Mi gyaung

The crocodile zither (Ch鳄鱼 琴eyuqin; Burmese: mí - Gyaung saung ) is a derived from the position designation for a closely related group of tube zithers in East and Southeast Asia.

Dissemination

The stringed instrument of the Burmese music is, mí - Gyaung saung (also megyoung ), has three strings and is played only in the south of the Mon in folk music. Mí - Gyaung means " crocodile " and saung " stringed instrument ", ie according to the harp saung gauk.

At least since the time of the Tang Dynasty is a crocodile zither also known in China: The New History of the Tang Dynasty, reported the instrument under the name tuóshǒuzhēng鼍 首 筝( "Chinese alligator head - Zheng "). In the Qing Dynasty, it was named after his Burmese name mí - Gyaung saung "密 穹 总" ( miqiongzong ).

In Thailand, the crocodile zither called chake. The same instrument was adopted as Takhe in the Cambodian music.

Design

The tube is derived from the erosion of a wooden block. The strings are hung on pendant vertebrae. The crocodile zither is played lying in front of the player. The typical shape of the tube is slightly distorted here because the zither lying not otherwise be playing. Small feet isolate the open back of the sound body from the hard ground.

When Chinese instrument are eleven gutters evenly among the three strings and allow a significant range. The crocodile zither is used as a soloist, but more than that, used together with a string instrument and a Chinese Yang, a trapezoidal zither. In addition, it serves as a deep stringed instrument in the orchestra.