SamirCanada - 2-4-2013 at 04:31 AM
I have decided I would like to make a kanun as my next project. Unfortunately I doint have the plans to construct one and I also haven't sourced the
parts ( pegs, mandals, skin, strings etc...)
Anyone would be nice enough to share with me some kanun building plans or measure the kanun they have for me?
I would apreciate any information on the building technique. Especially on how to install the skin. I have no clue how that's is done
Thanks
siaka1974 - 2-7-2013 at 05:40 AM
Hello Samir,
I´am also serarching for plan to make a kanun. Please inform me if you get it!!!!
Thanks
Michael_al_faaris - 3-17-2013 at 05:23 PM
Hi Samir - Remember me? We met at Mike's about six years ago. I got an old cheap qanun about three years ago, fell in love with playing it (still use
my Shehata oud when I am trying to sing) and have been continuously looking for a better qanun for quite a while.
Regarding your question, I am sure that I saw a video of Nabil Kassis working in his workshop in Aleppo which I found to be fascinating and
informative, but not enough to give you a sound foundation for making one yourself. I think that Nabil got started because fine qanun makers outside
of Turkey were so rare. You can see him play here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo_kfckBXBg
and I can still get his website up here
http://qanuns.net/index.htm
Which is where I thought I saw the video of him working - but now I cannot find it. I will search further.
He made arabic size qanuns with full turkish machinery (mandels) - you would think that would be hard if the Turkish kanuns are slightly smaller. I
don't know where he got his hardware, but I wanted one of his instruments very badly. Not being able to know if he is okay today is part of my own
personal sense of loss from the tragedy in Syria.
I do my own qanun maintenance and in fact I replaced all the boxwood pegs with ebony pegs that I made myself from the largest available viola pegs
(with 1:30 taper). In the future I will make them from ebony dowels in order to get a better size of tuning obelisk. Wish I knew how to do the skin
mounting, but haven't touched that part of the instrument. I have been in touch with someone in California with the hope that I will be able to get
an affordable turkish kanun from him - he does major overhauls and might know more about skin mounting.
I will follow your quest with great interest and would like to help in any way that I can (e.g if you want me to get measurements off my instrument).
Do you have an old qanun that you can take apart and copy?
I wish we knew of some way to help all the wonderful artists and craftsmen in Syria who have been suffering so much from the tragedy there.
best regards
Michael_al_faaris - 3-17-2013 at 07:11 PM
postscript -
found the videos I was recalling when I went to the arabic version of Nabil's website - see if this link works:
http://qanuns.net/images-sounds-ar.htm#
I will be looking at these myself and if I get a chance I will ask Jim Karagozian in California about sources of information on qanun construction.
For people who try to make a living as luthiers, it isn't surprising how their knowledge and experience is not something they are trying to give away
for free.
I should figure out how to attach pictures to these posts; funny I haven't really had occasions to do that yet
SamirCanada - 3-18-2013 at 04:43 AM
Hey Michael,
of course I remember you 
hope you are doing fine!
Thanks for the reply. It is much apreciated.
I had seen those too a longtime ago so I will take sometime to rewatch. Also, I have found a few other videos online that show the build but they are
mostly of tukish kanun.
I have enquired a little bit on my end as well. Our dear friend Veysel Sarikus does sell the mandals, pegs and the skin. The price is a bit stee but
given the price of a brand new kanun its peanuts.
I woulndt see any issues using the turkish mandals on an arabic size kannun given you place them yourself under the strings at the right intervals. I
know the main difference between turkish and arabic kanun is the that the skin has 5 posts that rest on the skin as opposed to 4. I am not sure if the
arabic kanun as a result is larger.
I would love to have an old busted kanun to refurbish and to draw some.
If you do have some time on your hands and you would be ok taking some measurements and making a basic technical drawing of your instrument, it would
go a very long way.
thank you infinitely.
Samir.
Michael_al_faaris - 4-5-2013 at 03:17 AM
Hi Samir
Sorry about the delay. I will start after this weekend with getting some measurements off my instrument and I might learn more when I get around to
visiting some California qanun players - I am shopping for a better instrument because it is hard to learn left hand mandel work on a crude
instrument.
Did you see this?
http://www.octave.at/tm/calgilar/kanun/kanun_eng.html
Since I am probably going to buy a ready made turkish kanun in the next few months (I am too old to wait for a custom-built instrument) I will be
learning more about the dimensional differences. Up to now I have been focusing on playing technique.
Mike
SamirCanada - 4-5-2013 at 04:45 AM
Hey!
thanks Mike!
That is great information actually! because I had been trying to figure out how to stretch the skin but it makes sense now that I read it can be
soaked to stretch somewhat and then it will dry harder and tighter.
Wish I could see it being done though...
about the waiting for a new custom kanun: "Aint nobody got time fo That!"
andoni - 8-13-2013 at 02:35 PM
Hi guys,
I'm also wondering where one can buy qanun parts, is there a reasonably priced source?
I'm actually looking for a set of mandals (latches) to replace on a cheap qanun I just bought.
I am not sure if I am tuning the instrument correctly but there seems to be some missing mandals.
Originally I thought this was an arabic qanun so it should have the tuning from low G to d, but the way the mandals are arranged it seems like it
should be a step higher and the low should be A.
I was thinking of putting the turkish mandal system on this instrument, do you think that it is possible or have any of you tried this before?
Thanks for your help...
SamirCanada - 8-13-2013 at 05:14 PM
In my search for kanun parts, Cankaya Music was the cheapest provider. I didnt buy the set of mandals yet so I cant vouch for the quality.
Veysel music also has some parts for sale but more expensive. I am guessing also higher quality.
andoni - 8-14-2013 at 12:56 PM
Thanks I will contact these providers.
I also found Erdal's website and he seemed reasonably priced also.
http://www.erdalcetin.com/
Michael_al_faaris - 10-25-2013 at 10:57 PM
Nabil Kassis in Aleppo has made arabic qanuns with "turkish machinery" and I got to see the one he made for Ali Amr (it's the one you see Ali playing
on Youtube) up close. His work is magnificent.
It is really an art to place individual mandels and nail them in exactly the right place. Also, nailing down mandels is a little like reaming out the
peg holes. If you make a mistake, there are ways to salvage things - but getting it right the first time creates a better quality of instrument.
One advantage of doubling on qanun and oud is that it makes it seem so easy to tune your oud (relatively speaking).
mike k