Turkish music can sound strange and wonderful to foreign ears: sliding strings, breathy flutes, and rhythms that are hard to count. Behind the unfamiliar sounds are a small number of instruments with long histories and clear roles. This guide introduces them one by one, in plain terms, and tells you where you will hear them, how to enjoy a performance, and whether you should try playing or buying one yourself.
The Big One: Saz and Bağlama
The most important instrument of Turkish folk music is the saz, also called the bağlama. It looks like a long-necked lute with a rounded wooden body, and it has three pairs of strings, usually played with a thin plectrum. Its sound is bright and twangy, with a quick attack and a long ring.
You will hear it constantly. The saz accompanies folk songs, poems, and dances, and it is the instrument of the aşık, the singing poet of Anatolia. In the twentieth century it also became the symbol of youth and protest, so it carries both tradition and modern memory.
Sizes vary. The small cura sounds high and quick, the standard bağlama is the one you will hear most often, and the big divan sazı sounds deep and rich. Do not worry about the names: if you recognize the long neck and the round bowl, it is a saz.
The Flutes: Ney and Kaval
The ney is the flute you will hear in Sufi music and in the ceremonies of the whirling dervishes. It is a long reed, open at both ends, and the player blows across the top edge at an angle. Its sound is breathy, warm, and almost human, and it is one of the most distinctive sounds in the world.
The kaval is the other Turkish flute, a simple wooden pipe with finger holes, played by shepherds and village musicians. It is brighter and simpler than the ney, closer to folk song, and it often accompanies dancing and herding songs in the countryside.
The difference is easy to remember: the ney is long, dark, and spiritual, the kaval is shorter, lighter, and folksy. Both are played without keys, which means the player shapes every note with the lips and fingers, and no two players sound exactly alike.
The Loud One: Zurna
The zurna is the instrument you will hear before you see it. It is a conical wooden pipe with a double reed, and it produces a loud, piercing, almost nasal sound designed to carry outdoors. In Turkish villages it is the sound of celebration, played at weddings, festivals, and processions.
Because the zurna is so loud, it never plays alone. It is almost always paired with the davul, a large two-sided drum, and the duo is one of the oldest combinations in Turkish music. The drum marks the rhythm and fills the gaps, while the zurna carries the melody at full volume.
For a foreign ear, the zurna can take some getting used to. It is deliberately raw and festive, not refined, and it is meant to move people. If you hear it, something is being celebrated, and you are welcome to dance.
The Drums: Darbuka, Davul, Def
Turkish rhythm is carried by drums of three main kinds. The darbuka is the goblet-shaped drum you will see in restaurants and clubs, played with the hands and producing sharp slaps and deep bass tones. It is the drum of dance music, and it is easy to recognize by its hourglass body.
The davul is the big drum of the countryside, slung from the shoulder and beaten with a heavy stick. It pairs with the zurna, leads wedding processions, and marks the pace of festivals. Its beat is deep and insistent, and it can be heard from far away.
The def is a large frame drum with jingling rings, played with the hand and used in song accompaniment and religious music. It is gentler than the other two, and it often supports singing. Together, the three drums cover the whole range of Turkish rhythm.
The City Strings: Kemençe, Kanun, Ud
Beyond the folk instruments are the strings of Ottoman city music, and you will hear them in Istanbul‘s restaurants and concert halls. The kemençe is a small fiddle played upright on the knee, with a soft, sighing sound that is the voice of old Istanbul. It takes years to play well.
The kanun is a flat zither with many strings, played with plectra on the fingers, and its cascading notes are among the most brilliant sounds in Turkish music. The ud is the deep-voiced lute of the Middle East, warm and mellow. These three are the heart of the classical fasıl ensemble.
Do not be confused if the same names appear in different contexts. The kemençe of the Black Sea is a different instrument from the Istanbul kemençe, and both are traditional. Context tells you which one you are hearing.
How Turkish Music Sounds Different
Turkish music sounds different because it is built differently. Its melodies follow makams, modal scales that include intervals smaller than the half steps of Western music, so notes can sound slightly out of tune to ears used to the piano. The effect is emotional: the same melody can sound joyful in one makam and melancholy in another.
