elreyrico - 12-18-2012 at 12:39 AM
Hi,
My questions does not concern oud (sorry) but yayli tanbur.
I really like the sound of this instrument and am thinking in trying to learn to play it.
From what i have found, there are two types available :
- "real" wood + leather yayli tanbur (above 1000 euros, too much for me, would need to find a second hand one)
- cumbus yayli tanbur (around 200-300 euros)
do both have nylon strings ?
what will be the difference in sound between the 2 ? (i mean type of sound, not quality of course)
have you tried the cumbus model ? and what would you say about it ?
Concerning the cumbus, i could only find offers on ebay. The website of te zeynel abidin cumbus seems to be down.
Are there other possibilities (i live in europe) ?
also, have you experienced learning it by yoruself ? Is it extremerly difficult ?
thanks in advance for your help
EL
teslim - 12-18-2012 at 01:40 AM
the yayli tanbur has steel strings.. the melody is played on the high pair (tuned to A or D above A)- this pair is fitted into one slot on the bridge
so it acts like a single string.. the other strings are sympathetic and are only for resonance , not fingering... the most playable and beautiful
instruments that i found in istanbul are made by mustapha gencer who also makes reg tanburs and lavtas...his prices are quite reasonable and his
workmanship is extraordinary....the cumbus ones are ok to start with but usually need some set up--usually the bridges are not shaped properly for
bowing as the playing string needs to be lifted slightly above the other strings--also it is very important to put a soundpost that goes under the
bridge foot to the back of the instrument - this focuses the sound and gives the instrument more volume and clarity.. to do this requires a hole in
the metal pot big enough to fit a couple of fingers or a soundpost tool into..most of the ones from the cumbus factory are set up for plucking..hope
this helps-- there is not a lot of info out there on this beautiful instrument.. please let me know if you need any more information...there is a
great workshop in greece that has week long classes on yayli by a very talented and devoted musician ; Evengios Vulgaris--you can find this listed on
the Labyrinth website... evengios has many examples of his fine playing on you tube and with his yayli tanbur trio under Modal Scent...
thanks
elreyrico - 12-18-2012 at 02:38 AM
Thank you Teslim,
do you have contact information for mustapha gencer ?
regarding E Voulgaris, I have seen the labyrynth workshop, unfortunately i cannot go to the one in january 2013 ... but maybe later.
Regards
EL
ALAMI - 12-18-2012 at 03:30 AM
I have a great traditional yayli tanbur made by Dr Gengiz Sarikus, the sound is amazing and warm. Basic learning can be done alone by watching clips
from the net.
But I was never really able to go beyond the basics, for this you'd definitely need a teacher, there is none in Lebanon.
Another thing to consider is where you practice, have pity for family and neighbors, yayli is loud and the sounds you'll start getting are more like a
tortured witch in midages- I guess 
elreyrico - 12-18-2012 at 06:15 AM
"Another thing to consider is where you practice, have pity for family and neighbors, yayli is loudé..."
thanks for the advice
teslim - 12-18-2012 at 09:11 AM
you can find him on facebook at mustafa gencer istanbul or on you tube under mustafa gencer..i think his website is down at the moment..
elreyrico - 12-18-2012 at 09:23 AM
thank you again
DoggerelPundit - 12-18-2012 at 04:28 PM
El,
Here's a fun one, with close ups too! The great Ercüment Batanay playing a duet with himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TBayobqz2Q
Cheers!
-Stephen