Yatag

Yatag zither of W. and Chakha Mongolia, similar to the Chin. cheng and now rare. A long rectangle of wood with arched top, the lower end forming an obtuse angle, is usually strung with 12 silk strings, each with its individual bridge. Only open strings are played; they are plucked with either a plectrum or the player's bare fingers and are tuned to a pentatonic scale. Compass ca. 2 octs. The yatag is also in use among the Volga Kalmuk and the Kirghiz; the instr. of the latter is flat and has 7…