Musical instruments in Afghan Badakhshan
The basic instruments of the folk ensembles in Badakhshan are the dambura, ghijak and tablak. The dambura is a longnecked, fretless plucked lute with two gut, nylon or metal strings, plucked without a plectrum, and two frontal pegs and a pear-shaped body; it is a typical instrument of North Afghanistan and rarely played in Tajik Badakhshan. The ghijak is a spike fiddle, generally with a tin-can resonator, mostly with two gut or metallic strings tuned to the interval of a fourth; the bow consists of horsehair tied to a curved stick. Both instruments are used as solo instrument and for accompaniment of songs. Other lutes, like the Afghan rubāb, the dutâr and the Afghan tanbur can be added and played in different combinations. The Afghan rubâb is a double-chambered short-necked and fretted lute plucked with a plectrum; the lower chamber is covered with skin and in addition to the three main strings there are a number of drone and sympathetic strings. The Afghan rubâb is most typical for Afghanistan. The dutâr is a long-necked and fretted plucked lute with a pyriform body, originally with two or three strings, but in its modern form with fourteen strings, consisting of one main string and a number of drone and sympathetic strings. The tanbûr is a long-necked fretted plucked lute with metal strings and an oval shaped body; there are six melody strings and a varying number of sympathetic strings. The bowed lutes delruba and sarenda are not frequently used in Badakhshan. The tablak, the zirbaghali and the daf (or daireh) are the most common drums in Badakhshan. The tablak is a small, single-headed vase drum, made of pottery or wood. The tablak is often replaced by the zirbaghali (also a vase drum) or the daf, a circular frame drum. Less frequent than in other parts of Afghanistan are the tabla, a pair of small kettle drums, played with hands and imported from India, and the dohl, a double headed barrel drum, played with sticks or with hands. The dohl is mostly played in combination with the sornâ, a double-reed wind instrument with a conical bore; both instruments are mostly played by barbers for outdoor festivities. Another wind instrument is the tula, a fipple flute made of wood or metal. For the nay and chang: see Tajik Badakhksan). The clarinet is rarely used in Afghanistan and imported from Western countries. Tâl is a pair of small cymbals, used for rhythmic accompaniment. A growing number of singers also play the harmonium, a portable reed organ imported from India and originally not a typical instrument for Badakhshan. In religious music the same instruments are used as in the religious music of Tajik Badakhshan, i.e. the Pamir rubâb, the Pamir tanbûr and the daf (see: instruments in Tajik Badakhshan