Instruments

Saz - Baglama

The most commonly used string folk instrument in Turkey, the baglama has
seven strings divided into courses of two, two and three. It can be tuned in
various ways and takes different names according to region and size:
Baglama, Divan Sazi, Bozuk, Çögür, Kopuz Irizva, Cura, Tambura, etc. The
cura is the smallest member of the baglama family: larger than the cura is
the tambura, tuned an octave lower. The Divan sazi, the largest instrument
in the family, is tuned one octave lower still. A baglama has three main parts,
the bowl (called tekne), made from mulberry wood or juniper, beech, spruce
or walnut, the spruce sounding board (gögüs) and a neck of beech or juniper
(sap ). The tuning pegs are known as burgu (literally screw). Frets are tied to
the sap with fishing line, which allows them to be adjusted. The baglama is
usually played with a tezene (similar to a guitar pick) made from cherrywood
bark or plastic. In some regions, it is played with the fingers in a style known
as Selpe or Serpe. There are also electric baglamas, which can be connected
to an amplifier. These can have either single or double pickups.

Zurna

The Zurna (pronounced zewer-na), like the duduk and Kaval, is a woodwind
instrument used to play Anatolian and Middle Eastern folk music. The zurna
is a conical oboe, made from the fruit tree Apricot ( Prunus Armeniaca ),
and uses a double reed which generates a sharp, piercing sound. Thus, it has
historically been played outdoors during festive events such as weddings and
holidays. It has 8 holes on the front, 7 of which are used while playing, and 1
thumbhole which provide a range of one octave. It is similar to the Mizmar.
Zurnas are also used in the folk music of the countries in the region, especially
Armenia, Republic of Macedonia , Croatia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Greece,
Assyria, Iran, Israel, Afghanistan, Albania, Bosnia and the other Caucasian
countries, and has now spread throughout China, and Eastern Europe.
The Zurna is most likely the immediate predecessor of the European Shawm
as well as related to the Chinese Suona still used today in temple and funeral
music. The Japanese charumera, or charamera, traditionally associated with
itinerant noodle vendors is a small zurna, its name deriving from the
Portuguese chirimiya. Few, if any noodle vendors continue this tradition and,
if any, would undoubtedly use a loudspeaker playing a recorded charumera.
There are several types of zurnas. They all share one and the same sound
inductor - the so called kalem - which is actually a very tight (and short)
double reed, sometimes made out of wheat leaves. The longest (and lowest)
is the Kaba zurna, used in northern Turkey and Bulgaria. As a rule of thumb,
a zurna is conical and made of wood.

Davul

These drums are commonly used in the folk music of Iran and Turkey, as well
as Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia, portions of Greece and
Serbia, as well as Iraq and Armenia. These drums have both a deep bass sound
and a thin treble sound due to their construction and playing style, where
different heads and sticks are used to produce different sounds on the same
drum. In Armenia the dhol is not as long and is played with the hands and not
with a stick. It is frequently heard in Armenian folk music due to its origins
from Armenia. Not only is it in folk music but also in modern music as well,
even having solos in many prominent songs. Other Greek names for this drum
include Davouli, Argano, Toskani, Tsokani, Toubi, Toubaki, Kiossi, Tavouli,
Pavouli, Toubano, and Toubaneli. Additionally, other names for the daouli,
depending on the area, include toumpano, tymbano, or toumbi, which stem
from the ancient Greek word tympano; this word exists in English in the word
tympani for the drum section in the modern classical orchestra and the tympanic
membrane for the eardrum.

Darbuka

Darbuka are played with a much lighter touch and quite different strokes
(sometimes including rolls or quick rhythms articulated with the fingertips) than
hand drums such as the djembe, found in West Africa.There are two main types
of goblet drums. The Egyptian style has rounded edges around the head, whereas
the Turkish style exposes the edge of the head. The exposed edge allows closer
access to the head so finger-snapping techniques can be done, but the hard edge
discourages the rapid rolls possible with the Egyptian style. The goblet drum may
be played while held under one arm (usually the non-dominant arm) or by placing
it sideways upon the lap (with the head towards the player's knees) while seated.
Some drums are also made with strap mounts so the drum may be slung over the
shoulder, to facilitate playing while standing or dancing. It produces a resonant,
low-sustain sound while played lightly with the fingertips and palm. Some players
move their fists in and out of the bell to alter the tone. There are a variety of rhythms
(see dumbek rhythms) that form the basis of the folkloric and modern music and
dance styles of the Middle East. There are two main sounds produced by the goblet
drum. The first is called the 'doum'. It is the deeper bass sound produced by striking
the head near the center with the length of the fingers and palm. The second is called
the 'tek' and is the higher-pitched sound produced by hitting near the edge of the head
with the fingertips. A 'tek' struck with the secondary hand is also known as a 'ka'.
Additionally, there are more complex techniques including snaps, slaps, pops and rolls
that are used to ornament the basic rhythm. Hand clapping and hitting the sides of the
drum can be used in addition to drumhead sounds. Another technique commonly used
in Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey and Egypt is to tap with the fingers of one hand and with
a thin stick in the other. In Turkey the stick is called the çubuk, which means wand,
or stick. The Romani of most of the countries associated with the goblet drum use
this technique.

