Drone zithers or droned zithers are stringed instruments of the zither

Zither

The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...

 family that have few (sometimes only one) melodic strings and a greater number of drone

Drone (music)

In music, a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word drone is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to produce such an effect.-A musical effect:A drone...

 strings. The oldest known form of drone zither is the Scheitholt

Scheitholt

The scheitholt or scheitholz is a traditional German stringed instrument and an ancestor of the modern zither. It falls into the category of drone zithers.-History:...

.

The Scheitholt developed into many different variants of drone zithers, such as the Langspil

Langspil

The Langspil is a traditional Icelandic drone zither. Since old folk music has been gaining more popularity in recent years, more and more people are able to play this instrument...

, the Epinette des Vosges

Epinette des Vosges

The épinette des Vosges is a traditional plucked-string instrument of the zither family, whose use was confined to two areas in the Vosges mountains of France approximately 50 km apart: around Val-d'Ajol and around Gérardmer.-Origins:...

 or the Hummel

Hummel (instrument)

The hummel is an old Swedish stringed instrument similar to an older type of zither and is related to the Norwegian langeleik. The name is thought to come from the German word hummel, meaning "bumblebee", referring to the droning sound created by the accompaniment strings.-History:The hummel is...

. The Appalachian dulcimer

Appalachian dulcimer

The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...

is a traditional American form.