Definition
A long-necked, plucked string instrument from India and Central Asia, typically with four or five pairs of metal strings tuned in octaves, used primarily to provide a resonant drone accompaniment in Indian classical music.
Example Usage
The tamboura's deep drone created the harmonic foundation for the entire raga performance.
Origin
From Persian 'tanbur,' which traveled through Turkish and Arabic before entering Indian classical music vocabulary.
Fun Fact
The tamboura is never meant to play melody—its role is purely to establish and sustain the tonal center, making it indispensable to Indian music but easy to overlook.
Source: Definition backfill (hailey)
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