How to Tune The Baglama Instrument Easily

Baglama is a very popular musical instrument that dates back to ancient times. Today, it is one of the most popular musical instruments, especially in some regions. Since it has been popular in many cultures since the past, you may encounter many different namings. You can see different types and structures of baglama musical instruments according to the regions they are in.

Anatolia is the place where baglama is used most frequently. It is generally used in Turkish folk music.

Baglama basically consists of three main parts: the boat, the chest and the handle. In its construction, The boat part is generally made of mulberry wood. However, apart from the mulberry tree, it is also made from trees such as juniper, chestnut, walnut, hornbeam. The chest part is made of spruce wood and the stem part is made of hornbeam, white hornbeam or juniper wood. It has 7 wires in total.  As a playing technique, it can be played with a plectrum or fingers. This is left to the will of the person.

How To Tune A Baglama

Many tuning systems are used in baglama. These tuning systems are also called "layout" in the traditional structure. The tuning systems used in baglama may vary according to different regions due to the locality of baglama since the past. Some of the most used tuning systems or layouts in baglama are "bağlama layout, corrupt or black layout, misget layout, mustezat layout". Apart from these, there are also different layouts.

In short neck bag lama, the strings are generally tuned according to the baglama layout:

• La (Lower Wire)
• Re (Middle Wire)
• Mi (Top Wire)

In long neck bag lama, the strings are generally tuned to the black layout:

• La (Lower Wire)
• Re (Middle Wire)
• Left (Top Wire)

Note names are used as references only. Reference notes, on the other hand, are only used to know the sound difference between the strings (Lower, Middle, Upper). Before the baglama is tuned, the decision sound is specified. After the "karar" sound is specified, the strings are tuned according to the "karar" sound. The "karar" is made according to the voice of the voice artist, the baglama, the good-sounding, and other situations.

Why Should I Tune My Baglama

As you know, tuning is the process of tuning an instrument to give the desired note when played. Tuning is very important to get the right sound. Each instrument has its own unique tuning. Thanks to the tuning, the sounds of the notes come out smoothly and exactly as desired. If the tuning is not done, the sounds coming out of the instruments may not sound very pleasant. Since the baglama musical instrument is a musical instrument belonging to different genres, each type has a separate tuning scheme. Therefore, it is very important to set the right tuning according to the type of tuning scheme in order to produce the right sound.

How Often Should A Baglama Be Tuned?

It can be difficult to give any specific timeframe for this. However, as your ear familiarity increases over time, the sound that comes out of baglama is one. If you see a problem, you can check the tuning settings. Some musical instruments can loosen the tuning settings in a much shorter time because of this situation.

 You can also like: Tips For Buying A Baglama Saz

Easy Ways to Tune A Baglama

Tuning can be a difficult process for those who are new to playing baglama. But you don't need to worry. Because today, many tuning devices that are used to tune our baglama instrument have begun to be produced. And thanks to these devices, you can tune your instrument very easily. But such tuners may not show you which string is what note. Therefore, you may need to know the note equivalent of all strings.