Ebook: Restoration of 1850-1865 Pennsylvania German Scheitholt

September 2008
Completed by Ron Cook for Richard LatkerThe German Scheitholt has been around in various forms since the 1600s. The earliest known
description is from 1614 in Syntagma Musicum II, by Michael Praetorius (see figure below). In it
he gave the dimensions of a four stringed instrument with unevenly spaced frets fastened directly
to the soundboard. The fret spacing was set up diatonically, not like the chromatic scales of other
fretted instruments. A diatonic scale is similar to using only the naturals, or white keys, on a
piano. Scales starting on any of the white keys are called modes, based on the Grecian modal
scales. A C-major scale, starting on the C note, is the Ionian mode. The A-minor scale, starting
on the A note, is the Aeolian mode.