The basic elements of the Zither and fundamental characteristics of its sound

TT: Please describe for the readers of Suoi Nguon the basic elements of the zither as well as the fundamental characteristics of its sound.

TQH: The Vietnamese zither is the smallest in size among all other zithers currently used in Asia. The body length measures from 100 cm to 110 cm. The size of the larger end is from 17 cm to 20 cm, and the size of the smaller end is from 12 cm to 15 cm. The sound board is made of special wood called in Vietnamese “ngô đồng” bent into semi circular shape. Currently in Vietnam, the sound board is made of ordinary wood resulting in a low quality sound, and furthermore the wood is not treated properly making the body of the instrument less resistant to the large change in temperature in European and North American countries. The ends of the instrument are made of hard wood, and the bottom is a thin piece of wood having three holes. The hole at the head of the zither has a shape of a half circle, where the strings are securely tied. The hole in the middle has rectangular shape, where fingers would be inserted to carry the instrument around. The third hole which is round and small, is used to hang the instrument on the wall. A zither hung on the wall is considered as a piece of decoration, as well as a “signal” telling the male visitor that there is a young girl living in the home.

At the head of the instrument, there is a curbed copper wire used as a bridge to support 16 steel strings, noting that in the old days, until the end of the 18th century, the strings were made of silk, then until the beginning of the 20th century, the string were made of brass. Each string running from the bridge at the head to the other end of the instrument, is also supported in the middle by a wooden bridge which could be moved back and forth to change the tonality of the sound. The old zither could cover three octaves, whereas the modern ones can cover four octaves with 25 strings.

Traditionally, Vietnamese in the north and in the centre play the zither with three fingers (the thumb, the index and the middle finger), whereas people in the south play with only two fingers (the thumb and the index). Players must grow their fingernails long enough to pluck the strings, otherwise they must wear plectra

There are many ways to play the zither. The most popular technique among the young generation would be “surfing” the strings making a long string of sounds. The players always use both hands, with fingers on the right hand plucking the strings, and fingers on the left hand pressing on the strings being plucked to slightly change the tone making the sound more pleasant. (Notes: the author has described several complex ways to play the zither, which are too technical to translate).