Currently there is a revival of authentic folk kobza playing in Ukraine, due to the efforts of the " Kobzar Guild " in Kiev and Kharkiv.

The term kobza however, has also been applied to a number of other Eastern European instruments distinct from the Ukrainian kobza.

It is either a direct descendant of the oud, brought by Romani musicians, or it is derived from the Ukrainian kobza.

Like the kobza, it has a short neck and is used primary for rhythmic accompaniment, but, like the oud, it has no frets.

The kobza () is a Ukrainian folk music instrument of the lute family ( Hornbostel-Sachs classification number 321. 321-5 + 6 ), a relative of the Central European mandora.

The term kobza is of Turkic origin and is related to the terms kobyz and komuz, thought to have been introduced into the Ukrainian language in the 13th century with the migration of a sizable group of Turkic people from Abkhazia settling in the Poltava region.

1700 appropriated the bandura name, but was commonly referred to as a kobza, because of the name's historical cachet while the Romanian kobza or cobza is a different type of plucked lute.

The Romanian kobza or cobza is a different type of plucked lute.

The kobzar Ostap Veresay ( 1803 – 1890 ) is today considered the foremost kobza player of the 19th century despite the fact that he referred to his instrument as a bandura.

The term " kobzar " has on occasion been used for hurdy-gurdy players in Belarus ( where the hurdy-gurdy is often referred to as a " kobza ", and bagpipe players in Poland where the bagpipe is referred to as a " kobza " or " koza ".

The Russian guitar ( sometimes referred to as a " Gypsy guitar ") is an acoustic seven-string guitar that arrived in Russia toward the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, most probably as an evolution of the cittern, kobza, and torban.

The latter is sometimes said to be typical of the Ukrainian kobza in the preceding century.

There are currently two different approaches to kobza construction: authentic fretless reconstructions, produced by adherents for the recreation of authentic folk traditions, and modern stylised fretted instruments based on a modified domra design.

A fretted version of the kobza was used by Paul Konoplenko-Zaporozhetz, who recorded a disc of kobza music for Folkways.

Prokopenko suggested that the four-stringed domra, an instrument widely taught in music schools in Ukraine but considered a Russian folk instrument but actually not used in Russia, be replaced by the fretted kobza.

* Orchestral kobza, with four strings tuned in fifths using tunings that parallel those used by the instruments of the violin family.

Historically, dumy were performed by itinerant Cossack bards called kobzari, who accompanied themselves on a kobza or a torban, but after the abolition of Hetmanate by the Empress Catherine of Russia the epic singing became the domain of blind itinerant musicians who retained the kobzar appellation and accompanied their singing by playing a bandura ( rarely a kobza ) or a relya / lira ( a Ukrainian variety of hurdy-gurdy ).

These itinerant musicians were generically called kobzari ( kobzar-singular ), and accompanied their singing with the kobza, bandura, or lira.

Much of the nobility was well versed in music with many Ukrainian Cossack leaders such as ( Mazepa, Paliy, Holovatyj, Sirko ) being accomplished players of the kobza, bandura or torban.

The Ukrainian kobza was traditionally gut-strung, with a body hewn from a single block of wood.

Cossack with a kobza

Kobzar literally means ‘ kobza player ’, a Ukrainian stringed instrument of the lute family, and more broadly — a performer of the musical material associated with the kobzar tradition.

Kobzars accompanied their singing with a musical instrument known as the kobza, bandura or lira.

From the 17th century the term bandura was often used as a synonym for the kobza.

The term kobza was often used as a synonym for bandura and the terms were used interchangeably until mid 20th century.

The Russian guitar, a seven-string acoustic guitar tuned to the Open G tuning, ( DGBDGbd ) arrived in the beginning of the 19th century in Russia, most probably as a development of the cittern, the kobza and the torban.

In the early in the 20th century the kobza went into disuse.

The term kobza was also used in historical sources and folk song as a synonym of bandura in the 19th and early 20th century in Ukraine.

The term kobza was also used as a synonym in historical sources for bandura in the 19th and early 20th century in Ukraine and was even used for bagpipes and occasionally for the hurdy-gurdy in Eastern Poland, Belarus and the Volyn region in Ukraine.

To date there have been no attempts to reconstruct earlier fretted kobza of the 18th century.

The kobza has a medium length neck which may or may not have tied-on frets, which were usually made of gut.

The highest form of development of this style of singing can be seen in the lyric historical folk epics known as dumy sung to the accompaniment of the bandura, kobza or lira ( lirnyk ).

Common traditional instruments include: the kobza ( lute ), bandura, torban ( bass lute ), violin, basolya ( 3-string cello ), the relya or lira ( hurdy-gurdy ) and the tsymbaly ; the sopilka ( duct flute ), floyara ( open, end-blown flute ), trembita ( alpenhorn ), fife, volynka ( bagpipes ); and the buben ( frame drum ), tulumbas ( kettledrum ), resheto ( tambourine ) and drymba / varhan ( Jaw harp ).

Even the instrument, kobza and bandura, were prohibited and confiscated.

The use of the term kobza pre-dates the first known use of the term bandura.

* Organological issues regarding the torban, kobza, and bandura

1800 ) appropriated the bandura name, but was commonly referred to as a kobza, because of the name's historical cachet.

A predecessor of the torban called the kobza ( also known sometimes referred to as the bandura ) was the instrument of the common folk.

Dumy are traditionally sung to an instrumental accompaniment, usually that of a bandura, kobza or lira.

Konoplenko first picked up the fretted kobza before the Revolution in 1917 in Kiev from Vasyl ' Potapenko and played on this instrument after emigrating to Winnipeg, Canada.

It combines elements of a box zither and lute, as well as its lute-like predecessor, the kobza.

The term kobza first appeared in Polish chronicles dating back to 1331 CE.