The Brazilian berimbau, is a gourd-resonated, braced musical bow of African origin. The bow is strung with a single metal string which is struck with a thin stick called a vaquita or vareta, held in the player’s right hand. A small coin (dobrão) or stone (pedra) is held between the musician’s left thumb and index finger and is pressed onto the string resulting in a pitch change of about a minor or major second above the berimbau’s fundamental tone.
The Saz originated in Central Asia where Turks lived before their westward migration. Like the guitar in Spain and the bouzouki in Greece, the Saz is the most popular stringed instrument in Turkey and is able to play the microtones of Arabic music.