Specifications
Tanbur has a 3,5 octaves of net sound field in total which is 2 octaves up to the high neva fret on the lower yegah string on the neck of tanbur, half octave from the high neva fret to the soundboard and 1 octave downward by means of passing to the deep yegah string.
Tanbur consists of 3 main parts and auxiliary components.
1. Despite of the fact that the neck is generally designed at the dimension of 104 cm, the necks of 110-112 cm are rarely preferred. Hornbeam, Honduras mahogany, Acajou and firs are the trees used for the neck of tanbur. The neck is either painted to black or only polished as massive.
2. The soundboard is generally made of spruce or fir trees and such materials are thinned out between 1,5 and 1,2 mm according to the structural stiffness-softness of the soundboard. The soundboard is not polished and therefore it may quickly be affected from the moisture and weather conditions, therefore, great care should be taken.
The main damage observed on tanburs is the breakage of its soundboard (cover or surface). There is not any carrier component (circle) on the soundboard of tanbur in contrast with the similar Turkish musical instruments (oud, lute). The soundboard is curved inward from the frame and it is produced by means of staving and sticking the soundboard from the neck line to the string holder. On the surface of the soundboard, there is only a bridge whose legs are shaped at a right angle suitable for this curve. The bridge is fixed by means of being inserted between the strings and soundboard; it is not adhered and therefore it is moving.
3. The bottom part consists of 23-21-19 sections but it can be manufactured with more or less sections as well. Its bottom part is made in such a way that walnut, mahogany, rosewood, maple, mulberry, yew, wenge, juniper, sycamore and Padauk trees are cut at the thickness of 3-4 mm and width of 4-5 cm (sharpening towards the end sections), wetted and rounded with the help of heat and surrounded through iron or binder in a plain or fillet way.
4. Apart from this three main parts, tanbur consists of bores, main bone bridges, moving lower bridges made of juniper or yew trees, mirror, string holder and different nylon threads at the dimensions of 0.40 – 0.45 – 0.50 and 0.60 mm which are used as frets.
Chord and strings
Various chords can be used in tanbur. The chord can also be changed depending on the mode to be performed or the piece of music to be played. However, there is a classical chord system. Traditional tanbur chord is made as follows. The numbers in parenthesis indicate the thicknesses of the strings used (bottom-up):
Chord for the tanburs with eight strings:
(1–2) = Turkish music Yegah (Re)-West music La (A),(0.30–0.35mm steel string)
(3–4) = Turkish music Broad Rast (Sol)-West music Re (D) & Turkish music Broad Dugah (La)-Western Mi (E),
(0.40mm bronze string)
(5–6) = Turkish music Yegah (Re)-West music La (A),(0.30–0.35mm steel string)
(7) = Turkish music Broad Rast (Sol)-West music Re(D) & Turkish music Broad Dugah-Western music Mi (E), (0.40mm bronze string)
(8) = Turkish music Broad Yegah (RE) West music La (A), (0.60mm bronze string)
Chord for the tanburs with seven strings:
(1–2) = Turkish music Yegah (Re)-West music La (A),(0.30–0.35mm steel string)
(3–4) = Turkish music Broad Rast (Sol)-Western music Re (D) & Turkish music Broad Dugah (La)-West music Mi (E),
(0.40mm bronze string)
(5–6) = Turkish music Yegah (Re)-West music La (A),(0.30–0.35mm steel string)
(7) = Turkish music Broad Yegah (RE) West music La (A), (0.60mm bronze string)
A different string connection type in the tanburs with seven strings:
(1–2) = Turkish music Yegah (Re)-West music La (A),(0.30–0.35mm steel string)
(3–4) = Turkish music Broad Rast (Sol)-West music Re (D) & Turkish music Broad Dugah (La)-West music Mi (E),
(0.40mm bronze string)
(5) = Turkish music Yegah (Re)-West music La (A),(0.30–0.35mm steel string)
(6) = Turkish music Broad Rast (Sol)-West music Re(D) & Turkish music Broad Dugah-Batı Mi (E), (0.40mm bronze string)
(7) = Turkish music Broad Yegah (RE) West music La (A), (0.60mm bronze string)
The pair of steel strings at the lower section of the tanbur is tuned in such a way that it will provide a 2-octaves lower sound from the tuning fork (440 Hz.) and this sound is called as Yegah. In tanburs:
Yegah is110Hz., Neva is 220Hz. and High Neva is 440Hz.
© 2013 Tüm Hakları Saklıdır
