Kemençe of the Black Sea

String instrument
Classification	stringed
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	321.322 (Necked box lute)

The Kemençe of the Black Sea (Turkish: Karadeniz kemençesi, Greek Pontic kemenche or Pontiaki lyra (Ποντιακή λύρα), Laz Çilili (ჭილილი), or Armenian Qamani (Քամանի) is a bottle-shaped bowed lute found in the Black Sea region of Turkey (Pontus), adjacent Armenian and Georgian peopled lands, as well as in Greece. It is also known as the "kementche of Laz". The name kemençe comes from Iranian Music Instrument Kamancheh.

The name Kemençe derives from the Persian (kamancheh) and means small bow. The name lyra derives from the name of the ancient Greek lyre.

It is played in the downright position, either by resting it on the knee when sitting, or held in front of the player when standing. It is always played "braccio", that is, with the tuning head uppermost. The kemenche bow is called the yay (Turkish: Yay) and the doksar (Greek: δοξάρι), the Greek term for bow. The kemençe is similar to a kit violin, as it allows for the violinist to dance while playing.

The strings are depressed onto the neck of the instrument by the player’s finger pads in the way violin strings are pressed, such as the large Cappadocian kemane.

The musicians usually play two or all three strings at the same time, utilizing the open string(s) as a drone. Sometimes they play the melody on two strings, giving a harmony in parallel fourths. They tend to play with many trills and embellishments and with unusual harmonies.

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Wikipedia