Reviving this old thread to see if anyone out there can help. It seems that I am about to become the recipient of a zither banjo, and I know nothing about it. I've done a bit of research on the net and found out that they're old and it's difficult to get instruction on them.

Can they be tuned and played like a normal five-string? And if they can, does that mean I can buy a five-string tutor book/DVD and learn to play it, or are there some subtleties to the instrument that would not be immediately apparent to a rank beginner?