Zithers are difficult instruments to master. You will find zithers are more challenging to play because they are fretless. Being fretless means you can use the entire neck to play chords and notes.
One of the biggest challenges for new zither players is learning to change positions quickly to play various notes. When learning to play the zither, you need to appreciate each milestone in your practice, no matter how minute it may seem.
I highly recommend getting together with other zither players. If you do not have other zither players to play with, piano and guitar will both accompany the instrument nicely.
If you are expecting the zither to be as easy to play as the piano or guitar, you will be disappointed. Unlike the guitar or piano, you may find it difficult or even impossible to pay a full piece after a month of practice.
The two main parts you need for playing are the chromatic fretboard, which contains five strings, and the open strings which can range from 27 to 37.
When playing the zither, you have options. You can play in single melody, parallel thirds or sixths, or chordally. As you play, you will always move your hand in a downstroke. The downstrokes make playing the zither more difficult to perform fast runs.
As a new player, you need to realize the unfretted strings are divided into three categories: accompaniment, bass, and contrabass. The accompaniment and bass strings are not in chromatic order, which is why some beginners discover it difficult to find notes. The contrabass strings are tuned chromatically, but you rarely use them.
One of the easiest parts of playing a zither is the melody, which surprises many players. To imagine what it is like playing a zither, consider putting a guitar flat on its back on a table and picking a melody with your thumb. You start fingering the notes with your palm-down left hand. Imagining this will give you a good idea of what to expect when playing the zither.