Chiwang Explained

The chiwang (Dzongkha: སྤྱི་དབང་; Wylie: spyi-dbang)^[1] is a type of fiddle played in Bhutan.^[2] The chiwang, the lingm (flute), and the dramyen (lute) comprise the basic instrumental inventory for traditional Bhutanese folk music.^[1]

Although the chiwang is considered typically Bhutanese, it is a variety of the piwang, a Tibetan two-stringed fiddle. It is heavily associated with boedra, one of two dominant genres of Bhutanese folk music, in which it symbolizes a horse.^[3]

See also

• Boedra
• Music of Bhutan

Notes and References

1. The Attributes and Values of Folk and Popular Songs . Journal of Bhutan Studies . 3 . 1 . Sonam . Kinga . 2011-10-30 . PDF . 2003 . 132–170.
2. Book: Dorji, C. T . History of Bhutan Based on Buddhism . Sangay Xam; Prominent Publishers . 1994 . 81-86239-01-4 . 15 . 2011-10-30.
3. Book: Clements, William M. . The Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Folklore and Folklife: Southeast Asia and India, Central and East Asia, Middle East . 2 . Greenwood Press . 2006 . 0-313-32849-8 . 106–110 . 2011-10-16.