HISTORY OF QANUN

Qanun instrument in the Middle East countries and Turkey is an indispensable instrument of the orchestra. Qanun instrument is a string instrument with a pleasant sound and timbre. Historically, there are strings with more pleasant sounds than qanun instrument. Especially Egyptian Civilization and Sumerians are among these names. Among the instruments of the ancient Egyptians and Sumerians, there were stringed instruments that could be considered the ancestors of Qanun.

The famous scholar Farabi is said to have created the Qanun instrument based on stringed instruments. After Farabi, The Qanun instrument which occupies an outstanding place in the Arabs' traditional instrument, is related to the santor, and the western instrument, the harpsichord.

Qanun instrument is played by plucking the strings either with the fingers or with flexible plectra attached to finger rings. Qanun instrument is placed flat on the knees of the musician or on a small table.Although different sized Qanun instrument are used in various countries, the basic features of the Qanun instrument do not change except for the number of wires. The upright trapezoid-shaped body of the Qanun instrument is made of wood.

ALL ABOUT TURKİSH QANUN

Turkish qanun can be found in ancient tales with a long history, in different stories and in various cultures. It was mostly played for a fair time in the Arab regions of the Ottoman Empire and was well loved and played by women.

Turkish qanun is an ancient harp played on the lap. It has 3.5 octaves and endless options of sound possible by the unique concept of "Mandals" (turkish) that allow player changing the pitch of the single string. Turkish qanun has succeeded in making its difference with this feature. Turkish qanun is one of the world's most fascinating instruments, with rich touching sound, yet sophisticated attitude.

Turkish qanun, which is one of the indispensable instruments of today's classical Turkish music ensembles, is accepted as a constant tuning instrument due to the fact that both the tuning is not broken and the number of strings is high; The tuning of all other instruments is similar to that of the Turkish qanun.

This instrument, which was used for a while in the 17th century and could not see the interest it expected after being playing, succeeded to see the interest it expected thanks to Kanuni Hacı Arif Bey and his works..

STRUCTURE OF TURKISH QANUN

The Turkish qanun consists of 24, 25 or 26 sets of strings of two or three strings each (generally giving a total of 75). The thickness of these wires is from top to bottom; 0.60 mm. 0.70 mm. 0.80 mm. 0.90 mm. 1.00 mm. 1.10 mm. 1.20 mm. in diameter.The wire used in the Turkish Qanun was produced in various thicknesses by drying the lamb intestine and processing it until the establishment of the petrochemical plants.

However, after the establishment of petrochemicals, it is obtained from ‘nylon-6 olan raw material which is the production of this industry branch.  Until the 20th century, animal intestines were used in the making of the strings. Contemporary Qanun designs use nylon strings since they are more durable and produce somewhat of a stronger sound. Also the qanun instrument has become increasingly important not just as part of an ensemble accompanying a singer, its traditional role, but also as a solo instrument in its own right.  In the early stages, beams made of gut were used instead of nylon wire.

 There is a simple safe that any carpenter can easily do.

Where to get one?

If you are one of those people who are determined to play this beautiful instrument, the first place to look for it is our store. We only make hand-made, professional qanuns for you to get the unique joy of playing this instrument. No matter what your needs are, we provide you only with the best quality and the fine workmanship.