Çifteli
Albanian man playing a çifteli | |
| String instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Çiftetelli saz |
| Classification | Plucked string instrument; fretted lute |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 321.321-5 (Fretted pear-shaped bowl lute with a neck, played by plucking.) |
| Developed | Balkans, Thrace |
The çifteli, çiftetelli saz (Turkish: 'doubled', 'double stringed saz', Albanian: çiftelia, qifteli) is a plucked string instrument, with only two strings, played in the Balkans and Thrace but mainly in the Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey.
The çifteli is a common folk instrument played in weddings and at concerts similar to the related instruments like bağlama or cura. It is mainly used in folk music (in particular Albanian folk music) as well as in various musical styles such as the performances of Nikollë Nikprelaj. It is also used to accompany Albanian epics and ballads.