Elchin Nagijev demonstrates the tar 
Huseyn Naghiyev - " Dance of patterns " (on themes of Azerbaijani folk dance) 
Elshan Mansurov demonstrates the kamancha Read more about the instrument
The kamancha is a spiked violin from Iran and the Caucasus, also known in Turkey and Egypt as rabab. It has a small spherical walnut or mulberry body with a nail protruding from the base. The bridge rests on a round sounding board made of an animal membrane, bladder or fish skin. The neck is cylindrical and has four strings tuned as a-e'-a'-e". It is believed that the fourth string was added in the early 20th century as a result of the introduction of the Western violin in Iran. While playing, the player rests the instrument vertically on the knee and turns it on the nail to meet the bow. The kamancha is played in the tradition of improvised music known as maqam. Its elegant, warm sound is reminiscent of the sound of a human voice. Therefore, it lends itself to virtuosic solo or ensemble playing. The first known written reference to the kamancha dates to the 12th century BCE. For centuries it has been revered as an exceptional instrument for use in court, folk, religious and secular settings. The kamancha is the ancestor of most modern European and Asian string instruments.
