Description:
The Kamenche is a fretless bowed short necked chordophone that found in the North Eastern Black Sea region close to the boarder with Georgia. The word Kamenche is Persian it comes comes from the
two words “keman", long bow” and the word "che" which means "small". A
loose translation would be "little instrument played with bow". The music played on the Turkish Kamenche is indigenous to the Black Sea region and it is accompanied by a large drum called "davul".
Closely related instruments are the Cretian lira, the Bulgarian Gadulka and the French Pochette or
"pocket fiddle". In the classical music of Turkey this instrument's
body is wider to the instrument discussed here. Like many bowed
instruments this type of kamenche is fretless.
Playing the Kamenche:
When playing the Turkish Kamencha two of the strings are bowed the same time and the third is a sympathetic string. The kamenche is played by resting on the knee and bowed while sitting down. The fingers press on the string and make contact with the fingerboard while playing.
Anatomy of the Kamenche: My specimen of the Kamenche is 57cm in total
length, The width of the body is 8.7cm closest to the bottom. The
bridge of the Turkish Kamenche is moveable.
maybe mulberry or cedar and two slits carved on each side of the bridge serve as the sound holes. The body of
the Turkish kamenche is from a single piece of wood, from the neck to the bottom. The front of the instrument is made from a seperate piece of wood and then glued on to the body completing the sound chamber. The fret
board is glued into a slot carved into the neck.