By Redha Sardar
ANKARA, Aug 27 (KUNA) -- Like the Arabian oud and the Greek bouzouki, mastering the Turkish baglama needs exceptional skills and long training in order to produce the desired melodies that could remain in listeners' memory.
The making of a baglama instrument entails some secrets and specific sound experiments, Zeynel Abidin Tatlibal, a craftsman, said in statements to KUNA.
Wood of 30 types of trees is used in this industry; these include blackberry, chestnut, gurjan, mulberry, juniper, beech, spruce and walnut trees.
These types of wood come from the Turkish province of Samsun overlooking the Black Sea, he said.
Baglama has two main parts, the bowl which is made of mulberry, juniper, beech, spruce or walnut wood and the neck which is made of beech or juniper.
It's preferable to make each part separately and joining them together instead of carving them from a block of wood, Tatlibal went on.
Then the baglama is softened and polished before attaching the tuning pegs and tying the seven frets to the sap with fishing line, which allows them to be adjusted. The pegbox come from Istanbul ready to use, he said.
There are two types of baglama; a long-necked one with 23 position markers and a short-necked with 18 markers. Both of them can be made electric like guitars.
Ankara is the biggest Baglama making city in Turkey, followed by Istanbul and Izmir, Tatlibal added, noting that he inherited the craft from his father.
The price of a baglama ranges between 700 and 2,000 liras based on the quality of wood used in the making.
Germany is the biggest importers of the Turkish baglama, followed by Holland, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Malaysia.
It takes between one and three months for trainee to muster playing baglama, based on their artistic skill and ability to learn, he said, noting that a trainee has to give up if it took a longer time.
The Turkish baglama melodies are very popular in Turkmen and Kurdish communities particularly Central Asia, Iraq, Syria and Greece as well as the Balkan countries, he added. (end) rs.gb