The kamancheh (also kamānche or kamāncha) (, , , , ) is an Iranian bowed string instrument used in Persian,[
]
The kamancheh is related to the rebab which is the historical ancestor of the kamancheh and the bowed Byzantine lyra.
In 2017, the art of crafting and playing with Kamantcheh/Kamancha was included into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists of Azerbaijan and Iran.
Name and etymology
The word "kamancheh" means "little bow" in Persian ( kæman, bow, and -cheh, diminutive).
It also denotes a bowed string instrument, but the Turkish version differs significantly in structure and sound from the Persian kamancheh.
There is also an instrument called kabak kemane literally "pumpkin-shaped bow instrument" used in Turkish music which is only slightly different from the Iranian kamancheh.
Structure
The kamancheh has a long neck including the fingerboard, which the kamancheh maker shapes as a truncated inverse cone for easy bow movement in the down section, pegbox in both sides of which four pegs are placed, and finial
Kamanchehs may have highly ornate inlays and elaborately Ivory carving .
The body has a long upper neck and a lower bowl-shaped resonating chamber made from a gourd or wood, usually covered with a membrane made from the skin of a lamb, goat or sometimes a fish, on which the bridge is set.
From the bottom protrudes a spike to support the kamancheh while it is being played, hence in English, the instrument is sometimes called the spiked fiddle.
It is played sitting down held like a cello though it is about the length of a viola. The end-pin can rest on the knee or thigh while the player is seated in a chair.
Kamancheh is usually tuned like an ordinary violin (G, D, A, E).
miniature of a woman playing the kamancheh.]]
playing a kamanacheh, ca. 1964.]]
, Iran, 2008.]]
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Notable kamancheh players
See also
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List of bowed stringed instruments
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Music of Armenia
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Music of Iran
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Music of Azerbaijan
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Byzantine lira
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Haegeum
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Rebab
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Silk Road Ensemble
Further reading
External links
