| Name | Image | Tradition | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dohol |  | Iran | Dohol is a big cylindrical two-sided drum to be played by two special drumsticks. One is wooden thick stick that is bowed at the end and its name is Changal (or Kajaki). The other is thin wooden twig and its name is Deyrak. (In Hormozgan province of Iran, Dohol is played by two hands.) Dohol is the main accompaniment of sorna (Persian oboe). The Iranian dohol is a famous form of cylindrical drum. Many music areas nears in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia include variations on the dohol and cylindrical drum forms, including the dhol of Armenia, daval of Kurdistan and the tabl ballady of Egypt. |
| Dombra |  | Kazakhstan | The dombra is a long-necked stringed instrument possessing a wooden resonating chamber, somewhat similar to a banjo or a lute. The dombra is played by either strumming with the hand, or plucking each string individually, with an occasional tap on the main surface of the instrument. While the strings are traditionally made of metal or sinew, modern dombras are usually produced using nylon strings. It is a traditional instrument of Central Asia, and is especially popular in such countries as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, as well as by Kazakhs living in China. The Uzbek dombra is usually unfretted, while the Kazakh dombra is constructed with frets. |
| Domra |  | Russia | Domra (Russian language:домра) is a long-necked Russian string instrument of the lute family with three or four metal strings. It has a round body. There are two types of domra: three strings (EAD tunning) and four strings (GDAE tuning). |
| Dong Son Drums |  | Vietnam | Dong Son drums (also called Heger Type I drums) are bronze drums fabricated by the Dong Son culture, in the Red River Valley of northern Vietnam. The drums were produced from about 600 BC until the third century AD, and are one of the culture's finest examples of metalworking. The drums, cast in bronze using the lost wax method, are up to a meter in height and weigh up to 100 kg. They may be based on a form originally from Yunnan. Dong Son drums are apparently both musical instruments and cult objects. They are decorated with geometric patterns, scenes of daily life and war, animals and birds, and boats. Dong Son drums include Ngoc Lu drum, Hoang Hoa drum, Co Loa drum and Song Da drum. |
| Doshpuluur |  | Tuva | The doshpuluur (Tuvan: Дошпулуур) is a long-necked Tuvan lute made from wood, usually pine or larch. There are two different versions of the doshpuluur. One version has a trapezoidal soundbox, which is covered on both sides by goat skin and is fretless. The other has a kidney-shaped soundbox mostly of wood with a small goat or snake skin roundel on the front and has frets. The doshpuluur is played by plucking and strumming. Like the other stringed instruments of Tuva, it is traditionally used as an accompaniment for a solo performance. |
| Double Bass |  | Europe | The double bass (also known as the contrabass, string bass, upright bass, bull fiddle, bass fiddle, bass violin, or simply bass) is the largest and lowest pitched bowed string instrument used in the modern symphony orchestra. It is a standard member of the string section of the symphony orchestra and smaller string ensembles in Western classical music. In addition, it is used in other genres such as jazz, 1950s-style blues and rock and roll, rockabilly/psychobilly, bluegrass, and tango. The image shows the front and side of a double bass. |
| Dramyin |  | Tibet | The dramyin or dranyen (Dzongkha: dramnyen) is a traditional Himalayan folk music lute with 7 strings, used primarily as an accompaniment to singing in the Drukpa Buddhist culture and society in Bhutan, as well as in Tibet, Sikkim and Himalayan West Bengal. It is often used in religious festivals of Vajrayana Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism, like the Tsechu. The instrument is played by strumming, fingerpicking or (most commonly) plucking. The dramyin is a long-necked, double-waisted and fretless lute. It is usually hollowed out of a single piece of wood and can vary in size from 60 cm to 120 cm in length. The image shows a street musician with a dramyin in Xigatse, Tibet 1993. |
| Dribu |  | Tibet | Tibetan music often involves chanting in Tibetan or Sanskrit, as an integral part of the religion. The dribu or drilbu is a Tibetan hand bell used by monks during the chanting. The hollow of the bell symbolizes the wisdom cognizing emptiness. The clapper represents the sound of emptiness. The eight lotus petals are the four mothers and four goddesses and the vase represents the vase containing the nectar of accomplishment. |
| Drum Machine |  | United States | A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. Drum machines are very useful instruments for a wide variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music. They are also a common necessity when session drummers are not available or desired. The image shows a Yamaha RY30 Drum Machine. |
| Drymba |  | Ukraine | Drymba is a jew's harp from Ukraine. The Jew's harp, or mouth harp, is thought to be one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. It is made from brass or steel. In former times it was made from wood or bamboo. A reed is attached to the harp. The player puts the narrow part of the instrument into his mouth, and gets the reed moving by using his right hand. The oral cavity is served as a resonator. |