The rhythm is also different. Turkish meters include uneven patterns like the nine-beat aksak, which feels like a limp or a skip to Western listeners. Dancers know these rhythms in their bodies, and the musicians feel them as living pulses rather than as counts.
Finally, the ornament is everything. Turkish players do not just play the notes; they slide into them, bend them, and decorate them with quick flourishes. The melody is the skeleton, and the ornament is the flesh, which is why the same song sounds different in every performance.
Where You Will Hear These Instruments
Live Turkish music is easier to find than you might think. In Istanbul, the meyhanes and music houses host fasıl ensembles with kanun, kemençe, and ud, playing through the evening while guests eat and drink. Restaurants in the tourist districts often include a short folk program with saz and dance.
For the classical and spiritual side, the Mevlevi ceremonies are held regularly in Istanbul and Konya, and the ney leads the ritual from the first notes. Cultural centers and state concert halls present folk concerts throughout the year, and the summer festivals of Anatolian cities bring village ensembles to the stage.
You will also hear the instruments without planning to. Wedding processions, street festivals, and neighborhood celebrations spill into public space, and the zurna and davul carry for blocks. Turkish music is not confined to stages; it lives in the street.
What to Look For in a Performance
Watching Turkish musicians is half the pleasure. Look at the hands: the saz player’s right hand moves with a precise, rolling stroke, while the kanun player’s fingers fly with the plectra. The ney player’s face relaxes into the flute, and the rhythm section watches the melody player for cues.
Listen in layers. The melody instrument leads, the drums hold the pulse, and the second instruments weave around both. In a good ensemble, the musicians improvise within the form, and the performance changes every night. The music is a conversation, not a recital.
Feel the audience. Turkish audiences sing along, clap on the offbeats, and sometimes rise to dance, and the musicians respond to the room. A performance in a small meyhane is intimate and loose, while a concert hall is formal and precise. Both are worth your time.
Buying Instruments as Souvenirs
Turkish instruments make wonderful souvenirs, and the market offers something for every budget. Small darbukas and defs are cheap and easy to carry, and a tiny cura or a decorated kaval fits in a suitcase. The full-size saz needs a case but is still a practical purchase.
Buy from a music shop, not a souvenir stall, if you want an instrument that actually plays. The old bazaar areas of Istanbul have instrument shops where the makers themselves work, and they will tune the instrument and show you how to hold it. A well-made saz from a proper workshop is a real instrument, not a decoration.
Ask about the wood and the maker. Traditional bodies are carved from mulberry, walnut, or juniper, and the sound depends on the wood as much as the skill. A signed instrument by a known maker holds its value, and it will sound better as it ages.
Trying to Play
Turkish instruments are more approachable than they look. The darbuka gives satisfying sounds in minutes, and the bağlama can produce its basic strum in the first lesson. Many music shops and cultural centers offer short introductory sessions, and some restaurants have musicians who will let you try their instrument between sets.
The ney is the hardest to start: producing any sound at all can take weeks, and many beginners give up before their first note. The kaval is easier, and the saz rewards steady practice. If you want a taste of the music, try the drums first, and leave the ney to the patient.
A short lesson is also a cultural experience. Turkish music teachers are warm and generous, and the traditional method is by ear, phrase by phrase. You will learn more about the music in an hour of playing than in a week of listening, and you will take home a story as well as a sound.
Frequently asked questions
Is the saz hard to learn?
The basics are surprisingly accessible: you can learn to strum and sing a simple song in a few weeks. The deeper techniques, such as the rolling picking stroke and the microtonal ornaments, take years, and professional players study for a decade or more. For visitors, a few lessons are enough to play a simple melody and appreciate the instrument’s feel.
What is that wailing flute in Sufi music?
That is the ney, the end-blown reed flute of the Mevlevi order. It has no mouthpiece; the player blows across the open top edge, producing a breathy, meditative tone that is considered a symbol of the human soul in Sufi tradition. The ney’s sound opens the whirling ceremony, and it is one of the most recognizable sounds of Turkish music.
Can I buy an instrument to take home?
Yes. Music shops in Istanbul and other cities sell traditional instruments at fair prices, and small drums, flutes, and string instruments travel well. Buy from a proper instrument shop rather than a souvenir stall, ask for a tuned and playable piece, and choose compact instruments if you have limited luggage space.
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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