The yatga (Mongolian: ᠶᠠᠲᠤᠭ᠎ᠠ, romanized: yatug-a, Khalkha dialect: ятга, yatga; pronounced [ˈjɑtʰəq]) is a traditional plucked zither from Mongolia.

The yatga can be different in size, tuning, number of bridges, and number of strings. Its body is a long wooden box with one end slanted downward. The performer uses the fingernails of the right hand to pluck the strings. The left hand presses the strings to change the pitch of the notes. The left hand can also play the bass strings without using picks. Depending on the musical style, the higher strings may be plucked with fingers or with picks.

Instruments similar to the yatga include the Chinese se and yazheng, the Korean gayageum and ajaeng, the Vietnamese đàn tranh, the Japanese koto, the Kazakh jetigen, and the Sundanese kacapi.

The most common type of yatga used today has 21 strings. This type is also called a "master yatga." A full-size yatga is 1.62 meters (63 inches) long. Shorter versions of the yatga are tuned higher. A 13-string version is called "gariin yatga," or "hand yatga."

The strings are made from silk, horse hair, or goose gut. Usually, the strings are tuned in a pentatonic scale. The most common tuning is C D E G A (Do Re Mi So La), though other tunings may also be used.

History

The Yatga came from the Guzheng. In the past, the version with twelve strings was used in the royal court for symbolic meaning; the twelve strings matched the twelve levels of the palace hierarchy. Ordinary people played on a 10-stringed yatga. The use of the 12 or more stringed version was only allowed for the court and monasteries.

The traditional Mongolian epic Janggar tells the story of a young princess who once played on an 800-string yatga with 82 bridges; she was only allowed to use the seven lower bridges.

Playing technique

The yatga is placed with one end on the performer’s knees and the other end on the floor or a stand. Some performers use two stands to hold the instrument. The higher strings are positioned on the right and front side, and all strings are plucked only on the right side of the bridges.

The pitch of a string can change when the bridges are moved. There should be space between the bridges of the E and G strings, and also between the A and C strings because two notes are missing.

The yatga is tuned using small mechanical parts hidden on the right side. After basic tuning, the instrument is adjusted further by moving the bridges left or right. Pressing the strings to the left of the bridges allows the player to change the pitch of a note by one half tone or more.

In addition to Western musical scores, a number-based notation system is used in China and other countries. The highest note string is labeled 1, and the others are numbered in order. If the CDEGA tuning system is used, string 1 should be tuned to D or Re.

The green strings on the yatga are usually A notes. The instrument can be tuned to either seven notes per octave or seven notes with three additional half notes (a diatonic scale). Some modern players use a horsehair bow instead of a stick, as they believe it creates a smoother sound. The yatga is played in court, aristocratic, and folk music, as well as in contemporary classical music and film scores.