| Duda |  | Hungary | Duda, (also known as tömlösíp and börduda) is a traditional bagpipe of Hungary. The duda’s chanters use single reeds much like Western drone reeds. Duda or dudmaisis are made of sheep, ox, goat or dogskin or of sheep’s stomach. A blowing tube is attached to the top. On one side of the bag is a pipe with fingerholes, on the other side are one or two drone pipes without fingerholes, which play at a single tone. The mouthpieces of the pipes, which have reeds made of goose quill or cane, are usually inside the bag. On the outside end are attached bent horn-shaped tips made of apple or pine wood. |
| Dudelsack |  | Germany | Dudelsack is a German bagpipe with two drones and one chanter. It is also called Schäferpfeife (shepherd pipe) or Sackpfeife. The drones are sometimes fit into one stock and do not lie on the player's shoulder but are tied to the front of the bag. |
| Duduk |  | Armenia | The duduk is a traditional woodwind instrument of Armenian origins. It consists of a trunk (reed pipe) Duduki and Kamishi (reed) and a mouthpiece (reed) . The trunk is cut mainly from apricot-tree, mulberry and box trees. It has 8 front keys on the upper side and one key on the lower side. The pipe is 36cm. long. Internal diameter is 10mm. |
| Duggi |  | Bangladesh | Duggi is a small kettledrum worn around the waist by Baul performers in Bangladesh and India. They use the drum to accompany their spiritual songs, dances and begging chants. |
| Dulcian |  | Italy | The dulcian is a Renaissance bass woodwind instrument, with an exposed double-reed and a folded conical bore. Equivalent terms include "curtal" in English, "dulzian" in German, "bajón" in Spanish, "douçaine"' in French, "dulciaan" in Dutch, and "fagotto" in Italian. The predecessor of the modern bassoon, it flourished between 1550 and 1700, but was probably invented earlier. Towards the end of this period it co-existed with, and was then superseded by the baroque bassoon, although it continued to be used in Spain until early in the twentieth century. |
| Dulzaina |  | Spain | The dulzaina is a Spanish double reed instrument in the oboe family. It has a conical shape and is the equivalent of the Breton bombarde. Many varieties of the dulzaina exist in Spain. In the Land of Valencia it's known as a dolçaina or xeremia and is accompanied by a drum called the tabalet. The Catalan variety of the dulzaina is called a dolçaina or gralla, and the Basque variety is called a Bolin-Gozo. |
| Dundun |  | Nigeria | Dundun is the Yoruba name of the West African talking drum. The player puts the drum under one shoulder and beats the instrument with a stick. The Yoruba have an advanced drumming tradition, with a characteristic use of the dundun hourglass talking drums. Ensembles using the dundun play a type of music that is also called dundun. These ensembles consist of various sizes of talking drums, along with kettledrums (gudugudu). The leader of a dundun ensemble is the iyalu, who uses the drum to "talk" by imitating the tonality of Yoruba. |
| Dung-Dkar |  | Tibet | The dung-dkar (literally “White Conch”) is formed from a white conch shell. It is heavily decorated with ornate patterns with inlaid metals such as bronze and tin and is topped with a bright bead, which is to represent good energy. The dung-dkar has been used as a religious instrument throughout the recorded history of religious music in Tibet. An example of the dung-dkar being used in an ensemble situation is a traditional offering to Buddha, where the instrument is accompanied by the “sil-snyan” (small cymbals) and the “mchod-rnga” (offering drum). The sound of the ensemble is said to make the ghosts panic and Buddha happy. The playing of the dung-dkar is often left to young boys who will later learn how to play other instruments of Tibetan Buddhism. |
| Dunun |  | Gambia | A Dunun (also known as dundun, doundoun, or djun-djun) is a set of West African bass drums. They are kenkeni (smallest), sangban (medium) and doundounba (largest). The kenkeni has the highest pitch and usually holds the rhythm together with a simple pattern. The sangban typically has a more complex part which defines the rhythm. The doundounba often serves to add depth with deep, widely spaced notes. These drums provide a rhythmic and melodic base for the djembe ensemble. |
| Dutar |  | Iran | The dutar (also dotar or doutar) is a traditional long-necked two-stringed lute found in Central Asia. Its name comes from the Persian word for "two strings", dotar (do "two", tar "string"), although the Herati dutar of Afghanistan has 14 strings. When played, the strings are usually plucked by the Uyghurs of Western China and strummed and plucked by the Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmen, and Afghan people. |
| Duxianqin |  | China | The duxianqin (独弦琴, meaning "single string zither") is a Chinese plucked string instrument with only one string. It is played using harmonics, with the string's tension varied by the use of a flexible rod manipulated with the left hand. The duxianqin is nearly identical to the Vietnamese đàn bầu, from which it is likely derived. Chinese sources describe it as being an instrument of the Jing (also spelled Gin or Kinh) ethnic group of China, who are ethnic Vietnamese living in China. |
| Dvodentsivka |  | Ukraine | Dvodentsivka (Ukrainian: Дводенцівка) is a double duct flute. Two dentsivkas with the same length are joined together into one dvodentsivka but only one has playing holes. The other pipe has no holes and acts as a drone. |
| Dvoyanka |  | Bulgaria | Dvoyanka is a double flute made of a single piece of wood, with six sound holes on one side. It is most frequently made of ash-wood, plum tree, pear tree, cornel or boxwood. The tune is played on the one pipe, which is accompanied by a flat tone on the other pipe. It is a favorite instrument of shepherds. |
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