Çiftelia
Çiftelia , also çifteli, çiteli ( Albanian ), is an Albanian long-necked lute . The plucked instrument consists of a pear-shaped body, a long, slim neck and is strung with two strings . The strings are often tuned in Bb and E (fourths). The lower, higher-pitched E-string is mainly used for the melody. The çiftelia originally comes from Turkish music . Another name for the çiftelia in Albania and Croatia is karadyzen ( dyzen ), from Turkish karadüzen ( düzen ).
Çiftelia is derived from the Turkish word çifte tel (“double string”) meaning “two string”, which was adopted in the Albanian language. Çiftetelli describes various folk dances in Turkey and the Balkans.
The çiftelia is played especially at weddings and concerts in folk music. It is an integral part of the folk music of northern Albania , Kosovo and the north-west of North Macedonia . Related two-string long-necked lutes are the Turkish saz and the Iranian-Afghan dotar . The šargija , which is widespread in the Balkans, has three double strings.
Dervish Shaqa was one of the most famous Albanian folk singers who accompanied his lectures with the çiftelia .
