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The last tanbur maker in Azerbaijan

Ismayil Meqchiyev: "If the tanbur (a string instrument) will become world-famous, it will forget me."

So this guy had a stroke about twenty years. And with only one arm, he builds these amazing hollowed out instruments from one single block of wodd. Made himself a special tool to carve out the wood.

Inspiring.

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Permalink Reply by Richard Dean on October 29, 2017 at 11:20am

Sad for sure, I'm sure over the last 40-50 years or so, and in the next 20 plus, we'll lose a lot of culture, art, music due to know one carrying on or even worse, caring about, old world tradition, history, hell, I don't even have the words to describe just how sad some things will be when lost forever.

You and I and many others see one thing, others will see nothing or clutter and old wood.

Thanks for sharing

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Permalink Reply by Br Harold F Stubbs III on October 29, 2017 at 12:18pm

Those are just pretty.
Hopefully there is a desire to pick up on the older traditions still. It only takes a few to keep something going barely..

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Permalink Reply by Luis Andres Indaburu on October 30, 2017 at 4:24am

Thank you for your comments.

I am in the process of making a baglama right now, but as soon as I am done I will try to bruild a tanbur

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on October 29, 2017 at 12:43pm

there are still plenty of makers of this popular Turkish instrument out there. Makers and players.

I hope this guys amazing efforts gave him joy for entire life.

Here's a strumming technique for all you finger pickers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN1oaWDu_vY

totally awesome! I've watched sever vids on Youtube. It appears these instruments can have as few as three strings up to eight. Each instrument however is played the same. One our two solo strings with the rest being drone. The eight string vid I watched was in Turkish? Nor sure. But watching him it was easy to see he was talking about the different ways to use the drone strings to achieve chord changes.

eight string played with a stick like pick.

I can go one forever listening to this stuff. LOVE middle east and Gypsy music.