Instruments
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CHADAGAN

Chadagan images Chadagan Chadagan detail

The CHADAGAN is a plucked zither. Related instruments are the Mongolian yatga, the Khakassian jadagan (or chatkhan), the Japanese koto, and the Chinese guzheng. The number of strings varies, and the bridge is sometimes movable. Of the two chadagans shown here, one has 12 strings and one has 16 strings. Both are tuned to the pentatonic scale. Nachyn Choodu is shown with a chadagan.

Folktale about the origin of the chadagan

Listen to Nachyn Choodu play the chadagan
(with guitar accompaniment)

Above and below: Watch Nachyn Choodu play the chadagan with Alash.
Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center, Washington DC, 6 August 2009