The nga is used widely with ritual dance/vocals, and players have developed brilliant techniques to produce a variety of musical patterns and styles. This is the most important of the percussion instruments used by Shamans in Kheng ritual practices such as the annual Choed-pala (a festival with Bon elements documented by the Music of Bhutan Research Centre in 2008). The player uses two thumbs to pluck inward alternately sometimes a hammer is used as with a hammered dulcimer. The center bridge, which covers a sound hole, is flat and bigger than the others so that the strings can be played with less effort there. Five bridges hold the two strings above the surface of the body. Its main function is to maintain accompanying rhythm and tempo, and no melody can be produced. It is around 1feet and 10 inches in length, with an even cylinder shape and no finger board or frets. This unusual two-stringed drone instrument of ancient origins is made of a piece of hollow green bamboo with both ends closed in. Lhamo Yangchenma, the Bhutanese goddess of music, also carries a drangyen. In monastery murals and thangkhas (religious paintings), the Guardian Deity of the East, Sharchog Gyalpo, often holds a drangyen so that he can communicate without causing the destruction that would follow from using his fearsomely powerful voice. when the saint Guru Rinpoche brought Buddhism to Bhutan. Historians estimate that the drangyen dates back to the 8th century A.D. The drangyen is the main instrument used to accompany songs in Bhutan. The ting ti is usually played as an open string to produce a drone/rhythm effect (chikari), but it can also be used as a normal melody string. In addition to these six strings, the drangyen has a supplementary string called ting ti, which is tuned to the higher octave ‘C’ (shadhaj). Three sets of double strings are generally tuned to ‘G’ (pancham), ‘C’ (sadhaj) and ‘F’ (madhyam). The former bridge is designed so that the six main strings create a buzzing sound when plucked. The drangyen has two bridges, one over the belly and one at the neck. Seven strings are suspended over a resonance chamber and attached to a rounded stem at its base. It is played with a plectrum of triangular bone, wood, or horn. A typical drangyen is approximately 3-4 feet in length, with a diameter of 6-12 inches. It is made from wood, leather and yak or ox bone. The drangyen must be carefully rendered to create its unique sound. Many consider this fret-less instrument a difficult one to master. Literally, its name means “hear the melody” (dra means “melody” and ngyen means “listen”). With its distinctive chusin shaped head (a sea monster designed to scare away any evil spirits attracted to its beautiful music), meticulously hand-carved body, and haunting, softly melodious sound, the drangyen embodies the unique musical tradition of Bhutan. The drangyen, or Bhutanese lute, is the oldest and most famous instrument from Bhutan.
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