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Encyclopedia ID 242

Komuz

Also known as комуз · Kyrgyz three-string lute

Komuz: photograph by Jo Dusepo
Photo: Jo Dusepo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Strum and pluck three open strings in time with scrolling notes, with the fast right-hand strumming patterns (kyiak) typical of the komuz.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Kyrgyzstan.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Crossroads and Golden Ages (about 500 to 1500), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Persia, Caucasus and Central Asia.

Sources

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More from Kyrgyzstan

All 7 traditions from Kyrgyzstan See them on the map