Yatga

The "yatga" (or "yatag") is a traditional Mongolian plucked zither, related to the Chinese "guzheng".

"Yatga" may vary widely in size, tuning, and number of bridges and strings; its style depends on its purpose. The body is a long wooden box, one end of which is angled downward. The performer plucks the strings with the fingernails of the right hand; the left hand is used to put pressure on the strings, creating sound. Similar instruments include the Korean "gayageum" and the Japanese "koto".

The most common type of "yatga" in contemporary use is the thirteen-stringed version. Historically, however, the twelve-stringed version was used at the royal court for symbolic reasons; the twelve strings corresponded to twelve levels of palace hierarchy.

The traditional Mongolian epic, "Janggar", contains the story of a young princess who once played upon an 800-string "yatga" with 82 bridges; she is supposed to have only played on the seven lower bridges.

The "yatga" is very similar to the Tuvan "yat-kha".

Reference

* [http://www.silkroadproject.org/music/instruments/yatga.html Description from the Silk Road Ensemble]