Super Simple Kantele

I love music.  I love odd, quirky, obscure ethnic instruments.  Some years ago, I got interested in the Finnish instrument called the kantele.  It is a zither and comes in many different sizes.  However, the basic small kantele has 5 strings, tuned to the first 5 notes of a diatonic scale, usually.

This is a practice instrument I made back when I first got interested.  It is nothing more than a piece of Alaska birch with 5 zither pins and a simple bridge.  The proper instrument is a more elegant piece of work, but this lets me practice without being annoying, as the volume is very low.

The picture honestly shows all that you need to know to build one.  The notebook is there for size reference.  

I plan to make a more "proper" kantele soon.  It will be 10 sttrings and have a soundbox, so should have enough volume to be heard when played.  My wonderful wife bought me a book to learn from and it should be here in less than a week.  I'll report back after I learn to actually make some music with the instrument!