I have decided to do this week’s culture post on Iranian traditional music instruments focusing on the Dotar and the Aoud. The first one is the Dotar. Dotar in Farsi means”2 strings”. This instrument can be found in various regions of Asia and the Middle East. This instrument is mainly played in Khorasan and among the people of Gonbad and Gorgan. This instrument is made of two types of wood the pear-shape bottom part is made of mulberry wood and the neck is made of walnut tree. It has a pair of strings that in antiquity used to be made of animal entrails. But when the Silk Road was created trading from China brought on silk thus changing the material of such strings. This particular instrument is about 2 meters.
The Aoud is one of the oldest Iranian instruments. The Persians call it the “roud”. This instrument is considered to be of Persian origin and it’s very common for people to play it in Iran since the old times. The Arabs use this instrument as well but it was not until later than the Persian. This instrument is pear-shape as well and has a very short handle so that way the cords are able to extend along the bowel. It has 5 pairs of cords and is played with a plectrum (they use a chicken feather). This particular instrument produces a very soft melancholic tone.
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