How the dutar makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the dutar belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
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 dutar (also dotar; Persian: دوتار, romanized: dutâr; Russian: Дутар; Tajik: Дутор; Uzbek: Дутор; Uyghur: دۇتار, Дутар, romanized: Dutar; Dungan: Дутар) is a traditional Iranian long-necked two-stringed lute found in Iran and Central Asia.
Its name comes from the Persian word for "two strings", دوتار do tār (< دو do "two",تار tār "string"), although the Herati dutar of Afghanistan has fourteen strings.
Other lutes
More instruments from Iran
Frequently asked questions
What does a dutar sound like?
As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the dutar?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.322).
Where does the dutar come from?
The dutar originates from Iran and Central Asia.