Swiss musical instruments

Zither (; , from the Greek , ) is a class of stringed instruments, and the term also refers to a specific subset of instruments of the zither class, most usually the concert or Alpine zithers. The modern instrument has many strings stretched across a thin, flat body.

thumb|Video of a hurdy-gurdy being played

thumb|Eliana Burki playing the alphorn at the Bardentreffen festival in [[Nuremberg 2009]]

thumb|Shepherd playing the shawm (1646), by Jan Baptist Wolfaerts|Jan Baptist Wolffort (Dutch [[Rijksmuseum)]]

The cittern or cithren (Fr. cistre, It. cetra, Ger. Cister, Sp. cistro, cedra, cítola) is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is descended from the medieval citole (or cytole). Its flat-back design was simpler and cheaper to construct than the lute. It was also easier to play, smaller, less delicate and more portable. Played by people of all social classes, the cittern was a popular instrument of casual music-making much like the guitar is today.

The rebec (sometimes rebecha, rebeckha, and other spellings, pronounced or ) is a bowed stringed instrument of the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. In its most common form, it has a narrow boat-shaped body and one to five strings.

musical instrument

musical instrument

Instrument consisting of a glockenspiel operated by a piano keyboard

right|250px The Schwyzerörgeli is a small diatonic button accordion used in Swiss folk music. It produces a mellow sound and is a popular instrument in folk dance and Ländler ensembles with clarinet and double bass.

plucked string instrument widely used in north-western Europe from pre-Christian to medieval times