Scheitholt

What it means

The scheitholt is an old German plucked instrument with a long, usually rectangular body resembling a plank. A single melody string, stopped with the fingers, typically runs over a fretted board on top, accompanied by several drone strings that ring along without being stopped.

Its name derives from its original construction from a split log (a 'Scheit'), out of which body and soundboard were carved as one piece.

Musical use

The scheitholt was widespread mainly in northern Germany as a simple folk instrument used to provide drone accompaniment to songs and dances. It was usually played resting on the lap or on a table, the right hand plucking or strumming with a plectrum while the left hand shortened the melody string on the fretted board.

The scheitholt is considered the ancestor of the later fretted zither that developed from it and spread further in the nineteenth century; it is also closely related to the North American Appalachian dulcimer, which German immigrants brought with them and further developed.

The scheitholt should be distinguished from the hammered dulcimer, which likewise has strings over a resonating body but is struck with small hammers rather than stopped by fretting, and from concert zithers with separate melody and accompaniment string fields.

Performance practice

Lay the scheitholt flat in front of you so both hands can work freely. Practice letting the drone strings ring evenly before focusing on the melody line on the fretted board, since both layers of sound must sustain at the same time.