Turkish Instruments

The history of Turkish music dates back to the Anatolian Seljuks and the Ottomans. Turkish music has its own musical instruments, namely Turkish Instruments. We will introduce you to 10 of them.

Bağlama

Baglama is one of the most well-known Turkish instruments in Turkish music. It is a stringed instrument. The name may change depending on the regions and sizes. It is played with a kind of plectrum made of cherry wood called Tezene. It has a history of about 1500 years. Turkish tribes in Central Asia used it and even came to Anatolia thanks to travelers. Also, if you need expert private guitar instruction one-on-one, you can check here

Kabak Kemane

Kabak Kemane is made from half of a gourd. A skin is placed on the open part of the gourd. It is a three-stringed instrument. It comes from the same family as the instrument called Gijek by the Central Asian Turkmens and also called the Kemança in Azerbaijani folk music.

Black Sea Kemençe from Turkish Instruments

The kemençe is a stringed instrument from the violin family. It is played by placing it on the knee. There are two types of kemençe in Turkey. The first of these is the classical kemençe and the other is the Black Sea kemençe. Classical kemençe is used in Ottoman music. It has a soothing and sometimes sad sound.

Zurna

Zurna is an instrument generally used in weddings in Turkish culture. And it probably has drums with it. It is a wind instrument and its sound is quite powerful and sharp at the same time. It is made of wood, as well as metal versions. In its construction, generally Plum tree are widely used. The history of Zurna dates back to Central Asia.

Davul

One of the oldest instruments known in human history is the drum. As we have just said about the zurna, it is an instrument that you can often see at weddings and celebrations. It is played with a (not very thick) stick and sometimes by hand.

Def

Def in other words, the tef (tambourine) is a classical percussion instrument. Not only Turks, but also different civilizations used it. During the research of Mesopotamian civilization, some figures with tambourines were found during the excavations.

Yaylı Tambur

The Yaylı Tambur has a centuries-old history. It was invented by Tanburi Cemil Bey. However, in Turkey, long instruments played with a bow are called tambur.

Ud

The Ut or Ud is a stringed instrument. The word comes from the Arabic al-oud meaning aloe vera or oxwood. It is one of the oldest musical instruments made by mankind. In addition, similar ones in Ancient Egypt BC. It was used in the years 1320-1085. It is carved from a single piece of wood.

Darbuka

It is a musical instrument used in the Middle East and the Balkans. In short, this instrument has only two sounds. It is the ‘dum‘ sound that comes out when you hit the instrument in the middle. Another is the thinner ‘tek‘ sound when the metal part is struck. It is a musical instrument that you can often see at weddings, just like the drum and zurna. It is also used for belly dancing.

Kanun from Turkish Instruments

Finally, the Kanun is a stringed instrument used in the Middle East and North Africa. It is based on the Arabic word ‘Kanun’ meaning ‘law and rule’. But the Arabs derived the word from the Greek word ‘κανών‘, an instrument dating from the 19th century. It is thought that the instrument was made on the basis of Farabi‘s stringed instruments. Its strings are quite hard, so it is played on two fingers with a metal instrument.

Have you listened to these instruments before? If you haven’t, we encourage you to listen.

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