zither
A flat stringed instrument played by plucking, strumming, or striking the strings.
In Depth
The zither is a flat, box-shaped instrument with strings stretched across its entire length. The concert zither, popular in Central European folk music, has melody strings played with a plectrum on the thumb and accompaniment strings plucked with the fingers of the other hand.
The zither family is one of the broadest in organology — it includes the autoharp, hammered dulcimer, psaltery, and even the piano (which is technically a struck zither). The most famous zither music is Anton Karas's The Third Man theme, played on a concert zither for the 1949 film. The instrument's tremolo technique and bell-like harmonics create a uniquely haunting, atmospheric sound.
Anton Karas's Third Man theme, played entirely on a zither, spent 11 weeks at number one on the charts in 1950 — the only zither recording ever to top the pop charts.