Gusle

(Serbo-Croatian and Slovenian), gusla (Bulgarian), a folk instrument of the South Slavs played with a bow. It has a hollow, oval or pear-shaped wooden body with a leather diaphragm stretched over the open side and one or two horsehair strings. The player only touches the strings lightly and does not press them to the finger-board. The instrument is used mainly to accompany singing.