Bowed String Instrument:
Bowed string instruments are a subcategory of string instruments played by a bow rubbing the strings. The bow rubbing the string creates vibration that emits as sound. Bowed string instruments have been played all over the world for about thousands of years.
Bowed string instruments include:
- Violin family
- Viola da Gamba family
- Lyra and rebec type
- Chinese bowed instruments
- Rosined wheel instruments
- Other bowed instruments
Categories Of Bowed String Instruments:
Bowed Instruments are important in the performance of Turkish classical and folk music. Under Turkish Bowed Instruments category you can find varieties of:
- Kabak Kemane
- Kemence
Kabak Kemane:
A widespread Turkish folk instrument, features of which change from region to region. The instrument is known as the kabak, kemane, iklığ, rabab, the hegit in Hatay province, the rubaba in the Southeast, the kemança in Azerbayjan, and as the gıcak, gıccek or gıjek among the Turks of Central Asia.
The table is made from a dipper gourd, although wooden versions are also mostly encountered. The stem is made of hard wood. Shaft that is made of wood or metal lies under the table. It is placed on the knee and allows the instrument to be moved from right to left. The bow is made with sapling by horse hair running from one end to the other. At the present time, metal strings are widely used, replacing the formerly employed gut strings.
The instrument can perfectly produce all types of chromatic sound. It produces long sounds, and can be played legato, staccato and pizzicato.
Kemençe
The name kemençe is actually shared by 2 different stringed instruments,
- One used in Ottoman music. Until the middle of the 20th century, It was known as the armudı or fasıl kemençe, although these have now given way to the classical kemençe.
- The second is rather a folk instrument, and is known as the Black Sea kemençe or Kradeniz kemençe .
The classical kemençe: is small in length, about 40-41 cm and 14-15 cm wide. It’s shape is a reminiscent of a pear split down the middle. The head, threaded in the shape of an oval, and the stem are carved out in one piece of wood. There are 2 ‘D’-shaped holes on the body. On the rear it contains a back trough.
It can be played as the tail wedge is placed on the left knee, and the pegs leant against the chest in a perpendicular position, or else between the knees. The strings are 7-10 mm from the bridge. That’s because unlike most of the stringed instrument’s, sound is not produced by pressing on the strings with the fingertips, but by sliding a fingernail gently down the side of them.
Kradeniz Kemençe :
Kradeniz Kemence is a traditional musical instrument of Turkish, belongs to the types of stringed bowed musical instruments. It has 3-strings, usually tuned to perfect fourths, usually tuned as B-E-A.
Turkish bowed instruments we have in our store are basically hand-made, made by masters. You can visit our Online store to find the Turkish bowed instrument that inspires you the most.