LAUNEDDAS: Italian musical instrument

The launeddas is a Sardinian woodwind musical instrument that is made up of three pipes. The musical instrument is polyphonic instrument, having one of the pipe working as a drone and the other two pipes performing the melody in 3^rd and 6^th.

The predecessors of this musical instrument can be traced back to about 2700 BCE in Egypt, where the instrument was formally known as memet. During the ancient kingdom of Egypt, the memets were portrayed on the relief of 7 tombs at Saqqarra, 6 tombs at Giza and the pyramid of Queen Khentkaus. This musical instrument have been traced back to at least the 8^th century BCE and are still being played presently during the religious ceremonies and dances. Uniquely, the musical instrument is played with the use of extensive variations on some melodic phrases and a single music can last for about an hour, manufacturing some of the most elemental and sounds in the European music.

The musical instrument are used to perform hard style of music by circular breathing that has gained some international attention, specifically Efisio Melis, Antonio Lara, Dionigi Burranca and Luigi Lai.

The musical instrument, launeddas is made up of three reed pipes, two 5-holed chanters of various lengths and one drone. They are performed with the use of circular breathing. Since the later part of the 290^th century, the musical instrument has also been in non-traditional performances.