Hora Stringed Instruments Child's Small Zither Cymbala

This is a remake of the ubiquitous "Nepenenoyka" Zither, made for years in Belarus and often sold as "product of U.S.S.R. If you can find one of those, get it, because they are better....why, better looking with a grained (laminated) top which helps it not not look like a toy (its not a toy) AND because the Nepenenoyka version used heavier gauge strings which stay in tune better and create a more "silvery" sound. These copies are pretty good though. Bear the following in mind 1. It's a real musical instrument, used on several film scores, including Gladiator (100% true I assure you) 2. Hard to tune? Yes and no. The tuning lever the Hora is supplied with is a "hora"...way too small so zero leverage. Most celtic harp or autoharp tuning hammers will fit this and do the job miles better. Also...do not press down hard on the lever as you tune, as you will bend the string as you do it thus raising the pitch in a not useful way! The instrument WILL actually hold it's tuning very well, but if one note always slips just tap the tuning pin with a hammer to bed it down better...it'll then hold. It sounds better played on a tabletop and even better still if raised very slightly try putting a pencil under the back end of it. BE CAREFUL not to break a string, they are really really hard to replace and you'd probably leave a sharp string end sticking out (so not for young kids). They sound best played with fingernails or second best with a pick. I gave one of these to a friend who'd suffered a really bad stroke...it was so helpful to him as he rewired bits of his mind by hearing and repeating musical intervals. The horrid label on it makes it look like a toy (it's a real musical instrument). I managed to get the label off...with some difficulty but it was worth it! All in all. well worth having!

you'll spend all of your time just trying to tune it. There are no instructions, and no key to tell you which wire is what note. Having said that, even if you have the knowledge to know the notes (and this is supposed to be an instrument for beginner children), you will never get the wires to stay in tune. Every time I pick it up, all I do is tune it. By the time I get it tuned, it's time to put the instrument away and get on with other things. The next time I pick it up, I spend all my time trying to tune it. There is absolutely no point in this instrument.....a child would never get to play it, any more than a musically inclined adult who has played the guitar most of her life would.

Hora Child's Small Zither.Tuned it with my snark guitar tuner clipped to one of the string pegs, without a digital tuner I would find it very hard to tune...Little harp has a lovely ringing tone when in tune,I only got 3 music sheets with mine, no pick or spare string either! I did read that some come with 12 sheets of music! but hey-ho it doesn't really matter to me.Build quality is good and it seems solidly made. I want to make my own little tunesheets for it eventually.I found if you place it over an open biscuit tin it increases the volume quite well (after you have eaten all the biscuits that is)Given 4/5 because of missing parts..

The product is beautiful to behold. However, the tunes provided are not very inspiring for a young child, and I am finding difficulty sourcing suitable music. Also, it came without a pick; easy to remedy, but a bit of a nuisance.

A well-made instrument with a beautiful sound: clear, bright and euphonious: but an absolute b****r to tune - and keep in tune. You need a mother with perfect pitch! And the tuning tool is utterly inadequate.

We never really got the use out of it that we hoped. It is difficult to keep in tune and the sheet music is limited with no wider selection available that we can find.

A little disappointed as cymbala was difficult to tune and does not hold tuning well. However, received promptly, in good condition.

Instrument good but music provided limited and packaging very scruffy which was disappointing as it was a present.quite expensive too.