String instruments
Cümbüş
Cümbüş: A string instrument with a fretless neck that resembles a banjo, with its metal body and skin-covered face. A Turkish instrument developed in the 1930s by Zeynelabidin Cümbüş, after whom it is named. It became widespread in gazino and fasıl music and in Romani and Balkan music.
In brief
- Family: Plucked string instrument (fretless; banjo-like body with a membrane)
- Origin: Developed in 1930 by Zeynelabidin Bey (later Cümbüş)
- Name: With the 1934 Surname Law, the instrument's name became its maker's surname
- Body and materials: Aluminium body with a stretched skin or plastic head on the front; detachable neck
- Strings: 12 strings in six courses on the ud cümbüş; it can also be tuned like an ud
- Types: Versions with saz, cura, tanbur, mandolin and guitar necks
- Music: Fasıl, Romani and Balkan music, folk music; later Anatolian rock
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History
A Turkish instrument developed in the 1930s by Zeynelabidin Cümbüş, after whom it is named. It became widespread in gazino and fasıl music and in Romani and Balkan music.
Construction
A stretched skin or plastic membrane is fitted over the front of a metal (aluminium) body; the neck is attached separately and is fretless. The most common type has twelve strings like the oud; mandolin and bağlama necks can also be fitted.
How it is played
It is played with a plectrum; thanks to its membrane body its sound is loud and piercing, so it stands out in crowded settings.
Its place in makam music
Its fretless neck allows makam intervals to be played; in fasıl ensembles and dance tunes it takes on a role similar to the oud.
Getting started: types, sizes, tuning
Start with this instrument
Masters on recordings
Performers who play this instrument on recordings of works in the score archive (MusicBrainz).
Frequently asked questions about the Cümbüş
What is the difference between the cümbüş and the oud?
Both can be tuned the same way and played with a similar plectrum, but their bodies are completely different: instead of the oud's wooden bowl and thin wooden soundboard, the cümbüş has a metal body with a membrane stretched over it. That is why the cümbüş sounds louder, sharper and shorter, while the oud rings softer and longer. Both have fretless necks.
Is the cümbüş a kind of banjo?
It looks like a banjo, because both have a round body and a stretched membrane. But the banjo has a fretted neck and is played in Western tunings, whereas the cümbüş was developed for Turkish music with a fretless neck, is tuned like the oud and freely produces makam intervals. That is why its playing style is much closer to the oud than to the banjo.
Why did the cümbüş become so widespread?
It is a sturdy, easily portable and loud instrument; it can be heard clearly in crowded settings without a microphone, outdoors and in entertainment venues. Because it is tuned like the oud, oud players adapt to it right away. These qualities made it one of the favorite instruments of gazino and fasıl ensembles and of Romani and Balkan music.
Can I play the cümbüş on this site?
Yes. The “Play in the browser” button on this page opens the virtual cümbüş; the sounds are taken from a recording of a real cümbüş played by Hamza Zeytinoğlu (CC BY 4.0). The pitches of the makam you choose play at their comma values; by comparing the same makam on the virtual oud, you can hear the difference in sound between the two instruments.