Stringed instruments are a subcategory of stringed instruments that are played by rubbing a bow over the strings. Rubbing the bow over the strings creates vibration, which is then transmitted as sound. Stringed instruments have been played in many parts of the world for thousands of years.
String instruments include:
Violin family
Viola da Gamba family
Lira and Rebec type
Chinese string instruments
Resin wheeled instruments
Other string instruments
Categories of String Instruments
Stringed instruments play a significant role in Turkish classical and folk music. Under the Turkish stringed instruments category, you can find:
Pumpkin Violin
Kemenche
Pumpkin Violin
It is a widespread folk instrument in Türkiye, and its characteristics vary from region to region. It is known as kabak, kemane, ıklığ, rabab, hegit in Hatay, rubaba in the Southeast, kemança in Azerbaijan, and gıcak, gıccek, or gıjek among Central Asian Turks.
The body is usually made of gourd, but wooden versions are also common. The neck is made of hardwood. A shaft of wood or metal is placed under the body. When playing, it is placed on the knee and moved from side to side. The bow is made of a branch with horsehair stretched between its ends. Today, metal strings are widely preferred over the gut strings used in the past.
The instrument can reproduce all types of chromatic sounds flawlessly. It can produce long sounds and can be played with legato, staccato and pizzicato techniques.
Kemenche
The name “Kemençe” actually refers to two different instruments:
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The kemenche used in Ottoman music. Known as the pear-shaped or fasıl kemenche until the mid-20th century, it has now been replaced by the classical kemenche.
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Black Sea kemenche, a folk instrument.
Classical Kemenche
It's a small instrument, approximately 40–41 cm long and 14–15 cm wide. Its shape resembles a pear split in half. The head is oval, while the body and neck are carved from a single piece of wood. It has two "D"-shaped holes in its body. There's also a groove at the back.
When playing, the tailpiece is placed on the left knee, and the pegs are held perpendicular to the chest or between the knees. The strings are 7–10 mm above the bridge. This is because, unlike most stringed instruments, the sound is produced not by pressing the strings with the fingertip, but by gently sliding the side of the fingernail across the strings.
Black Sea Kemenche
The Black Sea kemenche is a traditional Turkish bowed string instrument. It has three strings and is usually tuned in perfect fourths. The most common tuning is Si–Mi–La.
Turkish String Instruments
All of the Turkish string instruments in our store are handcrafted by master craftsmen. Visit our online store to discover inspiring Turkish string instruments.
