AGA KHAN TRUST FOR CULTURE Music Initiative in Central Asia
Instrument Glossary
1 2 Glossary of Instruments
Choor Chopo Choor Daf Dayra
Choor Chopo Choor Daf
End-blown flute made from A clay ocarina with 3-6 holes A small frame drum with reed or wood with four or found in southern Kyrgyzstan jingles used to accompany five holes. Under various and most commonly played both popular and classical names and in various sizes, by children. There is music in Azerbaijan. such end-blown flutes are evidence that horse herders widespread among Inner used ocarinas as signalling Dap Asian pastoralists, e.g., tsuur instruments in thick forests, (Mongolian), chuur (Tuvan), where they would often graze Uyghur name for a frame sybyzghy (Kazakh), and kurai their horses at night. drum. (Bashkir). Dayra
A frame drum with jingles, commonly played by both men and women among sedentary populations in Central Asia.
3 3 Dombra Dutar Garmon Kemanche
Dombra Dutar Ghijak
Refers to different types of Designates different kinds Round-bodied spike fiddle two-stringed long-necked of two-stringed long- with 3 or 4 metal strings and lutes, best known of which necked fretted lutes among a short, fretless neck used by is the Kazakh dombra – a Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmens, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmens, and fretted lute that is considered Qaraqalpaks, Uyghurs, and Qaraqalpaks. Kazakhstan’s national other groups. instrument. Its large and Kemanche varied repertory centres Garmon around solo instrumental Spike fiddle identical to a pieces, known as kui, which, A small accordion used in the ghijak, important in Iranian like the analogous Caucasus and among female and Azeri classical music and Kyrgyz kuu, are typically wedding entertainers known in the popular music of Iran. programmatic. The dombra as khalfa, in the Khorezm also provides accompaniment region of northwestern for Kazakh bards, known as Uzbekistan. jyrau, and for singers of bel canto lyrical song.
4 Ghijak Jew’s Harp Komuz Qyl-Qiyak
Jew’s Harp Komuz Qyl-Qiyak
Jew’s harps, called by a The main folk instrument The Kyrgyz variant of an variety of local names, of the Kyrgyz – a three– upright bowed fiddle with belong to the traditional stringed, fretless long-neck two horse hair strings. instrumentarium of lute typically made from Kazakhs call an almost pastoralists throughout Inner apricot wood, nut wood or identical instrument qyl- Asia. While the specifics juniper. Playing techniques qobyz. The deck is usually of instrument construction include plucking, strumming, made from camel or cow and performance styles vary, and striking strings with hide, and the body is carved jew’s harps in Inner Asia the fingernails as well as from a single piece of are made either from wood the use of stylised hand wood, typically apricot. or metal, representing an and arm gestures that add The instrument’s repertory early and sophisticated use an additional narrative is heavily programmatic, of metallurgy by nomadic component to the komuz’s that is, melodies narrate peoples. A magical or typically programmatic stories and often imitate spiritual dimension has been repertory. different sounds. In the attached to jew’s harps in past, the instrument had a many cultures. strong connection to both shamanism and the recitation of oral poetry.
5 Rubab Sybyzgy Ta r
Sato Ta n b u r Rawap
Rawap Sato Ta n b u r
Uyghur long-necked lute Bowed tanbur, or long-necked Long-necked plucked lute similar to the rubab, but lute, now rare, played by with raised frets used in without sympathetic strings. performers of Tajik-Uzbek Uzbek/Tajik and Uyghur classical music. classical music traditions. Rubab An Afghani variant has Sybyzgy sympathetic strings. Fretless lute, always with sympathetic strings, played Among the Kyrgyz, a side- Ta r in southern Tajikistan and blown flute traditionally Afghanistan. played by shepherds and Double-chested skin-topped horse herders, made from plucked lute with multiple apricot wood or the wood of sympathetic strings used mountain bushes. The sybyzgy in urban music from the has its own repertory of solo Caucasus and Iran (the pieces, known as kuu, which Iranian version has no are distinguished by their sympathetic strings), and lyrical content. now popular in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
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Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia Aga Khan Trust for Culture 1-3 Avenue de la Paix 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Telephone: (41.22) 909 7200 Email: [email protected]
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PHOTOGRAPHY: GARY OTTE, KATHERINE VINCENT DESIGN: ROBIN OLDACRE-REED
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