Curt Schulz

“ They may be considered as close rivals of the violin, which they much resemble in tone. The finger-board is the same as that of the zither. Beneath the head is a little foot to steady the instrument, which is placed on the edge of a table, while the body rests on the lap of the seated player. This position, together with the fretted finger-board, gives it a considerable advantage over the violin as regards ease in acquiring proficiency, and difficult violin music can be mastered in a comparatively short time. ”

“ Some professors in Germany are not content with less than 40 or even 46 strings, but as the additional strings lie beyond the range of the hand, and can therefore only be used in very slow tempo, they are of little practical advantage, and only tend to increase the size of the instrument. ”

“ The fingers and thumb of the left hand are placed on the frets, the three fingers of the right hand are devoted to the bass and accompaniment strings, while its thumb is used to strike the melody strings, the operation of the left hand alone being insufficient to produce the full sound.
The thumb of the right hand is provided with a partially-opened ring with which to strike the melody strings. The best rings are of silver or gold. The ring is to the zither what the bow is to the violin. ”