Qiftelia

The Qiftelia (çiftelia, qifteli or qyfteli) is a plucked string instrument, with only two strings, played mainly by the Gheg people of northern and central Albania, Southern Montenegro, parts of North Macedonia and Kosovo.

The Qiftelia is frequently used by Albanians in weddings and at concerts, as well as by many musicians, such as Nikollë Nikprelaj. It is also used to accompany Albanian epics and ballads.

Qiftelia vary in size, but are most often tuned to B3 and E3 (comparable to the top two strings of a guitar, which is classically tuned as "E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4"). Usually the lower string is played as a drone, with the melody played on the higher string. The Qiftelia is a fretted instrument, but unlike most, it is not fretted in a chromatic scale (one fret per semitone), but rather in a diatonic scale, with seven notes to the octave.

The Qiftelia originates from Albanian territories. The Qiftelia delivers a unique sound, melody and accompanied singing. The Qiftelia has an origin distinct from that of the ba?lama(saz) instrument.