Musical instruments beginning with Y
Yangqin, yatga, yaylı tambur: the instruments listed under Y all have strings, but they are played differently. Their strings can be struck with beaters, plucked with the fingers or bowed. A wooden body alone does not tell you which family they belong to.
Instruments beginning with Y and how they work
| Instrument | Family | How to recognise it |
|---|---|---|
| Yangqin | Struck strings, zither | A Chinese instrument with metal strings stretched across a soundbox and struck with slender beaters. It belongs to the dulcimer family, not the xylophone family. |
| Yatga | Plucked strings, zither | A Mongolian zither with an elongated body and bridges. Construction and string count vary between models. |
| Yaylı tambur, or yaylı tanbur | Bowed strings, lute | A long-necked instrument from Turkish musical traditions, played with a bow. Several types of body construction exist. |
The yangqin strikes strings, not bars
In a photograph, its beaters might suggest a mallet percussion instrument. But underneath the yangqin’s beaters, metal strings vibrate. It is therefore a struck-string chordophone. The Metropolitan Museum’s entry on the yangqin describes its bamboo beaters and its use in ensembles.
To recognise the mechanism, look at what the beaters touch: a thin string or a broad bar. The piano provides another way of striking strings, using hammers operated by keys. Find it under letter P in the French index.
The yatga: a zither with its own tradition
Its strings, stretched above an elongated soundbox, are plucked. The bridges help set and organise the pitches. Similar construction to other Asian zithers does not make it interchangeable with a koto or guzheng. A Hong Kong cultural service concert programme places it among instruments with movable bridges.
Yaylı indicates bowed playing
The yaylı tambur differs in this respect from the plucked tanbur. It retains a long neck, but the bow’s sustained vibration changes how the sound is articulated. The Nilüfer Musical Instruments Museum presents its construction and development.
To compare plucked strings, see the koto in the French index. For bowed strings, explore instruments under V in the French index.