I have a tuning sheet that came with my Cumbus which I got at the Cumbus family shop on Ataturk Bulevard in Istanbul which lists the "a la Turka" tuning as )from bass DEADGC. Next to that it lists the "A la Franka" tuning which should be GADGCF. These instruments are primarily played in Gypsy "Calgija" bands, where the lead instrument is the Turkish metal clarinet pitched in G. Good to know when playing in turkish jam sessions.

Incidentally, if you want a Cumbus, get it at the Cumbus shop in Istanbul (right next to the Byzantine Aquaduct on Ataturk Bulevard between Aksaray and the Unkpani Music Business Complex.) They will be cheaper than if you buy it at a retail shop such as the ones near Tunel station in Beyoglu.

Zaelic - it is indeed the cumbus saz. I got it locally in Santa Cruz CA. Funny you should mention
the shop near the Aquaduct in Istanbul....I stayed in Istanbul a few blocks from there (near the
Blue Mosque) and never came across the shop. If I had, I'm sure I would have been lugging home
all the different styles of cumbus (yahyli tambur, oud etc).

My cumbus saz is tuned D G D (low to high). There is way too much tension to tune the low string to
G, etc, and it seems that if I tune down in pitch all the strings will be way too slack.

An extra set of strings came with it. They are marked SOL, RE, LA (low to high) which I think would
mean G D A as you suggest.

Does this instrument in "bozun" tuning have really slack strings?

By the way, it sounds really good in the D G D tuning. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing with those
microtones though..(the octave is divided into 17 notes).

-Bill

My saz has a long neck (I haven't measured but I would say it is at least 30 inches).
Here's a picture of mine:
http://www.rhythmfusion.com/products/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=264&PHPSESSID=8fc3478403c38f7ea723be0ea28758c5

Thanks for the tunings and tips

In GDA saz players use their left hand thumb to fret the bass G string - do this at what would count as our western "second fret" and you get ADA. Do it up at the fifth fret and alternate playing the high string at the fifth with a thumb fretted bass string at the fifth and voila - the little riff at the end of virtually all anatolian saz songs.

Right now the saz is tuned with a low D for the lowest strings, a fifh higher from the lower string to A,
and then an octave higher from the low strings to a D.

Sal

Yes, I will be very interested to see your website. Please let us know when it will be
available.

Since posting last year, I've learned a lot more about saz. I've been tuning to G D A
mostly. Sometimes I play the Hidayda tuning also. I've added a third string to the
lower course (the highest pitched strings) one octave below as my cumbus saz had only
6 strings, with the lower course pitched in unison. Big improvement having that lower
octave on that course.

Ibrahim has a pretty good page on kemence: http://www.kemence.com/eng/engl.htm

there is also a bit more info on the site run by Toronto ponmtic musician Leigh CLine: http://www.scimitarmusic.com/pontos/

as I said a few postings ago, I recently received a Black Sea style Kemence and I'm wondering about a few things. I'm quite sure the instrument I have is not a high quality instrument.

1) my current instrument has a string length (from bridge to the "nut") of 34cm (I'm not sure if this is "standard" length), how should the instrument be tuned from lowest to highest? My understanding is that my instrument should be tuned "e",(one major third above piano "middle c" I assume?)"a" and "d" respectivley perfect fourths above "e". Is this correct? I tried this tuning and the string tension (especially the high "d" string) seems to be on the verge of breaking. Is this because of a poor quality instrument or am I doing something incorrectly? I also understand that the "Standard Turkish Blacksea Kemenche (Fa,La,Sol)" is that what my instrument should be tuned to? Sol is lowest I pressume? Is this "sol" one fourth below middle "C"?

2) What is the common playable range of the instrument? The low string "e" to first finger on the high (Re) string seems to makes one octave. How much higher in range is the instrument commonly played? Does one play in higher "positions" on the instrument?

3) From the few Kemence recordings I've heard most performers seem to be playing on two strings at once. Usually with one string "open" or constant in pitch. Are 3 strings being played at once commonly used in Kemence playing?

