Dombra: Afghanistan musical instrument

Dombra is a musical instrument and a lute with a long neck. It has few characteristics as Komuz and Dutar.

In different regions, the instrument has slight differences. The dombra of the Kazakh possesses frets and is played by drumming with the hand or swiftly removing each string individually with an occasional hit on the main surface of the musical instrument. The strings are are made of sinew traditionally, while nylon strings are used in the production of the modern dombras. Kazakh folk musician and composer Kurmangazy which had a great influence on the development of Kazakh musical culture, including – music of dombra, his musical composition “Adai” popular in Kazakhstan and abroad has been one of the greatest dombra players.

Electrodombra was created in 2012.

The Turkestani and Badakhshani damburas are fretless and has a body and neck carved from a single block of wood and usually mulberry or apricot.

To give a great percussive sound the dombra is played with much banging and scratching on the instrument. The two strings are produced of nylon or gut, they cross a brief bridge to a pin at the end of the body. The instrument has a tiny hole in the back, while the top is of thick wood and has some decorations.

The dombra which has the same sound as the Tatars and Bashkir can be played by striking all the strings at the same time. The upper string performs the bourdon tone and the lower string performs the melody, also can be used as a solo as well as ensemble instrument.

From 12^th to the 18^th century, the Bashkir sassans used dombra to accompany their poetic legends and kubairs. The dombra was forgotten by the beginning of the 20^th century. The sassans were often the main ideologists of ethnic rebellions. It was when the sassans were punished by the Russian administration the dombras were destroyed. Several types were carved and carried out by the sassans in the second half of the 20^th century. In the modern day, the revivalist works continue to manifest by the hands of Performer V. Shugayupov, the modern day dombra has a peer-shaped or oval form.