String Instruments

String instruments produce sound through vibrations created by striking the strings or drawing a bow across them. In broad terms, they can be divided into three groups.

1) Plucked string instruments
2) Bowed string instruments
3) Struck string instruments

Let us look at the characteristics of plucked string instruments, the first group in this family:

Plucked String Instruments

Plucked instruments produce sound through the vibration of strings pulled and released with a plectrum, pick or the fingers. Let us get to know some of these instruments:

Guitar: Guitar is used in almost every genre of music. It can be played with a pick or the fingers, usually has six strings and can be made from various types of wood.

Mandolin: It has four pairs of strings and is now usually played with a plectrum. It is an accessible instrument to learn and a modern member of the lute family.

Ukulele: Developed by the people of Hawaii in the 19th century. It generally has four strings and comes in four sizes: soprano, concert, tenor and baritone.

Charango: A South American instrument that resembles a small guitar. It is generally made of wood and, more rarely, a tortoise shell.

The bağlama family: Its principal instruments are the bağlama, cura, divan sazı, meydan sazı, iki telli, dutar and bouzouki (bozuk).

Bağlama: Usually has three pairs of strings. It is played with a tezene, a plectrum made from cherry bark or plastic. Two closely related instruments are the cura and divan sazı. The divan sazı is larger than the bağlama, while the cura is smaller.

Bağlama

Cura

Divan Sazı

Meydan Sazı: Larger than the divan sazı, it is also known as the twelve-stringed saz because of its many strings.

İki Telli: An Albanian instrument very similar to the dutar.

Dutar: Closely associated with the Uzbek and Turkmen peoples. Tar means string: dutar means two-stringed, setar three-stringed and çahar four-stringed. Its body is pear-shaped.

Oud: It has a large body and a short neck. From bottom to top, there are five pairs of strings and a single string at the top, making 11 strings in total. It is played with a plectrum.

Sitar: An instrument of Indian origin with a long neck, 30 strings and a mystical sound.

Tar: A long-necked instrument used in Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey. The Iranian tar has five strings; Darvish Khan added a sixth. The Azerbaijani tar has 11 strings and is the version played in Turkey. Both Iranians and Azerbaijanis regard the tar as part of their own culture.

Bouzouki (bozuk): An important instrument in Greek music, it can be described as a combination of guitar and bağlama. It is played with a plectrum and belongs to the same family as the bağlama, kopuz and oud. It was initially called bozuk because it was made by modifying the bağlama; over time, through interaction with Greek, the name became bouzouki.

Balalaika: A Russian instrument from the lute family. It has three strings and is played with a plectrum or the fingers.

Banjo: An instrument of African origin, closely resembling the cümbüş. The first banjos had four strings, while today they have five.

Berimbau: A Brazilian string instrument used particularly in capoeira. It produces three different tones, is made from biriba wood and is played with a thin wooden stick.

Harp: One of the oldest string instruments. It has 47 strings and 7 pedals and is played with the fingers. The harp is thought to have been used by the Romans and Greeks and developed under the influence of the lyre.

Barbitos: An ancient Greek instrument about which relatively little is known. It generally has seven strings.

Cümbüş: Similar in overall construction to the banjo and oud, it was developed by Zeynel Abidin Cümbüş in the early 20th century.

Çeng: An instrument resembling the harp. Its earliest examples are found in Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Shamisen: Originating in Japan in the 16th century, it has three strings, no frets and is played with a special plectrum called a bachi.

Cahit Baltacı
Rekor Sanat – Guitar Teacher