Kamânche

The term kamânche , kamancheh or kemenche , kemençe (کمانچه - means " small arc" in Persan) indicates a family of string instruments rubbed of the Middle East. It is about Vielle S rustic whose two types exist: Iranian and Turkish. Their origin goes back to Xe century according to Farabi.

Iranian Kamânche

It is the Vielle with spade that one also finds in Azerbaijan and Ouzbékistan, Tadjikistan and Turkmenistan, under the name of ghaychak .

Stringed-instrument trade

The body of the kamânche consists of a stick which crosses a small marrow or wood round body made, agissantt like case of resonance, cover of a fine membrane in fish or sheepskin. Traditionally, the kamânches have three cords of Soie, however, the modern models have four metal cords. At the base a spade is making it possible to support the instrument while one plays about it (as for the Violoncelle).

The kamânches are very ornamented, often with mother-of-pearl inscrustations or bones and they have ankles out of ivory magnificiently carved.

Techniques of play

The instrument is played with a Archet with tension variable which is held not over like that of the Violon, but supported by in bottom, the visible palm of the hand. The musician sat by ground (or on a chair), the spade resting on the knee or the thigh.

Contrary to the Violin, it is not the bow which turns on the rest, but it is the instrument which rotating (thanks to the spade), thus puts in contact the various cords with the bow which remains perfectly perpendicular.

It is the only string instrument rubbed of the classical music Perse and Kurdish.

Kayhan Kalhor is a famous player of kamânche.

Turkish Kemenche

There are several alternatives: the kemençe of the Laze people in Turkey, the will lyra pontic in Greece, the will lyra of Constantinople , etc It acts of small Vielle S without spade, with a body melted in the case of resonance either oblong, or rectangular, at the origin of the Rebec. The Bulgarian Gadoulka is also related there.

Stringed-instrument trade

The sounding board is here out of wood, as the remainder of the instrument, very light besides. The instrument is often cut in only one massive piece of wood hollow. Many decorations of marquetry or low-relief are practiced there. A heart is placed under the rest, with the manner of that of the violin.

Techniques of play

One of the characteristics of this family of instrument is the method of pressure of the cords. In order to obtain the variations necessary, the cords are not pressed by in top with the pulp of the fingers, as with the Violon, but they are touched on side by the nails which thus slip along them, as with the Sarangi.

The cords of certain instruments of smaller size are however in a hurry over with the nails. Sometimes, the most distant cords are just carressées of the end of the fingers, without being in a hurry, and act as bumblebees.

References and Bonds

( in ) Stanley Sadie, Tne new Grove dictionary off musical instruments , London, Grove, 1985.
Nay-Nava, the Persian Encyclopedia of the musical instruments

; Musical extracts

Site of Arash Dejkam in connection with Iran, section relating to the kamancheh, with sound extracts

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