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The last tanbur maker in Azerbaijan

Posted by Luis Andres Indaburu on October 29, 2017 at 4:46pm in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts

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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  • Cause the Blue rat October 29, 2017 at 7:43pm

    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. 

    • Luis Andres Indaburu > Cause the Blue rat October 30, 2017 at 11:22am

      Me too. I love middle east. I even married a Hungarian, so go figure.

      I have been listening to Marcos Vamvakaris in a loop since September. I warn you it is addictive. 

      https://youtu.be/5z23a3QPv3M

      • Cause the Blue rat > Luis Andres Indaburu October 30, 2017 at 2:02pm

        TOTALLY AWESOME! Thanks for the link. Real gypsy music. Greek music ROCKS! 

        • Luis Andres Indaburu > Cause the Blue rat October 30, 2017 at 2:47pm

          I am so dumb. I meant to say Eastern European and wrote Middle East. Thank heavens I am not a politician.

          Vamvakaris is the man in Rebetiko music.

  • Richard Dean October 29, 2017 at 6:20pm

    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

    • Luis Andres Indaburu > Richard Dean October 30, 2017 at 11:24am

      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

    • Br Harold F Stubbs III > Richard Dean October 29, 2017 at 7:18pm

      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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