Zongora

The zongora is an instrument typical of Maramureş, a region of Romania. It is similar to a guitar, but has fewer strings. In the past it had two strings, but nowadays it has four or even five. When played, the instrument is usually held vertically. The string layout is compressed to the central inch of the fingerboard to allow rapid rhythmical strumming. Recent musicians change make more harmonic changes than in the past, but still use only major chords.

The word "zongora" is also Hungarian for "piano".

References

* [http://www.eliznik.org.uk/RomaniaMusic/zongora.htm Guitar & zongora] , Traditional music in Romania, The Eliznik Romania pages. Accessed 20 July 2006.