Dramyen (Tibetan Lute)

Fuzzy

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I went to see the Dalai Lama speak in Toronto yesterday, and before he came out there was a performance of traditional Tibetan music and dance. Some of the performers were playing the Dramyen, a type of lute originating in the Himalayan region, and I immediately fell in love with the thing. It has three sets of two sympathetic strings with a seventh string in there somewhere, is usually plucked, and sounds a lot like a banjolele.
Does anyone play one of these, or even own one? I think they're pretty neat and I would like to know more about them.

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What's this?!? No love for the dramyen?!? Anyone?!?
I know it's a pretty obscure instrument, but someone must have heard of it...
 
This is my first time to hear of it but it certainly looks interesting.

There's this video on YouTube:



What's interesting is that the performer to the right has another instrument and it seems to be close to the size of a tenor ukulele. What is it?
 
That is a very interesting instrument, but I have never heard of it.
 
Interesting, too, is the modern sound. Reminds me a bit of bluegrass banjo technique.
 
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