Listen to the chang
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the chang makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the chang belongs to the harps: strings run at an angle away from the soundboard, each plucked open.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The chang is a Persian musical instrument, a vertical angular harp. It was very popular and used widely in ancient Persia, especially during the Sasanian era where it was often played in the Sasanian royal court. It was also played until the 19th century in the Ottoman Empire but has since disappeared from Turkish folk music.
Other harps
Frequently asked questions
What does a chang sound like?
Listen to 1 recording on this page. As one of the harps, its sound comes from the way strings run at an angle away from the soundboard, each plucked open.
What type of instrument is the chang?
It is classified as harps (Hornbostel–Sachs 322.12).
Sources & credits
- Jung chang bbc radio4 womans hour 18 12 2013 b03lpjpc – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q2956018 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Chang (instrument) – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Ctac – CC BY-SA 4.0