KANUN | Turkish Folk Instruments

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KANUN | Turkish Folk Instruments

Some of the KANUN virtuosos of Turkey:
(Click the names for videos of them.)

The Kanun is a stringed folk instrument of Turkey and dates back to 2575-2134 BC. It is widely used in the Middle Eastern countries for classical music. It is a descendant of the Babylon harp and the Egyptian harp. It is a plucked zither with a trapezoidal narrow sound box. It is played on the lap and has a range of three and a half octaves. It is derived from a Greek word and means law or principle.

The Turkish Kanuns have twenty six courses of strings. Three strings are present per courses which are plucked either by using plectrums (attached to index finger using metal ring) or tortoise-shell picks. Special latches, called Mandals (small tuning levers) are present per course. The pitch can be altered by changing the length of the strings by raising or lowering the mandals during playing.

These strings are made up of poly vinyl chloride (PVC) or nylon. They are stretched over the surface of a wooden box on one end and attached to tuning pegs on the other. The upper surface is made out of Sycamo wood and the lower surface is made out of pine wood.

Maple wood is used for making the bridge. White pine wood and Rose wood are used for making designs on the surface and on the sides. The pego locks and tuning pegs are made of of rose wood. The sound box is covered by a calf leather, giving the Kanun a rich resonance.

Kanun is related the ancient Greeek Psaltery and zither. It was the only stringed musical instrument of old Egyptian kingdom.

They were invented during the first half of the twentieth century. The name Kanun was first used during the Abbasids period and was mentioned in "The Arabian Nights". The kanun was given its recent shape by Abe Nasr Al Farabi.

Other Turkish Instruments:
Baglama

Classic Kemence

Karadeniz Kemence

Tar

Kanun

Darbuka

Tambur

Zurna

Ney

Tulum

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KANUN | Turkish Folk Instruments addthis_pub = 'bigloveturkey-com';

Some of the KANUN virtuosos of Turkey: (Click the names for videos of them.)

KANUN | Turkish Folk Instruments

Some of the KANUN virtuosos of Turkey:
(Click the names for videos of them.)