Tanbur Long-Necked Lutes along the Silk Road and beyond

‘Tanbur Long-Necked Lutes Along the Silk Road and Beyond’ explores the origin, history, construction, and playing techniques of tanburs, a musical instrument widely used over vast territories and over many centuries. The diffusion of the tanbur into the musical cultures along the Silk Road resulted in a variety of tanburs with two or more, occasionally doubled or tripled courses, a varying number and variously tuned frets, each having its own characteristic sound, playing technique, and repertory. Since the last century, tanburs spread beyond the Silk Road while new versions continue to appear due to changing musical and tonal demands made on them. Similar or identical instruments are also known by other names, such as saz or baglama, dotar or dutar, setar, doembra, and dambura.