Thanks in advance if you don't mind answering these questions regarding kemence.

http://www.shirmusic.co.uk/images/Ivor_Cumbus_smaller.jpg

I just bought a cumbus from Lark in the Morning. Still figuring out a good tuning. There seem to be many. I like the last 4 strings in 4ths, that way the finger patterns are the same on all strings. Not sure about the 2 lowest ones. Also I wonder if anyone can suggest string gauges to buy. Lark sells a package of cumbus strings, but their shipping is at least $10. Forget that!!

I was given a saz today as gift from my inlaws (turkish), and i couldnt be more excited. Ive been playing a few little made up "ditties" here ant there, though i would love to learn a couple of simple tunes asap... is anyone aware of any sites that have saz tab??

I am really only an intermediate guitar player and as i said VERY new to the saz... so anything not too difficult would be brilliant!

Thanks guys and gals!

About a 10 ytl cab ride each way from Sultanahmet near the Ayasofia or about $7.50 US. We bought ours from Naji Cumbus, grandson of the founder. In Turkish it's Naci and the c is pronounced j. The two u's are umlauted and the s has the "sh" accent below, so the name Cumbus is pronounced "Joomboosh".

If you're a musician who'll play it as opposed to someone who wants to use it for a wall decoration, play several and you may get a discount from the already low prices. Laid back, no pushy sales. Naci tuned one and then handed it over to try.

I've been playing the Japanese shamisen for three years, but lately have started
getting into Middle Eastern (especially Turkish) music. So far, I have only
used shamisen tunings on the saz (mainly a perfect fifth and a perfect fourth
from low to high, called ni-agari in Japanese--the shamisen has no standard
starting pitch and is tuned to match the singer). B-F#-B' seems to work.
Japanese folk music sounds weird and wonderful on the saz.

Originally I planned to take off the frets, since that's what I'm used to.
After all, I can always "tie one on". But now I'm starting to explore
microtones, makams, etc., and I don't think with my ear I could find those
stops without the frets (17 per octave, total of 24 -- last 7 inches of
the neck are fretless but very playable). I also like the fact that the
frets are movable, allowing the intonation to be adjusted.

By the way, the factory ties the frets at the back of the neck rather than in the
slot on the neck. This bothers my hand, so maybe the frets will go after all.
Any opinions?

All three courses of strings are double on the cumbus saz, whereas I've read
that on some traditional saz the first course is triple. On the cumbus saz
the first course is an octave (thick-thin), but I'm thinking of restringing
it in unison (thick-thick) for a bigger low end. Comments, anyone?

I second the call for Saz tab, to help beginners like myself. Surely somebody
out there has jotted some down? I've found Turkish sheet music so I can write
my own tab, but I'd be guessing at the tuning since I don't read Turkish. For
an instrument that uses a lot of different tunings, tab is a real blessing.

I found one book in English Turkish Instrument Method: Baglama by Temel Hakki
Karahasan, but it's very sketchy and reads like it was translated with the aid
of a Turkish-English dictionary and a lot of coffee. For example, it says
that saz picks were once made from the "shell of cherry tree". The paper it
is printed on must have been rejected by the Istambul Times. The book is
available from Apollo's Axes ($10 + $6.50 shipping) and Lark in the Morning
($20 + $10 shipping--ouch!).

The book gives seven tunings, five of which have the center course pitched
lower than the other two (I have to admit: this arrangement doesn't appeal to
me very much--old habits die hard). There is a partial fret map for the Bozuk
(Black) tuning and finger positions for 5 makams. Western music notation and
Turkish lyrics for seven songs is included. The music could all be played on
the clarinet (no harmony). The book is worth having, but leaves me wanting
more.

Bill here down the road from you in Aptos.

I have the cumbus saz also (also bought at Rhythm Fusion). I've had mine a couple of
years now.

I had mine modified to include a 7th string like most sazes played today. The extra
string is added to the lowest course (the 2 strings closest to your feet when playing).
It is added as the first string of the course to make a 3 string course. It is a wound
string pitched an octave below the other two. This makes a huge difference in getting
the saz vibe happening. I had Rick McKee do the work. He added a tuning peg at the top
edge of the headstock in the middle.

I tune mine mostly to G D A (low to high). I believe this is called either bozuk or baglama
tuning (can't remember which). I use the real flimsy picks that saz players use.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=440617

The name of the piece is "Sultanahmet Pudding Shop"