The instruments of Turkish folk music carry the sound of the land itself. The long-necked lute of the Anatolian plains, the shrieking reed of the wedding processions, and the strings of the Black Sea villages each speak for their region and their people. The instruments are ancient, still living, and central to the culture of the country. This guide introduces the major instruments, how they sound, where you will hear them, and the stories they carry across the regions.
The Sound of the Land
The folk instruments of Turkey are inseparable from their places. The mountains, the plains, and the coasts each have their instruments, and the music changes with the landscape. To hear the instruments is to hear the geography of the country.
The instruments are also communal. The folk music is played at the weddings, the festivals, and the village gatherings, and the instruments are passed from master to student and from parent to child. The music belongs to everyone, and the instruments are the common voice.
For the visitor, the instruments are the most direct doorway into the folk culture. The sounds are unlike anything in the international mainstream, and the instruments carry stories that the words alone do not tell.
The Baglama: The Long-Necked Lute
The baglama is the king of Turkish folk instruments. This long-necked lute is played everywhere in Anatolia, and its bright, buzzing sound is the signature of the folk tradition. The instrument is also called the saz, and its name covers a family of sizes and tunings.
The baglama is played with a thin pick, and the technique is demanding. The right hand dances across the strings while the left hand bends and slides between the notes, and the virtuosos produce a sound that is both percussive and singing. The instrument can whisper or drive a crowd.
The baglama is also the instrument of the folk poets. The wandering bards carried the saz across Anatolia, and their songs of love, exile, and protest are the memory of the country. For the visitor, the baglama is the first instrument to learn to recognize.
The Kemençe of the Black Sea
The Black Sea has its own fiddle, the karadeniz kemençesi, and its sound is the soul of the region. The instrument is small, held upright, and played with the nails and the fingers, and its voice is high, piercing, and full of longing. The kemençe is the sound of the Black Sea coast.
The kemençe is played for the horon, the whirling dance of the region, and the two belong together. The music is fast, hypnotic, and full of ornament, and the dancers respond to every turn of the melody. The instrument and the dance are one tradition.
For the visitor, the kemençe is the sound of a particular Turkey. It appears at the festivals and the restaurants of the region, and its voice is unlike any other instrument in the country. Hearing the kemençe is hearing the Black Sea itself.
The Zurna and Davul: The Loud Pair
The loudest sound of the Turkish folk tradition comes from the pair of the zurna and the davul. The zurna is a piercing reed instrument, and the davul is a large double-headed drum, and together they announce everything from weddings to wrestling festivals. The pair is the public voice of the folk music.
The zurna is not a subtle instrument; it is built to be heard over crowds and open fields. The player uses circular breathing to sustain the sound without pause, and the melody cuts through any noise. The davul carries the rhythm, and the two play as one.
The zurna and davul mark the celebrations of the country. They lead the wedding processions, drive the folk dances, and open the festivals, and their sound means that something is happening. For the visitor, the pair is the sound of Turkish celebration.
The Ney: The Reed of Spirit
The ney is the reed flute of the Sufi tradition, and its sound is among the most beautiful in Turkish music. The instrument is an end-blown flute of reed, simple in form and profound in voice, and its breathy tone is the sound of longing and prayer. The ney is the instrument of the dervish ceremonies.
The playing of the ney is an art of breath. The sound is produced with a subtle embouchure, and the instrument responds to the smallest changes of the player’s breath. The effect is intimate and transporting, and the ney is heard in the concerts and the ceremonies of the Sufi tradition.
The ney has also entered the wider music. It appears in the classical ensembles, the film scores, and the modern fusion, and its sound is recognized worldwide. For the visitor, the ney is the instrument of the spiritual side of Turkish music.
The Kanun: The Plucked Zither
The kanun is the plucked zither of the Turkish classical and folk traditions, a trapezoid of strings played with picks on the fingers. The instrument produces a cascade of bright notes, and its sound is both rhythmic and melodic. The kanun is one of the most elegant instruments of the tradition.
