Instruments

Instruments played by the Silk Road Ensemble originate from a variety of musical traditions from all parts of the world. The histories of many of these instruments offer illustrations of interplay between cultures, both along the historic Silk Road and today.

bawu Chinese free-reed wind instrument	cello Western bowed string instrument	contrabass Western low-pitched string instrument	duduk Armenian double-reed woodwind	erhu Chinese bowed lute
Gaita Galician bagpipe	harp Western plucked string instrument	jang-go Korean hourglass drum	kamancheh Persian spike fiddle	kayagum Korean plucked long zither
morin khuur Mongolian horse-head fiddle	mugham vocals Azerbaijani vocal music	ney Persian/Azerbaijani end-blown flute	oud Middle Eastern fretless lute	percussion Worldwide family of drums and other struck or beaten instruments
piano Western hammered string instrument with keyboard	pipa Chinese short-necked plucked lute	ruan Chinese moon-shaped short-necked lute	santur Persian hammer dulcimer	shakuhachi Japanese end-blown bamboo flute
sheng Chinese mouth organ	tabla Indian set of drums	tar Middle Eastern long-necked double-heart-shaped lute	urtiin duu (longsong) Mongolian lyrical chant	viola Western middle-pitched bowed string instrument
violin Western high-pitched bowed string instrument