adamgood - 2-3-2009 at 03:01 AM
It may have been discussed before but I'm curious about some different or standard tunings for Lavta (Turkish).
On Turkmusikisi.com it shows a tuning in 5ths:
http://www.turkmusikisi.com/calgilar/lavta/lavta.htm
but from youtube videos I've seen, many tune it in 4ths, something like:
AA EE BB EE (high to low)
maybe just nothing is standard...
thanks!
Adam
teslim - 2-3-2009 at 12:33 PM
Adam, the tuning Perikles Papapadropoulos uses and teaches is DADA (low to high)...he has no trouble playing in any key with this tuning...Neceti
Celik said lavta tuning was GDAE(low to high)..this seems a bit awkward for certain fingerings although there are 3 different size string lengths for
lavta that I have seen...perhaps this works for the shortest....you can email dimitris rapakousios at dimitrisouds.com and i am sure he can give you a
definitive tuning and string length for each of the sizes...all the best
adamgood - 2-3-2009 at 03:25 PM
Hi teslim,
Thanks for the reply! I'm not aware of different size lavtas so, is it really considerable string length differences? So that they could be as much as
a 4th apart from one another? (meaning one lavta to the next).
Soon I think I'll have borrowed a lavta from a friend so I want to check out these tunings. Things make more sense when you actually have an
instrument in your hands 
For the tuning you give from Necati hoca (tuned in 5ths!) and given the fret placement I would think that playing in Bolahenk tuning would be
difficult. But I'll check it out.
best,
adam