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The word buzuq comes from the Turkish and occurs in ´bashi-buzuq,´ the name given to the Ottoman troops, literally meaning ´burnt head´ or ´uprooted.´
The buzuq, which is an essential instrument in the Rahbani repertoire, is a hybrid instrument that is not classified among the classical instruments of Arab music nor among those of Turkish music. However, this instrument may be looked upon as a larger and deeper-toned relative of the Turkish saz, to which it could be compared in the same way as the viola to the violin in Western music.
Before the Rahbanis popularized the use of this instrument, the buzuq had been associated with the gypsy music of Lebanon and Syria.
A long-necked fretted string instrument, the buzuq is furnished with 2 metal strings which are played with a plectrum, offering a metallic yet Iyrical resonance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzuq
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