The ''dutar'' (also '' dotar''; ; ; ; ; ; ; ) is a traditional Iranian long-necked two-stringed

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

found in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

. Its name comes from the Persian word for "two strings", دوتار ''do tār'' (< دو ''do'' "two",تار ''tār'' "string"), although the

Herat Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...

i dutar of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

has fourteen strings. Dutar is very popular in

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

and Khorasan province of Iran. When played, the strings are usually plucked by the

Uyghurs The Uyghurs,. alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as the ti ...

Western China Western China ( zh, s=中国西部, l=, labels=no or zh, s=华西, l=, labels=no) is the west of China. It consists of Southwestern China and Northwestern China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers six provinces ...

and strummed and plucked by the

Tajiks Tajiks (; ; also spelled ''Tadzhiks'' or ''Tadjiks'') is the name of various Persian-speaking Eastern Iranian groups of people native to Central Asia, living primarily in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Even though the term ''Tajik'' ...

, Turkmen,

Uzbeks The Uzbeks () are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, being among the largest Turkic ethnic groups in the area. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, next to Kazakhs, Kazakh and Karakalpaks, Karakalpak ...

. Related instruments include the Kazakh dombra. The dutar is also an important instrument among the tork of Khorasan amongst whom Haj Ghorban Soleimani of

Quchan Quchan (; ) is a city in the Central District of Quchan County, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is approximately 97 km south of the border city of Ashgabat, capital city of ...

was a noted virtuoso. In tork one who plays the dutar is known as a (bakhshi) similar to Turkmen , while in Azeri the term is ashiq. Khorasan bakhshi music is recognized on the

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...

. At the time of the dutar's humble origins in the 15th century as a

shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

's instrument its strings were made from gut. However, with the opening up of the

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

catgut Catgut (also known as gut) is a type of cord that is prepared from the natural fiber found in the walls of animal intestines. Catgut makers usually use sheep or goat intestines, but occasionally use the intestines of cattle, hogs, horses, mules, ...

gave way to strings made from twisted

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

imported from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. To this day some instruments still feature silk strings, although

nylon Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages, typically connecting aliphatic or Polyamide#Classification, semi-aromatic groups. Nylons are generally brownish in color and can possess a soft texture, with some varieti ...

or steel strings are also commonly used. The dutar has a warm, dulcet

tone Tone may refer to: Visual arts and color-related * Tone (color theory), a mix of tint and shade, in painting and color theory * Tone (color), the lightness or brightness (as well as darkness) of a color * Toning (coin), color change in coins * ...

. Typical sizes for the pear-shaped instrument range from one to two meters. Typically it is tuned La Re or A D, but it also depends on the region.

Turkmen dutar specifications

Musicologist Viktor Belyayev described the dutar in the 1920s thus:

The body of the dutar is made of a solid piece of mulberry wood, burnt and hollowed out. This body is pear-shaped. The fingerboard of the dutar is narrow and rounded, convenient for two fingers to grip and for quick movements of the hands. The dutar has two strings made of local Turkmen raw silk. The usual dimensions of the dutar: the length of the whole instrument is 87 cm, the length of the fingerboard is 37 cm, the length of the body (on its upper plane) is 48.5 cm. The strings of the dutar are tuned in quarta, and their construction is rather low-sometimes both strings are tuned in the small octave, sometimes the lower one goes even within the big octave. The dutar has thirteen frets, which are low metal lintels...

The dutar is a “plucked” instrument, although this expression does not quite fit here, because the strings on the dutar are not plucked with the fingers, as on the guitar, and are not brought into vibration with a plectrum, as on the mandolin, but are struck with quick strokes of the hand, just as it is done on the Russian
balalaika The balalaika (, ) is a Russian string instrument, stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck, and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the third string is a perf ...
, derived from the eastern dutar, and brought to Russia during the Tatar invasion. The technique of the right hand when playing the dutar requires great development, because, due to the softness of its sound, this instrument requires rapid repetition of beats. Turkmen music for dutar is entirely two-voiced, and fourths are taken with the thumb and middle finger, fifths are taken with the thumb and little finger, and major and minor tertias are taken with the thumb and index finger. The ring finger participates mainly only in melismas and is of secondary importance for basic fingering when playing the dutar.

Ideally the dutar's neck is made of apricot wood, and in the modern era the strings are more likely to be steel than either silk or gut. Traditionally the dutar has thirteen frets corresponding to an octave plus an augmented second, and is tuned to fourths. In modern times it has transitioned from being a solo instrument used purely to accompany a singer to an ensemble instrument as well as for performing purely instrumental numbers. The Smithsonian Institution describes the Turkmen dutar as a "two string fretted lute turned to the interval of a fourth" made of apricot, mulberry, and walnut wood with steel frets, strings, and tuners.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists

Dutar making craftsmanship and traditional music performing art combined with singing from 2021 representative on the

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergove ...

. Туркменистан получил официальное подтверждение ЮНЕСКО о признании общечеловеческой ценности дутара
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Notable players

* Turgun Alimatov (1922–2008) * Abdurahim Hamidov (1952–2013) * Abdurehim Heyit (

Uyghur Uyghur may refer to: * Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia (West China) ** Uyghur language, a Turkic language spoken primarily by the Uyghurs *** Old Uyghur language, a different Turkic language spoken in the Uyghur K ...

) (1962–) * Alireza Soleimani ( Aliabad, Khorasan) * Haj Ghorban Soleimani (1920–2008) * Sanubar Tursun (1971–)

References

External links

Turkmen dutar specifications

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists

Notable players

See also

References

External links