 Baglama family (with three double strings and two necks)Baglama is the most common stringed instrument in Turkey. It is known as baglama, meydan sazi, divan sazi (court saz), bozuk, tambura, cura, uctelli (three-string), onikitelli (twelve-string), carta, irizva, cogur etc. depending on its size and region.
The smallest of the baglama family, and that with the highest pitch, is the cura. Slightly larger and an octave lower is the tambura. The lowest pitch in the baglama family comes from the divan sazi, which is an octave lower than the tambura.
The baglama consists of three sections; Table, chest and stem. The table section is generally made of mulberry wood, the chest from spruce, and the stem from beech, white beech or fir.
On that part of the stem furthest from the table is a part called the peg, to which the strings are attached. These pegs are used for tuning the instrument. There are frets on the stem tied with fishing line.
The baglama is played with a plectrum made of cherry bark or plastic, and in some regions with the fingers. That mode is playing is called ‘şelpe.’
These string groups can be tuned in different ways. One method consists of tuning the bottom group to La, the middle group to Re, and the top group to Mi. There are a number of other alternatives (Kara, misket, müstezat, abdal, rast etc.).
You cuold find more articles about baglama under the topic Baglama: Sound of Anatolia |