Qanun

The Qanun qawanin; Azerbaijani and Turkish: kanun; qanún or kanun) is a string
instrument found in the 10th century in Farab in Iran. The name derives from the
Arabic word "kanun," which means rule, principle, and also "mode." Its traditional
music is based on Maqamat. It is essentially a zither with a narrow trapezoidal
soundboard. Nylon or PVC strings are stretched over a single bridge poised on
fish-skins on one end, attached to tuning pegs at the other end. The kanun, especially
in ancient Greek times was known as the psaltery.[1] Kanuns used in Turkey have 26
courses of strings, with three strings per course. It is played on the lap by plucking the
strings with two tortoise-shell picks, one in each hand, or by the fingernails, and has a
range of three and a half octaves, from A2 to E6. The dimensions of Turkish kanuns
are typically 95 to 100 cm (37-39") long, 38 to 40 cm (15-16") wide and 4 to 6 cm
(1.5-2.3") high.[2] The instrument also has special latches for each course, called
mandals. These small levers, which can be raised or lowered quickly by the
performer while the instrument is being played, serve to change the pitch of a
particular course slightly by altering the string lengths.

Ney

Turkish and Arab neys normally have 7 holes, 6 in front and one thumb-hole in back.
The typical Persian ney has 6 holes, one of which is on the back. The interval between
the holes is a semitone, although microtones (and broader pitch inflections) are
achieved via partial hole-covering, changes of embouchure, or positioning the angle
of the instrument. Microtonal inflection is common and crucial to various traditions
of taqsim (improvisation). Neys are constructed in various keys. In the Arab system,
there are 7 common ranges: the longest and lowest-pitched is the Rast which is roughly
equivalent to C in the Western equal temperament system, followed by the Dukah in D,
the Busalik in E, the Jaharka in F, the Nawa in G, the Hussayni in A, and the Ajam in B
(or Bb). Advanced players will typically own a set of several neys in various keys,
although it is possible (albeit difficult) to play fully chromatically on any instrument.
A slight exception to this rule is found in the extreme lowest range of the instrument,
where the fingering becomes quite complex and the transition from the first octave
(fundamental pitches) to the second is rather awkward. In the Arab world the ney is
traditionally used in pastoral areas, showing a preference for smaller neys with higher
pitches. In general, lowered pitched instruments are used in scholastic and religious
environments. In the Sufi tradition lower registers are studied and played. The Turks
use even longer neys reflecting a preference for graver sounds, an imprint of the Sufi
setting in which the ney was studied.

Violin

The earliest stringed instruments were mostly plucked (e.g. the Greek lyre). Bowed
instruments may have originated in the equestrian cultures of Central Asia, an example
being the Kobyz Kazakh: or kyl-kobyz is an ancient Turkic, Kazakh string
instrument or Mongolian instrument Morin huur:Turkic and Mongolian horsemen
from Inner Asia were probably the world’s earliest fiddlers. Their two-stringed upright
fiddles were strung with horsehair strings, played with horsehair bows, and often
feature a carved horse’s head at the end of the neck. The violins, violas, and cellos we
play today, and whose bows are still strung with horsehair, are a legacy of the nomads.
It is believed that these instruments eventually spread to China, India, the Byzantine
Empire and the Middle East, where they developed into instruments such as the erhu in
China, the rebab in the Middle East, the lyra in the Byzantine Empire and the esraj in
India. The violin in its present form emerged in early 16th-Century Northern Italy,
where the port towns of Venice and Genoa maintained extensive ties to central Asia
through the trade routes of the silk road. The modern European violin evolved from
various bowed stringed instruments from the Middle East[4] the Byzantine Empire.
It is most likely that the first makers of violins borrowed from three types of current
instruments: the rebec, in use since the 10th century (itself derived from the Byzantine
lyra and the Arabic rebab), the Renaissance fiddle, and the lira da braccio
(derived from the Byzantine lira). One of the earliest explicit descriptions of the
instrument, including its tuning, was in the Epitome musical by Jambe de Fer,
published in Lyon in 1556.[9] By this time, the violin had already begun to spread
throughout Europe. The oldest documented violin to have four strings, like the
modern violin, is supposed to have been constructed in 1555 by Andrea Amati, but the
date is very doubtful. (Other violins, documented significantly earlier, only had three
strings and were called violetta.) The violin immediately became very popular, both
among street musicians and the nobility, illustrated by the fact that the French king
Charles IX ordered Amati to construct 24 violins for him in 1560.[10] One of these
instruments, now called the Charles IX, is the oldest surviving violin. The finest
Renaissance carved and decorated violin in the world is the Gasparo da Salò (1574 c.)
owned by Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria and later, from 1841, by the Norwegian
virtuoso Ole Bull, who used it for forty years and thousands of concerts, for his very
powerful and beautiful tone, similar to those of a Guarneri. It is now in the Vestlandske
Kustindustrimuseum in Bergen (Norway). "The Messiah" or "Le Messie"
(also known as the "Salabue") made by Antonio Stradivari in 1716 remains pristine.
It is now located in the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford. Detail of the San Zaccaria
Altarpiece, Venice, by Giovanni Bellini, 1505. The most famous violin makers
(luthiers) between the 16th century and the 18th century include:
 

