Mid-Eastern Musical Instruments

The ancient and modern lute of the Middle East, is known from the 7th century. It traveled to Europe in such a roundabout way that in 1555 Bermudo could call the lute a "vihuela de Flandres". The modern oud has a shorter neck than the European lute. Its pegbox is thrown back at a less acute angle, and it usually has 3 soundholes and no frets. Today the oud is very popular all the way from Morocco to Istanbul.

Turkish Long Neck Lute. It originated in Central Asia where Turks lived before their westward migration. The Saz, also called 'baglama', is the most popular stringed instrument in Turkey. It is the grandfather of the Greek Bouzouki, and although similar in shape to the Bouzouki, the construction, size and sound of the Saz is different.

The bouzouki, although a distinctly Greek instrument, is a relatively modern offshoot of the Turkish saz. The early bouzoukis at the turn of the century looked like sazes, with one piece bodies, no soundhole on the face, wooden tuning pegs, but with metal chromatic frets. By the early 1920's, the influence of Italian mandolin making had altered the bouzouki into the basic form it is today, with a staved bowl back, machine gear tuners, oval or round soundhole. The name is a derivative of the Turkish word "bozuk" which referred to a particular size of baglama/saz and to a standard tuning pattern still used in saz playing. The first great use of the bouzouki was in the rebetiko music between WWI and WWII. The rebetiko scene, with its underworld glamour and waterfront nightclubs, favored the sound of bouzoukis and the smaller baglama, a "miniature" bouzouki, with guitar accompaniment.

Turkish-Armenian fiddle with 3 strings. The kemence is held by the neck with the left hand and bowed like a cello with the right. Traditionally used as a solo instrument for both singing and dancing, as well as listening.

Zeynel Abidin Cumbus (pronounced "joom-bush") invented the instrument which bears his name in the early 20th century. The cumbus proved to be so popular that it all but drove the oud from the field. Its body consists of a skin stretched over the mouth of a metal bowl. The neck is much longer than the oud's and fretless. The body was borrowed from the much older "Yayli Tambur" (bowed tambur).

The santoor is a 3-octave Middle Eastern hammered dulcimer tuned in octaves across the bridge rather than fifths like the American hammered dulcimer.

A fiddle with a round handle that pierces the body and projects at the lower end, forming a cello-like spike. The earliest fiddles seem to have been spike fiddles. Al Farabi mentions spikes in the 10th C. Traditionally of Kurdistan origin, spike fiddles are found in Egypt and Asia today. It has four metal strings with a gourd body and skin head.

Stringed instrument with one or two strings and played with a bow. Only used in music of the Middle East. The rebab is very popular in Bedouin chanting but can be found in all of the Arabic folk music. Ancestor of the western Violin and other European bowed stringed instruments.

A plucked Arabic instrument whose 30 strings may be varied in pitch by the use of small bridges. Its sounding box is half-covered in wood, half in a heavy skin like a drum. It has seventy-two strings all of gut, and is held flat on the knees for playing. It's origins are in Armenia.

The tar is the long-necked lute of the Caucasian, played in Azerbaijan, Tadzhikistan, Iran and Armenia. The body is hollowed out of a single piece of wood into a rounded figure-8 shape, with a skin belly, friction tuning pegs and moveable frets. The tar has metal strings, and is played with a plectrum.

A goblet-shaped Middle-Eastern drum which is made from earthenware or terra-cotta pottery, wood or metal. The single drum head, made from stretched parchment, bayard-fish, goat-skin or other leather, is attached directly to the frame by nails and glue or laced onto the head and body. The bottom of the drum is left open. Held under a player's arm.

Tambourine is a hand-held instruments with a round wooden frame and parchment or skin heads. Though an ancient instrument, its structure has remained virtually unchanged. When you strike the drum-head, jingles made from shell, metal or other small objects on the edge, create a beautiful, shimmering sound.

Middle Eastern frame drum. The Tar is like a large tambourine. It is a main instrument in Arabic music and dancing accompaniment. With a goat skin head and a laminated hardwood shell.

Fun hand drums from the Middle East with beautiful inlaid wooden body.

Long end-blown cane flute of the Near-East, used from Egypt to Persia. The sound is produced by blowing across the sharp edge with pursed lips.

The zurna is a loud and wonderful primitive kind of oboe from the Middle East. A double reed instrument with a long, conical wooden body and a flaring bell.

The Duduk or Mey is identical in Turkey and Armenia. Thumbhole, 7 fingerholes, a gigantic double reed, but an astonishingly mellow tone. Sounds like an ethereal clarinet.

The traditional low G clarinets has one of the characteristic sounds in Turkish music. It is made of metal.

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MusixCool© By Nadav Dafni