Bugchu ( pa, ਬੁਘਚੂ), also spelled as Bughchu, Bugdu or Bughdu, is a traditional musical instrument native to the

Punjab region Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

. It is used in various cultural activities like folk music and folk dances such as bhangra,

Malwai Giddha Malwai Giddha ( pa, ਮਲਵਈ ਗਿੱਧਾ) is the folk dance of males of Malwa region of Punjab. This dance was originally performed by Babey (old men) and hence is also called ''Babeyan da Gidhha'' but the dance is now performed by younger ...

etc. It is a simple but unique instrument made of wood. Its shape is very similar to the

damru A damaru ( sa, डमरु, ; Tibetan ཌ་མ་རུ་ or རྔ་ཆུང) is a small two-headed drum, used in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. In Hinduism, the damaru is known as the instrument of the deity Shiva, associated with Tant ...

, an Indian musical instrument. It makes a sound similar to its name, "''bugchoo''".

Design and playing

The bughchu is an

hourglass An hourglass (or sandglass, sand timer, sand clock or egg timer) is a device used to measure the passage of time. It comprises two glass bulbs connected vertically by a narrow neck that allows a regulated flow of a substance (historically sand) ...

-shaped gourd with stretched skin on heads. A thick cord or string pierces the center of the skin and a knob of wood is tied to the other end of the string. The instrument is held in a crook of the arm and the string is held in the palm of the same hand that holds the instrument. Then the taut string is plucked with the other hand's fingers or with a striker to produce a unique sound. The pitch of the sound is controlled by increasing or decreasing the tension on the string while plucking the string. Increasing the tension raises the pitch and decreasing the tension decreases the pitch.

References

{{reflist Punjabi music Punjabi culture Folk instruments of Punjab

Design and playing

See also

References