Related

TimbreRawapPipaSanxianDizi

The rawap on the previous page divided its strings into "one that works and several that just ring." The tanbur lives in the same land — and gives a different answer.

"Five steel strings, in three groups: the two outermost side by side are the melody strings; the middle string and the two inner ones are accompaniment." Tuning: g · g · d¹ · g · g — two outer strings in unison (one group), two inner in unison, one middle. ⭐⭐ Rule ㊻: one question, two solutions — the rawap's "one melody string ＋ several ringers" versus the tanbur's "melody as a *pair* ＋ three accompanists." The question is the same: several strings on one instrument — how does each get a job? The rawap answers "*one* versus *many*"; the tanbur answers "*grouping*": the melody is not a single string but a unison pair — hence a thicker sound.

Five strings, three groups

⭐ Three points:

1. The melody is a *pair*, not a string. "The two outermost side by side are the melody strings" — two strings in unison playing one line together, thicker than a single string; the middle and inner three (g · g · d¹) accompany. (Compare the rawap: one melody string plus four to six ringers. Same question, different answer.) 2. Its face is wood. "The face is covered with thin pine" (also recorded as paulownia) — ⭐ the plainest difference from the rawap: board versus skin; crescent (or teardrop) sound holes. 3. The plectrum sits in the fingernail. "A pointed steel plectrum wedged in the nail crevice, plucked or strummed, alternating" — its basic technique summed up as "hard and soft plucking with light picking."

One root, a whole family

⭐ A new observation for the naming history: these instruments' names are relatives. Tanbur, dutar, dombra all grew from the same long-necked plucked-lute name system — and "dutar" simply means "two strings": the name carries a spec sheet.

⚠️ One discrepancy worth noting: the Qing *Collected Statutes* record "four iron strings," while today's instrument has five. Instruments change; documents stay where they were.

Range

弹布尔属弹拨弦鸣乐器。定弦：g·g·d¹·g·g（或 g·g·c¹·g·g），外二弦同度为主奏、内二弦同度与中弦为伴奏；南疆型音域记作 g—g²（两个八度），另有资料记「音域宽广」约三个八度（g—g³）。本图取通行所记的两个八度示意。记谱即实音。

Its post in the muqam

• "one of the principal instruments of the classical 《Twelve Muqam》";
• also of the "meshrep" gatherings;
• ⭐ and most often in duet: "frequently in duet with the dutar" — one carries the melody, the other accompanies it (exactly where that family tree above lands);
• its repertoire keeps the muqam's names: *Uzhal*, *Oshshaq*, *Mushawirek*…

⭐ One line for its character: "suited to fervent, sharply rhythmic folk music" — unlike the rawap's "delicate and fine," this is the fast and bright one.

Common misconceptions

• "The tanbur is much like the rawap." ⚠️ Three hard differences: soundboard (wood versus skin) · string division (melody as a unison pair versus one melody string plus ringers) · timbre (bright and ringing versus delicate).
• "Many strings means many parts." ⚠️ Only the two outer unison strings carry the melody; the other three accompany. "Five strings" is a configuration, not five voices.
• "It only accompanies." ⚠️ It is also a soloist (*Ejem*, *Linpat*, *Three Wild Geese*, *Song for Mother*) and a principal muqam instrument.
• "The name is Chinese." ⚠️ It is "a kind of the Arabic tanbūr"; Chinese spellings run: 弹布尔 / 弹拨尔 / 丹布尔 / 丹不尔 / 弹普.
• "It was always five-stringed." ⚠️ The Qing statutes record "four iron strings" — the instrument and its documents do not quite match.

Timbre, and how to hear it

Three cues:

1. Hear the thickness. The melody is played on two unison strings — not one line but a pair of lines. 2. Hear the alternating pluck. "Hard and soft plucking with light picking" — its rhythm comes from alternating force, which is why it suits fervent, sharply rhythmic music. 3. Hear the wooden face. A wooden board (not skin) gives a bright, unstuffy sound — in the same land, the rawap is a drum and the tanbur is a board.

The family

Next

The plucked section continues with that duet partner, just mentioned:

Its name translates as "two strings" — and that is also its chief feature: an instrument with the spec sheet written into its name.

