Exploring the Rich Variety of Turkish Musical Instruments ✅

Turkish Musical Instruments: Diverse and Beautiful

Turkish musical instruments are extremely diverse and beautiful. Turkey, like our country, is multiethnic and has seven types of music: Ottoman classical music, Turkish folk music, art music, Arabesque music, and more. Each type of music uses specific instruments.

Some of the main Turkish instruments include bağlama, cümbüş, oud, lavta, qanun, tambur, ney, tar, Karadeniz kemençe, zurna, kaval, çığırtma, mey, tulum, sipsi, çiftetelli, duval, tef, kaşık, yaylı tambur, and iki telli. Except for bağlama, oud, qanun, ney, and the tambourine, most of these instruments are considered native to Turkey.

Most Common Turkish Instruments

Turkish instruments are highly diverse. Since Turkey is a multiethnic country, each community has its own musical style and unique instruments. Below is an overview of the most common Turkish instruments.

Bağlama

The bağlama is part of the long-necked lute family and is central to Turkish folk, pop, and orchestral music. It comes in four sizes and typically has 4 or 5 strings. It is a plucked string instrument, producing sound by strumming or plucking the strings. Bağlama originates from Anatolia and is widely used among Turkish and Kurdish communities in Turkey and northern Iraq.

Bağlama and related instruments were popularized in western Azerbaijan and Kurdistan by Iraqi Kurdish migrants in the last half-century. The instrument is also used in Ottoman classical music, Turkmen folk music, Kurdish music, Assyrian and Armenian music, and in parts of Syria, Iraq, and the Balkans. Ancient instruments similar to the bağlama have been discovered in Sumerian, Hittite, and ancient Greek archaeological sites.

Cümbüş (Jumbush)

The cümbüş is a string instrument invented by Ali Zeynüddin in the late 20th century. It has an aluminum body and a skin head, resembling both the Middle Eastern oud and the American banjo.

Çoğur (Chogur)

The çoğur is a lute-like string instrument with a hollow wooden body and five strings, belonging to the long-necked lute family.

Karadeniz Kemençe

The Karadeniz kemençe is a bowed string instrument with three strings and a body made of hardwood like mulberry or pine. It is common in the Eastern Black Sea region and Georgia and can be played in both happy and melancholic styles.

Kaval

The kaval is a wind instrument and a type of flute, traditionally played by shepherds in rural areas. It has seven finger holes and one thumb hole, producing both high and low tones.

Lavta

The lavta is a string instrument similar to the Istanbul oud. It is often played alongside the Karadeniz kemençe to create melodic duets for public entertainment and folk dances. It has a pear-shaped body and seven strings, played with a long thin pick.

Yaylı Tambur

The yaylı tambur is a bowed string instrument with a long fretted wooden neck and a round body made of wood or aluminum, covered with a membrane of skin or acrylic.

Zurna

The zurna is a wind instrument related to the shawm, about 30 cm long, used in Turkey, Egypt, and other countries.

Naqara

The naqara is an old percussion instrument of Azerbaijani and Iranian Azeri people, widely used across the Caucasus and Turkey. It is a cylindrical drum covered with skin on both ends and played with the hands. Its playing techniques are similar to the tombak.

Tulum

The tulum is a native Turkish bagpipe-like wind instrument.

Çığırtma

The çığırtma is a wind instrument traditionally made from an eagle wing bone.

İki Telli

The iki telli is similar to the dutar and is commonly found across the Anatolian plateau, though it is not exclusive to Turks.

Other Common Turkish Instruments

Bağlama, oud, lavta, tambur, ney, tar, cümbüş, qanun, Karadeniz kemençe, mey, tulum, çığırtma, duval, tef, kaşık, yaylı tambur, iki telli, çiftetelli, and sipsi are among the most common instruments in Turkey. Except for bağlama, oud, qanun, ney, and the tambourine, the others are considered native Turkish instruments.

Turkish Musical Instrument Vocabulary