Cumbus

cumbus is a Turkish stringed instrument of relatively modern origin. Developed in
the early 20th century by Zeynelabidin Cümbüs as an oud-like instrument that could
be heard as part of a larger ensemble. In construction it resembles both the American
banjo and the Middle Eastern oud. A fretless instrument, it has six courses of
doubled-strings, and is generally tuned like an oud. In shape, though, it closely
resembles the banjo with a metal resonator bowl and skin body head. It has a loud,
metallic, resonant tone and is widely heard in Middle Eastern popular music

Komuz

The komuz or Kopuz, is an ancient fretless string instrument used in Central
Asian music, related to certain other Turkic string instruments and the lute.
It is the best-known national instrument and one of the better-known Kyrgyz
national symbols. The komuz is generally made from a single piece of wood
(usually apricot or juniper) and has three strings traditionally made out of
gut, and often from fishing line in modern times. In the most common tunings
the middle string is the highest in pitch. Virtuosos frequently play the komuz
in a variety of different positions; over the shoulder, between the knees and
upside down. An illustration of a komuz is featured on the reverse of the
one-som note.

Akordeon

Accordions are made in a large number of different configurations and types. What
may be technically possible to do with one accordion could be impossible with another:
Some accordions are bisonoric, meaning they produce different pitches depending on
the direction of bellows movementOthers are unisonoric and produce the same pitch
regardless of the direction of bellows movement Some accordions use a chromatic
buttonboard for the right-hand manual Others use a diatonic buttonboard for the
right-hand manual Yet others use a piano-style musical keyboard for the right-hand
manual Some accordions are capable of playing in registers different from others
Additionally, different accordion craftsmen and technicians may tune the same
registers in a slightly different manner, essentially "personalizing" the end result,
such as an organ technician might voice a particular instrument
 

Nagara

The nagara (also called koltuk davulu) is a Turkish folk drum or percussion
instrument. It is placed under the arm and beaten with the hands. It is longer
compared to the regular drums and its diameter is smaller. This is the same as the
Azerbaijani naghara. There is a proverb in the Azerbaijani language that says "
toy-dan-sora-naghara!" This literally means after the wedding ceremonies
naghara! This instrument helped the doctors to deal with bad mood,
melancholy, intellectual and physical exhaustion, as well as low blood pressure.
It was considered that the Naghara could substitute for some medicinal plants and
tones like spicy cloves. The rhythmic beating of the naghara is believed to lead to
the strengthening of the heart. The naghara is described in the Early Middle Age
Azerbaijani literary epic, "Kitabi Dada Gorgud" (Book of Dede Korkut)
(The Book of my Grandfather). Instruments resembling the Naghara were also well
known in ancient Egypt. Thus, according to the rich scientific and musical heritage
of our ancestors, it seems that not only did they listen to music for enjoyment and
entertainment, but they perceived music a potent force in the prevention and
treatment of various diseases.
 

Dombura

The instrument differs slightly in different regions. The Kazakh dombra has frets and
is played by strumming with the hand or plucking each string individually, with an
occasional tap on the main surface of the instrument. While the strings are
traditionally made of sinew, modern domburas are usually produced using nylon strings.
The Turkestani and Badakhshani damburas are fretless[2] with a body and neck carved
from a single block of wood, usually mulberry or apricot. The dambura is played with
much banging and scratching on the instrument to help give a percussive sound. The
two strings are made of nylon (in modern times) or gut. They cross a short bridge to
a pin at the other end of the body. There is a tiny sound hole in the back of the
instrument, while the top is thick wood. It is not finished with any varnish,
filing/sanding of any kind, and as with all other Afghan instruments there is some
decoration. The Dumbura is the equivalent instrument of the Tatars and Bashkirs.
A performer strikes all the strings at the same time. The upper string performs the
bourdon tone and the lower string performs the melody. A dumbura is used as a
solo as well as an ensemble instrument.