Bağlama Explained

Bağlama
Image Capt:	Diffrerent sizes of bağlama: Cura (left) and Çöğür bağlama (right)
Background:	string
Classification:	Plucked string instruments
Related:	Tar (lute), Dutar, Setar and Tanbur (Iran) Baglamadaki (Greece) Bouzouki (Greece) Çiftelia Šargija Tambouras (Greece) Balkan tambura (Тамбура) (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, and Serbia) Buzuq (Lebanon) and (Syria) Tambur

The bağlama or saz/ساز is a family of plucked string instruments and long-necked lutes used in Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey.^[1] It is commonly used by the ashiks.

Name

According to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "the terms 'bağlama' and 'saz' are used somewhat interchangeably in Turkey. 'Saz' is generally used interchangeably with 'enstrüman' (instrument) and it is used to refer single or group of musical instruments like 'üflemeli sazlar' (wind instruments).^[2]

Bağlama scale

The musical scale of the bağlama differs from that of many western instruments – such as the guitar – in that it features ratios that are close to quarter tones. The traditional ratios for bağlama frets are listed by Yalçın Tura:^[3]

• Fret 1: 18/17
• Fret 2: 12/11
• Fret 3: 9/8
• Fret 4: 81/68
• Fret 5: 27/22
• Fret 6: 81/64
• Fret 7: 4/3
• Fret 8: 24/17
• Fret 9: 16/11
• Fret 10: 3/2
• Fret 11: 27/17
• Fret 12: 18/11
• Fret 13: 27/16
• Fret 14: 16/9
• Fret 15: 32/17
• Fret 16: 64/33
• Fret 17: 2/1

However, as confirmed by Okan Öztürk,^[4] instrument makers now often set frets on the bağlama with the aid of fret calculators^[5] and tuners based on the 24-tone equal temperament.

Notable performers

• Aşık Veysel (1894–1973)
• Muharrem Ertaş (1913–1984)
• Neşet Ertaş (1938–2012)
• Musa Eroğlu (1945–)
• Orhan Gencebay
• Arif Sağ (1946–)
• Nida Tüfekçi
• Orhan Ölmez
• Aşık Mahzuni Şerif (1940–2002)
• Nuray Hafiftaş (1964–2018)

See also

• Alevism
• Art of Azerbaijani Ashiqs
• Baglamas
• Bouzouki (Greece)
• Buzuq (Lebanon & Syria)
• Çiftelia
• Dombra
• Dutar
• Innaby, Azerbaijani dance
• Komuz
• Music of Turkey
• Sallaneh (lute)
• Šargija
• Setar
• Tambura (instrument)
• Tanbur

External links

• Article about documentary featuring the saz: "From Berlin to Khorasan: seeking the roots of saz music"

Notes and References

1. Web site: ATLAS of Plucked Instruments – Middle East . ATLAS of Plucked Instruments . February 27, 2013.
2. Tanbūr. Scheherezade Qassim Hassan. Morris. R. Conway. Baily. John. During. Jean . xxv. 61–62.
3. Yalçın Tura, "Türk Musikisinin Mes'eleleri". İstanbul, Pan Yayıncılık, 1988, . See page 159.
4. O. ÖZTÜRK: FROM SEVENTEEN TO TWENTY-FOUR: INSTRUMENTS OF BAĞLAMA FAMILY AND TRADITIONAL TONE SYSTEM. Aleh . Zhudki. academia.edu. 2 April 2018.
5. Web site: Bağlamada Perde Ayarları. www.turkuler.com. 2 April 2018.