Ge-Te Do-pe

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Ge-te Do-pe, a.k.a. Ap Dawpel (born 1932, in Talo, Punakha, Bhutan), is a singer and dramnyen master from Bhutan. Ge-te means "ex-monk", Do-pe is short for his full name, Da-wa Pen-jor, a.k.a. Daw Peljor, "Moon Wealth". Ap Dawpel comes from the Punakha Valley, the former residence of the old Dharmarajas (priestly kings) where a particularly fine tradition of music is preserved. Ap Dawpel became a Buddhist monk when he was nine years old. He started playing the dramnyen at the age of 23, when he learned it from Sewla Pem Dorji, a renowned dramnyen player. He also learned old popular songs from Sewla Pem Dorji, who was known for singing zhungdra and boedra. Later, he became the Royal Grand Mother’s painter and musician. At the age of 27, he was sent to India to record music, along with some others. Ap Dawpel does not remember how many music albums were produced based on his songs. Apart from dramyen, he also plays other traditional Bhutanese musical instruments. In 1999, he received the Druk Thugsey (Heart Son of Bhutan) medal for his outstanding musical services from His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyalpo. Ap Dawpel retired from playing the dramnyen in 2007. The Bhutanese dramnyen is a brightly painted lute with a beautifully carved head of what is usually described as a sea-monster (after Monier-Williams, Sanskrit Dictionary) and is indeed the Sanskrit makara. The Bhutanese dramnyen has seven strings, unlike the Tibetan which is said to have at most six: these seven represent

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