| Unit Name: | Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan |
| Country: |  Turkmenistan |
| Branch: | Armed Forces of Turkmenistan |
| Type: | Military Band Service |
| Garrison: | Ashgabat |
| Size: | 49 (standard band) 200 (combined bands) |
| Command Structure: | Turkmen Ground Forces |
| Commander1: | Colonel Azamat Achylovich Avliyakulyev[1] |
| Commander1 Label: | Senior Director of Music/Commander |
The Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan is the primary military band organization of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan. Many of the members of bands have attended the Turkmen National Conservatory. It is organized under the command of the Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan.
Bands in the service are affiliated with the following units:[2]
The Armed Forces Exemplary Band (Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň Ýaragly Güýçleriniň «Göreldeli» harby orkestriniň; known officially as Military Unit 20016[4]) was formed in 1992 in Ashgabat based on the Band of the 52nd Army of the Soviet Union's Turkestan Military District.
The band's task is purely ceremonial in purpose, with its primary role being to play the State Anthem of Turkmenistan during solemn occasions. It is similar in style to college marching bands in the United States, as well as marching bands located in Russia.[5] [6] The massed bands of the military band service are notable for their finale performance at military parades in the capital, in which they work together to form specific shapes and Turkmen symbols.[7]
The band takes part in the following events:
The band performed at the first Victory Day Parade in the country in 2020, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. During the parade, it performed traditional Russian pieces such as Den Pobedy, Katyusha, and The Sacred War.[10]
The band is led by Major Muhammet Akmuhammedowyň.
The combined bands, as well as the individual bands in the service are different from their Russian and Central Asian counterparts in that they put wind instruments such as the Clarinet in the front of the band, whereas other bands in the region prioritizes trumpets over others. Inspired by U.S. college bands, the band maintains a group of musicians with Tenor drums and Cymbal who are arranged in a formation similar to Drumlines. Other than traditional brass and wind instruments, the band also uses traditional Turkmen instruments, such as the Dutar and the Gijak. These instruments allow it to perform traditional music such as Kushtdepdi.[15]
Some of the ceremonial music that the service utilizes includes the Presidential Fanfare, Niyazov's Honour March and Slow March of the Turkmen Flag (usually played during military parades during a flag procession). Öňe, diňe öňe, jan Watanym Türkmenistan, which was penned by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, is also in the band's repertoire.[16]