Cümbüs
Encyclopedia
The cümbüş is a Turkish
stringed instrument of relatively modern origin. Developed in the early 20th century by Zeynelabidin Cümbüş as an oud
-like instrument that could be heard as part of a larger ensemble. In construction it resembles both the American banjo
and the Middle Eastern oud
. A fretless instrument, it has six courses of doubled-strings, and is generally tuned like an oud
. In shape, though, it closely resembles the banjo
with a metal resonator bowl and skin body head. It has a loud, metallic, resonant tone and is widely heard in Middle Eastern popular music.
, Turkey manufactures several different models. They include:
The word cümbüş is derived from the Turkish for "great fun" or "rave", as the instrument was marketed as a popular alternative to the more costly classical oud
. When Mustafa Kemal Atatürk decreed that families take surnames, Zeynel Abidin adopted the name of his famous instrument. Cümbüş Music is still an active company in Istanbul and manufactures a wide range of traditional Turkish instruments.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
stringed instrument of relatively modern origin. Developed in the early 20th century by Zeynelabidin Cümbüş as an oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
-like instrument that could be heard as part of a larger ensemble. In construction it resembles both the American banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and the Middle Eastern oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
. A fretless instrument, it has six courses of doubled-strings, and is generally tuned like an oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
. In shape, though, it closely resembles the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
with a metal resonator bowl and skin body head. It has a loud, metallic, resonant tone and is widely heard in Middle Eastern popular music.
Models
The Cümbüş Company in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey manufactures several different models. They include:
- The standard cümbüş: short neck, fretless, tuned like an oudOudThe oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
- Saz-cümbüş: long neck, tie-on frets, tuned like the popular Turkish instrument the BaglamaBaglamathumb|180px|Cura and bağlamaThe bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia....
Saz - Cura-cümbüş: like the Baglama Saz model but higher pitched like a Cura Saz
- Tambur-cümbüş: super long neck, tuned like Turkish classical instrument the Tambur
- Yaylı tanburYayli tanburThe yaylı tanbur is a bowed lute from Turkey. Derived from the older plucked tanbur, it has a long, fretted neck and a round metal or wooden soundbox which is often covered on the playing end with a skin or acrylic head similar to that of a banjo....
- cümbüş: like the Tambur model, but played much like a cello with a bowBow (music)In music, a bow is moved across some part of a musical instrument, causing vibration which the instrument emits as sound. The vast majority of bows are used with string instruments, although some bows are used with musical saws and other bowed idiophones.... - Guitar-cümbüş: fretted, tuned like a guitar
- Mando-cümbüş: fretted, small, tuned like a mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
- Cümbüş-Ukulele: fretted, small, tuned like a UkuleleUkuleleThe ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
The word cümbüş is derived from the Turkish for "great fun" or "rave", as the instrument was marketed as a popular alternative to the more costly classical oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
. When Mustafa Kemal Atatürk decreed that families take surnames, Zeynel Abidin adopted the name of his famous instrument. Cümbüş Music is still an active company in Istanbul and manufactures a wide range of traditional Turkish instruments.
Use in Western popular music
- Pink FloydPink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
guitarist David GilmourDavid GilmourDavid Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
played cümbüş on his solo album On An IslandOn an IslandOn an Island is the third solo album by David Gilmour, best known as vocalist and lead guitarist for Pink Floyd. It was released in the UK on 6 March 2006, Gilmour's 60th birthday, and in the United States the following day. It was Gilmour's first new solo album in 22 years...
on the track "Then I Close My Eyes". It can also be heard on the album opener "CastellorizonCastellorizonCastellorizon is the opening song on David Gilmour's third solo album, On an Island. It is an instrumental guitar solo, which starts off with a various sounds from other tracks of the album before the guitar is introduced. The song is based on a night Gilmour spent on the Greek island of...
", he also used the instrument to play the same parts on the subsequent tour, performances of which can be seen and heard on the DVD's "Remember That NightRemember That NightRemember That Night is a live concert recording of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour's solo concerts at the Royal Albert Hall on 29, 30 & 31 May 2006 as part of his On an Island tour. The title is taken from a line in the song "On an Island". It has been released on both DVD and Blu-ray formats...
" and "Live in GdańskLive in GdanskLive in Gdańsk is a live album by David Gilmour. It is a part of his On an Island project which includes an album, tour, DVD, and live album. It was released on 22 September 2008...
". - Stone Temple PilotsStone Temple PilotsStone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
guitarist Dean DeLeoDean DeLeoDean DeLeo is an American guitarist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots.He is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show and Army of Anyone, which featured his younger brother Robert DeLeo, Filter frontman Richard Patrick, and session drummer Ray Luzier...
played a cümbüş on the Stone Temple Pilots album Shangri-La Dee DaShangri-La Dee Da-Personnel:*Scott Weiland - vocals, keyboards *Dean DeLeo - guitars*Robert DeLeo - bass, percussion , guitar , acoustic guitar , keyboards , piano , autoharp , electric sitar *Eric Kretz - drums, percussion , keyboards , banjo -Additional personnel:*Brendan...
on the track "Regeneration". It can be heard during the chorus. - Smokey Hormel appeared on Tom WaitsTom WaitsThomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
' Mule VariationsMule Variations-Related promo CD:As a promotional limited offer, an EP titled Hold On was later released with two of the tracks from the Mule Variations album plus two previously unreleased tracks...
playing cümbüş (credited - The HolliesThe HolliesThe Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
' "Stop Stop Stop" - Guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Eenor played a modified Tambur-cümbüş (Jim Bush) for Les ClaypoolLes ClaypoolLeslie Edward "Les" Claypool is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus. Claypool's playing style on the electric bass mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends and slapping.Claypool has also self produced and engineered his...
's side project Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog BrigadeColonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog BrigadeColonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade is one of many musical projects involving Primus bassist Les Claypool. The original band was formed in summer 2000 and consisted of: Les Claypool , Todd Huth , Jay Lane , Jeff Chimenti , Skerik , and Eenor...
on Shattering Song (Live Frogs Set 1Live Frogs Set 1Live Frogs Set 1 is a live album by Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, released by Prawn Song Records on 10 April 2001. It chronicles the first part of the 8 October 2000 show the Frog Brigade played at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, the second part released as...
) as well as on The Buzzards of Green Hill (Purple OnionPurple Onion-Credits:Musicians*Les Claypool - bass , vocals, percussion , guitar , whamola , drums *Jay Lane - drums *Mike Dillon - vibraphone , metal drum , percussion , tabla baya , pandiero , electric bow & arrow , metal sounds , cuica , marimba , metal , tabla *Skerik - saxophone , "fancy" sax...
) - The Cambrian Explosion has started to incoroporate cümbüş into their live shows.