The kanun is played with speed and precision. The player’s hands race across the strings, the left hand presses the levers that bend the notes, and the sound shimmers and dances. The instrument leads the ensembles and shines in the solos.
The kanun belongs to both the classical and the folk worlds. It appears in the classical fasıl, the popular ensembles, and the regional music, and its sound is loved across the country. For the visitor, the kanun is the instrument of brightness and virtuosity.
The Oud and the Strings of the East
The oud is the fretless lute of the eastern Mediterranean, and in Turkey it is the instrument of the eastern and the urban traditions. The instrument has a deep, warm voice, and its fretless neck allows the slides and the ornaments that define the makam music. The oud is the instrument of feeling.
The oud is played across the region, and in Turkey it carries the influences of the Arab and the Ottoman worlds. The instrument appears in the classical music, the tavern ensembles, and the arabesque, and its sound is instantly recognizable. The oud is the bridge instrument of the region.
For the visitor, the oud is the sound of the eastern and the urban Turkey. It is heard in the music of the cities, and its voice carries the emotion of the makam tradition. The oud is the instrument that connects the folk and the classical worlds.
Percussion: The Frame Drums
The percussion of the tradition is led by the frame drums, and the most famous is the bendir. The drum is a wooden frame with a skin head, and it is played with the hands in rhythms that are simple and hypnotic. The drum is the heartbeat of the music.
The other drums of the tradition include the small goblet drum and the larger davul, and each has its role. The hand drums are played in the classical and the Sufi music, and the big drums drive the outdoor celebrations. The rhythms of the tradition are deep and varied.
The drumming is also a virtuoso art. The players produce rolls, slaps, and pulses with the hands alone, and the rhythms support and drive the melody. For the visitor, the drums are the pulse of the music, and the rhythm is the first thing you feel.
Regional Ensembles and Playing Styles
The instruments come together in the ensembles of the regions, and each region has its own combination. The Aegean and the central ensembles are built around the baglama, the Black Sea around the kemençe, and the eastern ensembles around the oud and the reeds. The styles are as distinct as the instruments.
The playing styles also differ. The central Anatolian music is rhythmic and driving, the Aegean is bright and danceable, and the eastern music is ornamented and emotional. The ensembles carry the character of their regions, and the differences are audible.
For the visitor, the ensembles are the best way to hear the tradition whole. The festivals and the restaurants present the regional groups, and the music comes alive with the dances and the singers. The ensemble is the folk tradition in full.
Hearing the Instruments Today
The instruments are not museum pieces; they are playing everywhere. The baglama sounds in the homes and the concerts, the kemençe in the Black Sea festivals, and the ney in the ceremonies and the recordings. The tradition is fully alive.
The modern musicians are also reworking it. The folk instruments are sampled in the pop and the electronic music, the fusion bands bring them to the world stages, and the young players keep the old techniques alive. The instruments are entering their next century.
For the visitor, the ways to hear the instruments are many. The folk concerts, the festivals, the live taverns, and even the street musicians all present the tradition, and the recordings carry it home. The instruments of the folk music are the sound of Turkey, and they are everywhere if you listen.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important instrument in Turkish folk music?
The baglama, or saz, is the central instrument of the folk tradition, played across Anatolia and carried by the folk poets. The kemençe of the Black Sea and the zurna and davul pair are the other iconic sounds. The baglama is the instrument most associated with the folk music, and its sound defines the tradition.
Where can I hear traditional Turkish instruments live?
The folk concerts and the festivals of the summer feature the traditional ensembles, and the live taverns present the meze-and-music evenings. The Black Sea region plays its kemençe at its festivals, and the Sufi ceremonies feature the ney. The street musicians and the recordings cover the rest, and the sound of the tradition is all around you.
Are the traditional instruments still played by young musicians?
Yes, the tradition is fully alive. The young players study the baglama and the kemençe in the conservatories and the schools, and the modern fusion and electronic musicians sample the traditional sounds. The instruments are entering the next generation with both respect and reinvention, and the tradition is safe in their hands.
All Over Information
The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.
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