String instruments
Tanbur
Tanbur: A string instrument used in classical Turkish music, with a long fretted neck and a round bowl. A long-necked fretted instrument regarded as the symbol of classical Turkish music. From the 17th century it became a leading instrument of court and tekke (Sufi lodge) music; Tanbûrî Cemil Bey brought it to its most brilliant period in the early 20th century.
In brief
- Family: Plucked string instrument (long-necked, fretted lute family)
- Origin: Ancient tambur tradition; the Turkish tanbur took its present form in the 18th century
- Body and materials: Hemispherical bowl of thin staves (usually 17–23); spruce soundboard 2–3 mm thick
- Neck: About 1 m long (100–110 cm) and very slender
- Strings: Today usually seven (three pairs and a single bass string); eight-string models also existed
- Frets: Gut or nylon frets tied to the neck, placed according to makam intervals
- Playing: With a long tortoiseshell plectrum with a V-shaped tip; the bowed type is called yaylı tanbur
- 16th–17th centuries: Mentioned in Revani's İşaretname; Evliya Çelebi's account suggests that in his day the tanbur was more popular with the public than the oud[1, 2, 3]
Listen
History
A long-necked fretted instrument regarded as the symbol of classical Turkish music. From the 17th century it became a leading instrument of court and tekke (Sufi lodge) music; Tanbûrî Cemil Bey brought it to its most brilliant period in the early 20th century.
Construction
It consists of a hemispherical body built from staves, a thin wooden soundboard and a very long, slender neck. The frets tied to the neck are placed according to the comma intervals of makam music; usually seven strings are fitted, three pairs and one single.
How it is played
It is played with a long plectrum of tortoiseshell or plastic. A variant called the yaylı tanbur is played with a violin bow.
Its place in makam music
Because its frets are tied directly to makam intervals, it is the reference instrument for teaching the theory and performance of makam music. It is often heard in taksim, peşrev and saz semâîsi.
Getting started: types, sizes, tuning
- Dimensions: The body is about 35 cm in diameter, the neck about 1 m, and the string length usually 104 cm.
- Frets: The neck has about 60 frets; the player can add or remove frets if needed.
- Strings: The eight strings are in pairs; the lowest steel pair is tuned to yegâh.
- Difference from the bağlama: It is accepted in a single size and a single tuning; it has no düzen (tunings) as the bağlama does.
- Sensitivity: The neck can bend over time under string tension; a slight sinking of the soundboard, however, is considered a sign of maturity.[1, 4]
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 Tanbur
What is the difference between the tanbur and the oud?
The tanbur has a very long, fretted neck and a small, hemispherical body; its sound is thin, clear and long-sustaining. The oud has a short, fretless neck and a large, pear-shaped body; its sound is fuller and rounder. On the tanbur the frets give the commas ready-made, so the intervals are fixed and precise; on the oud the finger finds the right comma every time. The tanbur is mainly a solo and taksim instrument, while the oud is both a solo and an accompanying instrument.
Why are there so many frets on the tanbur's neck?
In makam music a whole tone is not divided only into semitones as in Western music, but into various smaller intervals such as the koma, bakiye, and small and large mücenneb. The tanbur gives each of these in-between pitches its own tied fret on the neck; that is why an octave has far more frets than the twelve of Western instruments. Because the frets are tied on, they can be shifted for fine tuning when needed.
Who was Tanbûrî Cemil Bey?
Tanbûrî Cemil Bey (1873–1916) was a performer and composer who played the tanbur, the classical kemençe and the bowed tanbur with a new level of mastery. The 78 rpm records he made at the beginning of the century left a style of tanbur taksim that is still taken as a model today. After him, tanburîs such as his son Mesud Cemil, Refik Fersan and Necdet Yaşar carried on this tradition.
Is the tanbur hard to learn?
Because of its long neck, many frets and long plectrum, it takes patience at first: striking the string with the plectrum at the right angle and memorizing where the frets are with the left hand take time. On the other hand, since the frets give the makam intervals ready-made, your ear learns the correct commas as you play. Students usually start with simple études and instrumental pieces, and move on to taksim once the makams are well established.
Can I play the tanbur on this site?
Yes. The “Play in the browser” button on this page opens the virtual tanbur; the sounds are taken from a recording of a real tanbur played by Hamza Zeytinoğlu. When you choose a makam, the pitches are tuned to that makam's comma values. You can also try the makams of the pieces in the sheet music archive on the same virtual tanbur.