Kemenche

Kemenche or kamancha is a name used for various types of stringed bowed musical instruments originating in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Greece, Armenia, Iran, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. and regions adjacent to the Black Sea. These instruments are folk instruments, generally having three strings and played held upright with their tail on the knee of the musician. The name Kemenche derives from the Persian Kamancheh, meaning a "small bow".

Variations

The Kemençe of the Black Sea, also known as Pontic kemenche or Pontic lyra, is a box-shaped lute , while the classical kemençe is a bowl-shaped lute .
Other bowed instruments have names sharing the same Persian etymology include the kamancheh, a spike lute , and the Cappadocian kemane, an instrument closely related to the kemenche of the Black Sea with added sympathetic strings. Circassians have a similar instrument named the Shikepshine which means horse tail violin.