The gusle or gusla Serbian: гусле, lahuta, гусла, is a single-stringed musical instrument used in the Balkans and on the Dinarides area. The name gusle/gusli is common to all Slavs and denotes a string instrument. Therefore it should not be confused with the Russian Gusli or the Czech term for violin ( ).
The Gusle has many similarities with the rebab, which was widely used throughout the Ottoman Empire and can still be heard among Arab bedouins, being played in almost exactly the same way.
Amongst the South Slavs, the gusle is typically not played on its own; instead, it is used to accompany the voice of a player (called a guslar) telling and/or singing an epic story or legend. It is used in a similar way to a guitar in the West. The gusle has only a side role, intermixing with the players' singing.
