MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF KHAKASSIA

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE KHAKASS PEOPLE

Cordophones

-Chatkhan. It is the most popular instrument. It is a plucked long zither, with a trapezoid shape, which is generally used as the accompaniment to the "khay" throat-singing.. It has from 5 to 13 strings. Modern zithers used to have 13 strings with movable bridges made by the anklebones of sheeps. Tuvians and tofalars had a similar instruments named chadagan and chattygan. The chatkhan pictured was made by Sergei Charkov.

-Khomys. It is a two-three strings plucked type of lute with a wood resonance box. Altai people has a similar instrument named topshur. It is also related with tuvan toshpulur and the Mongolian tobshuur.

-Yikh. It is a bowed two-string instrument. The strings are made from twisted sinews of deer or sheep. It is played with a bow made made of horsetail hair stringing. The peach-shape resonance box is made of animal skin. The altai equivalent name is ikili, the tuvan is igil and the Mongolian is ikil. It as some resemblance with the khomys, but usually less decorated.

Yikh made by Sergei Charkov

Idiophones

-Temir-khomys. It is a metal jew's harp made of brass or zteel, which is very popular. The pitch is modified by changing the shape of the mouth cavity, which at the same time acts as a resonance chamber. The tuvian name is khomus.

Temir-khomys made by Sergei Charkov

-Orba. It is a rattle with a handle made of the urinary bladder of animal filled with grain.

Membraphones

-Tüür. It is a single-headed frame drum, generally round. The membrane is sometimes decorated with drawings. It usually comes with a beater covered by a soft skin. It is played by shamans, but it is also played by modern traditional groups. A similar shamanic drum is named dungur in Tuva

Aerophones

- Khobrakh (or shoor). It is an open long end-blown flute. It is made of wood and nowdays of plastic. It usually comes with 3-6 finger-holes.

- Syylas. It is a a flute from the Taiga

- Pyrgy. It is a large conical pipe made of the stem of plant with no finger holes. It is closely related to the altai abyrga. It is used to lure the siberian stag.

Pyrgy and Khobrakh made by Petri Topoev

-Symyskha. It is a birch-bark folded in two for luring goats.

Schyltys. Singer-songwriter from Altai playing the khomys made by the luthier Petri Topoev. She won the best female singer in the Ustuu-Khuree Music Festival in Tuva, in 2008