Jack Campin wrote:
>
> > For anyone still surviving my attempts to play instruments which
> > have relevance to anything at all, lend an ear to this one - the
> > Greek baglama. It is best described as a soup ladle which accidentally
> > got strings.
>
> The word and the instrument are Turkish, though the Turkish word (it
> means "tied", referring to the frets) usually applies to a larger size.
> The Turkish word for what you've got is "cura saz", the first word
> pronounced like "Jura"; it also means a small shrill-voiced hawk.
I can see how it relates to a saz but it's semitone fretted. The Greek musician who
explained most of it to me didn't make any mention of a connection with the saz, which
the
shop also had for sale and clearly identified as Turkish, and they also did the deep
bellied Turkish oud/ud but not the flatter Greek loutra (they also used the word
'lout-a
without the r, referring to yet another instrument, more like a regular guitar but lute
shaped). They spent some time explaining that the tuning used by the baglama(s) is one
octave above the old bouzouki tuning. I get the impression that actually all these
instruments came from Turkish origins but the Greeks are not keen on the idea and make
'their' versions look as different as possible.
> > This is a little sort of primitive piece I've called 'Out of the Bag'
> > and played on the baglama with a tabor-style drum beat accompaniment.
>
> The pun doesn't work with the Turkish pronunciation - BAAlama.
The Greek pronunciation seems to include the g, but I am not sure, since the guy wrote
the
word out for me and carefully pronounced it in English-sounding syllables. He also
included the optional s at the end. Don't know why. At first he said 'bagla mass' very
clearly as if two words, and then the s disappeared. I don't speak Greek...
>
> > It's great for dispersing excess Shetland fiddlers!
>
> My current exercise in instrument abuse is playing Scottish tunes
> on the Black Sea fiddle or "kemence"
So it won't be long before Blackfriars have a few of these in stock, then? I have just
resisted buying a 'bombarde' from Scayles for £24.95. Pakistani made, oboe reed and
neat
little conical bore pipe turned from something resembling rosewood in one case, with a
couple of keys and the rest finger holes. For the money it looked excellent value, but
they could not tell me what temperament or indeed what sort of scale it played. They
suggest it 'sounds like a snake charmer' - might be just up your street, Jack, they
have
two in the little window to the right of the entrance with the low whistles, tin
whistles
and stuff.
Any idea if these bombardes have any applications?
David
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