How the kamancheh makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the kamancheh belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
The kamancheh is an Iranian bowed string instrument used in Persian, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Kurdish, Georgian, Turkmen, and Uzbek music with slight variations in the structure of the instrument.
The kamancheh is related to the rebab which is the historical ancestor of the kamancheh and the bowed Byzantine lyra. The strings are played with a variable-tension bow.
Other lutes
More instruments from Azerbaijan
Frequently asked questions
What does a kamancheh sound like?
As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the kamancheh?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.311-7).
Where does the kamancheh come from?
The kamancheh originates from Azerbaijan and Iran.
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q290951 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Kamancheh – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Unnamed; released by the Metropolitan Museum of Art into the public domain. – CC0 1.0