The Sato ( Uzbek: Сато) is a bowed

tanbur The term ''Tanbur'' ( fa, تنبور, ) can refer to various long-necked string instruments originating in Mesopotamia, Southern or Central Asia. According to the '' New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', "terminology presents a comp ...

, or long-necked lute, played by performers of Central Asian classical and folk music, mainly in

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

. It has five strings. When plucked, the top string is pressed to the neck to produce a melody; the other four strings are drone strings. Frets on the neck are made of tied string. The soundboard has holes drilled in it for sound holes. It is made from mulberry wood. Famous Uzbek musician Turgun Alimatov is solely responsible for reviving the art of playing the Sato, as it had completely disappeared for a number of centuries before he took it up in 1957. Thus he has been considered as the founder of the Sato and its playing style and technique.https://shahnameh.netlify.com/sato.htm The Shahnameh Guide To The Lutes Of Central Asia Professo
Abduvali Abdurashidov
is the foremost teacher of Sato and composer of the art of Shash Maqom (also called Shashmaqam) in Tajikistan. Sato (full-length) held up to illustrate relative size

Sato (full-length) held up to illustrate relative size

References

Tajik musical instruments Uzbekistani musical instruments {{Uzbekistan-stub