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Benju
A benju ( Balochi: بینجو) a type of zither fitted with a keyboard, commonly used in the music of Balochistan. Construction and play It is about 1 meter long, 10 –12 cm wide and the soundbox is about 5 cm high, with six strings. Strings 1 and 2, 5 and 6 are used as bordun (drone) strings and tuned to the tonic and the fifth or fourth. In relative pitch C and G or F. The middle strings 3 and 4 are tuned unison to F or G, and they are fretted and can be shortened by pressing down the metal keys. The scale is chromatic from G to A, B flat or B. The right hand plays the strings by using a wooden or plastic plectron, the left hand is fingering the keys. The benju is played mainly as a solo instrument accompanied by dholak The ''dholak'' is a two-headed hand drum, a folk percussion instrument. The instrument is about 45 cm in length and 27 cm in breadth and is widely used in '' qawwali'', '' kirtan'', ''lavani'' and '' bhangra''. The drum has two diff ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abd-ur-Rahmân Surizehi
Abdulrahman Surizehi is an ethnic Baloch musician, born in Iranian Balochistan and later living in Oslo, Norway. Surizehi specialises in the benju, a Baluch keyboard zither, and has been referred to as the instrument's greatest performer. Surizehi was influenced by his father Joma Surizehi, who played a prominent role in refining the instrument and securing its place in Baloch culture. References External links Album review at Womex.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Surizehi, Abdulrahman 1960 births Living people Baloch musicians Zither players Iranian emigrants to Norway 20th-century Iranian musicians ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balochi Language
Balochi or Baluchi () is an Iranian language spoken primarily in the Balochistan region of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. In addition, there are speakers in Oman, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Turkmenistan, East Africa and in diaspora communities in other parts of the world. The total number of speakers, according to '' Ethnologue'', is 8.75 million. Of these, 6.28 million are in Pakistan. According to Brian Spooner, Balochi belongs to the Western Iranian subgroup, and its original homeland is suggested to be around the central Caspian region. Classification Balochi is an Indo-European language, belonging to the Indo-Iranian branch of the family. As an Iranian language it is classified in the Northwestern group. '' Glottolog'' classifies 3 different varieties, namely Eastern Balochi, Koroshi and Southern-Western Balochi, under the "Balochic" group. Morphology Balochi, like many Western Iranian languages, has lost the Old Iranian gender distinctions. Phonolo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zither
Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. This article describes the latter variety. Zithers are typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers or a plectrum. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, the term refers to a larger family of similarly shaped instruments that also includes the hammered dulcimer family and piano and a few rare bowed instruments like the bowed psaltery, bowed dulcimer, and streichmelodion. Like an acoustic guitar or lute, a zither's body serves as a resonating chamber (sound box), but, unlike guitars and lutes, a zither lacks a distinctly separate neck assembly. The number of strings varies, from one to more than fifty. In modern common usage the term "zither" refers to three specific instruments: the concert zithe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keyboard Instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument played using a keyboard, a row of levers which are pressed by the fingers. The most common of these are the piano, organ, and various electronic keyboards, including synthesizers and digital pianos. Other keyboard instruments include celestas, which are struck idiophones operated by a keyboard, and carillons, which are usually housed in bell towers or belfries of churches or municipal buildings. Today, the term ''keyboard'' often refers to keyboard-style synthesizers. Under the fingers of a sensitive performer, the keyboard may also be used to control dynamics, phrasing, shading, articulation, and other elements of expression—depending on the design and inherent capabilities of the instrument. Another important use of the word ''keyboard'' is in historical musicology, where it means an instrument whose identity cannot be firmly established. Particularly in the 18th century, the harpsichord, the clavichord, and the early ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Music Of Balochistan
The Baloch or Baluch ( bal, بلۏچ, Balòc) are an Iranian people who live mainly in the Balochistan region, located at the southeasternmost edge of the Iranian plateau, encompassing the countries of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. There are also Baloch diaspora communities in neighbouring regions, including in India, Turkmenistan, and the Arabian Peninsula. The Baloch people mainly speak Balochi, a Northwestern Iranian language, despite their contrasting location on the southeastern side of the Persosphere. The majority of Baloch reside within Pakistan. About 50% of the total ethnic Baloch population live in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, while 40% are settled in Sindh and a significant albeit smaller number reside in Pakistani Punjab. They make up nearly 3.6% of Pakistan's total population, and around 2% of the populations of both Iran and Afghanistan. Etymology The exact origin of the word 'Baloch' is unclear. * Rawlinson (1873) believed that it is derived ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
