once it's fixed. (It's quiet enough, so it won't disturb the neighbors! Important consideration! LOL)

I wanted this one because it has the tuning I need! 10 tones per octave, which is how it's supposed to be! XD Like... No, okay, I know almost everyone considers this scale obsolete - but, I mean, it's the most useful for German folk music. And also, this is how I learned it. There's nothing wrong with chromatic-scale instruments, I just prefer this tuning...