IN a quaint worker’s cottage in heart of Victoria’s Otways, a group of novice musicians are strumming away, reviving a lost musical art.
But the Birregurra locals, mostly retirees, are not part of a ukulele group. They’re playing zithers – a small harp-like instrument popular in Germany and Austria about a century ago.
They are part of an ensemble called Running with Zithers, started by zither fanatic Angie Smales in her tiny “Hansel and Gretel” home in Birregurra, near Colac.
Angie, whose family emigrated to Australia from Germany when she was 15, remembers her grandmother in Stuttgart yodelling and playing the zither. But it wasn’t until years later, as an empty nester, that the potter decided to take lessons and started dabbling in the instrument.
“I wanted to be able to play a musical instrument well,” she said. “Like most of us I could sort of play guitar and recorder, but it was always stilted and I was very jealous of people who were fluent.
“Then one day someone gave me a zither, which came with tune sheets you slip under the melody strings and follow. “It was like a revelation because it is so easy to play. You can lose yourself in the music and there’s no stress.”
Angie’s interest quickly turned into a passion, and she began buying and restoring antique zithers with her biologist husband Ian who is also a cabinetmaker (and the group’s percussionist).
She said what make zithers ideal for people who want to learn to play an instrument is that you don’t need to be able to read music.
“Add to this their ethereal, harp-like sound, and they provide instant fun, allowing the budding musicians to just play – hitting the musical floor running, so to speak,” she said.
So every week, a small group of disciples joins Angie in her cosy lounge room for a zither jam, playing everything from Elvis hits to traditional folk songs.
On the day The Senior visits, the group is busy rehearsing for a festival in Birregurra. Colac retiree Anne Branscheid has been playing the zither for a year and said joining the group is the best thing she’s done.
“I have always wanted to play an instrument and thought it was too late to learn,” she said. “I’m still getting used to some of the songs, but now I have my very own zither and love coming every week and playing.”
Angie, who is also part of a quintet called Rock, Paper, Zithers, said playing the zither is great for keeping the mind sharp. “I call it my Alzheimer prevention program.
“One of our zitherists is in her 80s and plays it at home to relax. She just puts on her Blue Danube waltz and plays at her own pace.” As well as the Monday morning Running with Zithers ensemble and beginners’ “zither run” sessions,
Angie runs zithering workshops and also the Zither Group of the Air – a long-distance or correspondence version of the Monday group. Her plan is to spread the word around Victoria, and then the country, one zither at a time. “Where to next, who knows?” she said.