Nangma songs

Nangma are constitutive of the large part of Tibetan lay music. These sung and danced melodies were previously appreciated mostly amongst the noble Tibetan stratum.

"Nangma" means "inner, inside" in Tibetan, and according to specialists, this word was used because most of the people from local aristocracy were playing this music for their intimate circles of friends who shared the same social status.

The ensemble playing Nangma songs is usually formed by a solo singer accompanied by four musicians playing dra-nyen (six-string lute), pi-wang (two-string viol), gyü-mang (dulcimer) and te-ling (transversal flute).