The dombra, also called the dombyra (Kazakh: домбыра; Persian: دمبوره), is a musical string instrument with a long, thin neck and a long, oval-shaped body. It is used in traditional folk music by the Kazakhs, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Nogais, Bashkirs, and Tatars. The dombra has similarities to the komuz and dutar instruments, including its long neck and body shape. It is widely played by Turkic-speaking people in Central Asia.

Varieties

The instrument varies slightly in different areas. The Kazakh dombyra has frets and is played by strumming with the hand or plucking each string individually, with an occasional tap on the main surface of the instrument. Traditionally, the strings are made of sinew, but modern dombras often use nylon strings. Kurmangazy Sagyrbayuly, a Kazakh folk musician and composer, was one of the greatest dombyra players. He had a major influence on Kazakh musical culture, including music for the dombyra. His composition "Adai" is popular in Kazakhstan and other countries.

In 2012, the elektrodombyra was created.

The Hazara, Turkestani, and Badakhshani damburas, commonly found in Afghanistan, are fretless and made from a single block of wood, usually mulberry or apricot. The dambura is played with frequent banging and scratching on the instrument to create a percussive sound. The two strings are made of nylon or gut. They cross a short bridge to a pin at the other end of the body. The back of the instrument has a small sound hole, while the top is thick wood. No varnish, filing, or sanding is used. Some decoration is present, as is common with other Turkic instruments.

A performer strikes all the strings at the same time. The upper string produces the bourdon tone, and the lower string plays the melody. A dumbura is used as a solo instrument and in ensembles.

History

The dombyra was first used during the Middle Ages. For example, writings by Aby Nasyr Al-Farabi mention a musical instrument similar to the dombyra, which is like a tambur. Instruments like the dombyra were found in many countries across Central Asia. In the last 100 years, many famous composers and dombyra players, such as Kurmangazy, Kazangap, and Tattimbet, have played the instrument.

The dombyra's importance in Kazakh culture was shown by adding it to the Intangible Heritage list. In November 2014, the dombyra music style called "dombra kuy" was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. In 2018, Kazakhstan started Dombra Day. National Dombra Day is celebrated in Kazakhstan every July on the first Sunday.

Dombra in ensemble and epic performance

The Kazakh poet Abay Qunanbayuli is often shown holding a dombra at rest. Many people in the countries that were part of the Soviet Union regard the dombra as an important national symbol. The dombra is played by Erzhan Alimbetov in the Ulytau band.

From the 12th to the 18th century, the dumbura was used by Bashkir sasans to accompany their poetic legends and kubairs. It is mentioned in the epic poem "Zayatulyak and Hiuhiliu." However, by the early 20th century, the dumbura was no longer used. The sasans were often leaders of uprisings related to ethnic groups, so when the Russian government ended an uprising, they punished the dumbura sasans and destroyed their dumburas. In the second half of the 20th century, efforts were made to rebuild the dumbura. Today, work to revive the dumbura continues. Among those working on its revival is performer V. Shugayupov. The modern wooden dumbura has a pear-shaped or oval form.

References in popular culture

This instrument gained attention online after a video from SuperStar KZ, a show similar to the Idol series in Kazakhstan, was shared on YouTube. The video shows two contestants singing, and a third contestant singing while playing the dombra (Ernar Kaldynov), which made the instrument famous. The original song in the video is called Freestailo, created by a man named R.Lizer from Kazakhstan.

The dombra is becoming more well-known through events called Dombyra Parties, which are group activities similar to flash mobs organized by young people in Kazakhstan using social media. Videos of these events are posted on websites like YouTube and Facebook.

Range and tablature

Many traditional and local tunings have been used, although the most widely accepted academic DG tuning is for the standard concert dombra prima of Kazakhstan.

There are different types of dombyra. For example, dombyras used to play songs or jirs have 8 to 9 frets, while dombyras used for kyus have more than 20 frets.