 | |
| String instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Shudarga |
| Classification | |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 321.312 (Spike box lutes) |
| Related instruments | |
| More articles or information | |
| Music of Mongolia, List of Mongolian musical instruments | |
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The shanz or shudarga (Mongolian: шанз, шударга,ᠱᠠᠨᠵᠠ Mongolian pronunciation: [ʃants]) is a three-stringed traditional Mongolian plucked string instrument. It is closely related to the sanxian.
The name shudarga (Mongolian:ᠱᠤᠳᠤᠷᠭᠤ shudurgu) seems to derive from the verb шудрах (Mongolian:ᠱᠤᠳᠤᠷᠬᠣ shudurhu-, to brush against) which describes the way the instrument is played. Whereas shanz is borrowed from 弦子 (xiánzi), referring to 三弦 (sānxián).
Like the sanxian, the shanz has a long fretless fingerboard. The resonator is oval-shaped and the shell is made from wood (elm or sandalwood). Snakeskins are stretched and attached to cover the resonator. The main difference with the sanxian is the playing technique: the shanz is played with a small, round bamboo stick, which is nowadays often replaced by the plastic tube of a ballpoint pen.
The top string of the instrument is generally tuned an octave above the lowest one and the middle instrument an interval of a fourth or a fifth above the lowest string. The most commonly used tuning is G-d-g.
The shanz is mainly used to accompany singing and commonly used in ensembles or orchestras of traditional Mongolian instruments, as well as in short folk songs (bogino duu) and Huree songs. Nowadays, the shanz is rather popular in Mongolian pop music.
The early history of the shanz is vague, but its current form has been influenced by the sanxian. Historical variants of the spike lute known from writing include the shidurghū in Persian texts. The instruments had a connection to the steppe cultures. Images have been found from Mongolian peoples in Northern China, to the Turkic and Persian peoples in Northern India, Central Asia and Iran.
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