Dombra

(Kazakh dombyra), a Kazakh stringed instrument played by plucking. It is also found in Uzbekistan (dombyra, dumbrak) and Bashkiria (dumbyra). It has a pear-shaped body with a wooden soundboard, a long neck, and two sinew strings tuned in fourths (sometimes in fifths). The dombra produces a quiet and soft sound. There are two types of dombra: the western Kazakh dombra, with its more narrow neck and 14-17 frets, is strummed like a balalaika, while the eastern Kazakh dombra, with its somewhat thicker neck and seven to eight frets, is usually plucked. In 1934 the instrument was modified and a number of orchestral variants were designed.