Dutar. :::

Sources

• ⭐⭐ 弦的分组（核心）：「长钢丝弦五根，内 · 外两弦同度合并为一组。其定弦为：内弦 g · g，中弦 d¹，外弦 g · g」；「有钢丝弦五根，内二弦与外二弦调成同音，与中弦成五度关系」；「五根铜弦分三组定音，g·g·d¹·g·g 或 d¹·d¹·g·d¹·d¹，音域大三个八度。两根外弦为主奏弦，三根内弦为伴奏弦」；「五个琴柱分置于琴柄正面与左侧面，上张钢丝弦五根分为三组：外侧并列的两根是主奏弦，中间一根和内侧并列的两根是伴奏弦」依乐器资料与辞书资料
• ⭐⭐ 形制：「琴身用桑木或核桃木制作，全长 128 厘米，音箱呈瓢形，琴面用薄松木板蒙制，上开月牙形音孔两个。琴杆细长，以琴杆为指板，上缠 16—20 余个丝弦品位，琴面上还设有 5—10 个用竹片制成的品」；「用整块桑木先挖制出腹腔，两侧壁厚 3 厘米左右，腹底厚约 5 厘米，面部蒙以桐木板而成，上部开有两个水滴形小音孔」；「共鸣箱呈半梨形……像一个安了长柄的葫芦水瓢」；「琴头……平顶无饰 · 呈方柱形，不设弦槽，上置 T 形弦轴（左侧有二 · 正面有三）」；「琴颈细长，上以丝弦缠成品位 26 个，并嵌以骨质花纹作装饰」依乐器资料与辞书资料
• ⭐⭐ 演奏法：「演奏时竖置胸前，左手食 · 中 · 无名指按弦，右手食指嵌弧形钢丝拨或塑料片弹奏」；「用钢丝弯成尖形拨子卡在手指甲缝中固定，或弹或拨，弹拨交替，其声铿锵 · 悦耳」；「左手技法有滑音 · 颤音 · 打音 · 泛音 · 揉弦等；右手技法有强弹 · 轻弹 · 扫弹 · 滚奏等。最具特点的基本奏法是强弹与轻弹 · 轻挑相结合」依乐器资料与辞书资料
• ⭐⭐ 名字与文献：「清代史籍中译作『丹不尔』『丹布尔』或『弹拨尔』」；「为阿拉伯乐器 tanbūr 的一种」；清《钦定大清会典》载：「丹不尔刻桐为体，以大匏为槽……直柄，面平背圆……铁弦四，上二轴，左右各一绾之……柱用角」（⚠️ 清代记为四弦，与今日五弦略有差异）；清《新疆图志》：「铜弦谓之弹普」（弹普即弹布尔）；「相传在十四五世纪时，已有演奏弹布尔的著名民间艺人」；「正式记载见于 1854 年毛拉 · 艾斯木吐拉穆吉孜撰写的《乐师史》」；「最初流行于南疆……18 世纪末，弹布尔传到北疆和东疆」依古籍与乐器资料
• ⭐⭐ 用途与曲目：「是演奏古典音乐《十二木卡姆》的主要乐器之一」；「是『麦昔若普』（麦西热甫）和演奏《十二木卡姆》主要乐器之一」；「常与都它尔作二重奏，也常用作『木卡姆』『达斯坦』及其他歌舞的伴奏和乐队合奏」；「在家庆宴乐中与热瓦甫 · 手鼓等乐器组合，为歌舞伴奏」；「主要曲目为《乌扎勒》《奥夏克》和《木夏乌热克》等《十二木卡姆》中的曲调；较著名的独奏曲有《艾介姆》《林派特》《三只雁子》和《给母亲的歌》等」；「著名独奏曲及弹布尔 · 都它尔二重奏曲有《埃介姆》《你的天上有没有月亮》等」依乐器资料与辞书资料
• ⭐ 音域与音色：「音域 g—g²，有两个八度」；「音域宽广，音色清脆，富有浓郁的民族风格」；「音量较小，但音色清亮 · 柔美」；「适于演奏热情奔放 · 节奏鲜明的民间音乐」依辞书与乐器资料
• ⭐ 演奏家：当代著名维吾尔族弹布尔演奏家有于三江 · 加米 · 阿不力孜汗 · 庥木提 · 黑牙斯丁 · 把拉提 · 库尔班江 · 吾买尔等依乐器资料
• 「弹布尔属于八音中的丝」依通行资料

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.