The Lute (dra-nyen)

Dra-nyen, which litterally means "melodious sound", is the most important and the most representative of the instruments of Tibetan lay music. Most of Tibetan songs are accompanied only by the lute.

The 6-string lute is made of three pairs of strings tuned La Re Sol. Unlike the guitar, it does not have frets and the musician plays with a pick.