Dutar

Turkmen dutar specifications

Musicologist Viktor Belyayev described the dutar in the 1920s thus:The body of the dutar is made of a solid piece of mulberry wood, burnt and hollowed out. This body is pear-shaped. The fingerboard of the dutar is narrow and rounded, convenient for two fingers to grip and for quick movements of the hands. The dutar has two strings made of local Turkmen raw silk. The usual dimensions of the dutar: the length of the whole instrument is 87 cm, the length of the fingerboard is 37 cm, the length of the body (on its upper plane) is 48.5 cm. The strings of the dutar are tuned in quarta, and their construction is rather low-sometimes both strings are tuned in the small octave, sometimes the lower one goes even within the big octave. The dutar has thirteen frets, which are low metal lintels...

The dutar is a “plucked” instrument, although this expression does not quite fit here, because the strings on the dutar are not plucked with the fingers, as on the guitar, and are not brought into vibration with a plectrum, as on the mandolin, but are struck with quick strokes of the hand, just as it is done on the Russian balalaika, derived from the eastern dutar, and brought to Russia during the Tatar invasion. The technique of the right hand when playing the dutar requires great development, because, due to the softness of its sound, this instrument requires rapid repetition of beats. Turkmen music for dutar is entirely two-voiced, and fourths are taken with the thumb and middle finger, fifths are taken with the thumb and little finger, and major and minor tertias are taken with the thumb and index finger. The ring finger participates mainly only in melismas and is of secondary importance for basic fingering when playing the dutar.

Ideally the dutar's neck is made of apricot wood, and in the modern era the strings are more likely to be steel than either silk or gut. Traditionally the dutar has thirteen frets corresponding to an octave plus an augmented second, and is tuned to fourths.

In modern times it has transitioned from being a solo instrument used purely to accompany a singer to an ensemble instrument as well as for performing purely instrumental numbers.

The Smithsonian Institution describes the Turkmen dutar as a "two string fretted lute turned to the interval of a fourth" made of apricot, mulberry, and walnut wood with steel frets, strings, and tuners.

Notable players

• Turgun Alimatov (1922–2008)
• Abdurahim Hamidov (1952–2013)
• Abdurehim Heyit (Uyghur) (1962–)
• Alireza Soleimani (Aliabad, Khorasan)
• Haj Ghorban Soleimani (1920–2008)
• Sanubar Tursun (1971–)

References

References

1. "The Shahnameh Guide To The Lutes Of Central Asia".
2. "Collection of stringed instruments".
3. "The Stringed Instrument Database: D".
4. "ATLAS of Plucked Instruments - Central Asia".
5. Belyayev, Viktor. (1979). "Туркменская музыка". Izdatel'stvo Turkmenistan.
6. Gulyyew, Sh.. (2016). "Туркмены". Nauka.
7. Taylor, Paul Michael. (2013). "Turkmenistan: Arts from the Land of Magtymguly". Smithsonian Institution.