Classical Kemenche

The classical kemence is the small, pear-shaped bowed lyra of Ottoman and Turkish classical music. It has three strings and is played upright, resting on the knee with the tuning head uppermost. Instead of pressing the strings onto a fingerboard, the player touches them from the side with the fingernails — the technique behind the light, vocal ornaments the kemence brings to makam music. Since the mid-19th century it has been the main bowed instrument of the Ottoman classical ensemble.

Our classical kemence is made in Turkey by master luthier Necati Gurbuz. The body is black mulberry, valued for its warm resonance, with a cypress soundboard, an ebony fingerboard and pegs, and a maple bridge. It is offered with a choice of string sets: gut for a warm, traditional sound, or metal for a brighter, contemporary tone. Gut strings need regular checking and should be replaced once they begin to fray.

The Classical Kemence by Master Necati Gurbuz is built for intermediate and professional players of Turkish classical music. If you are drawn to the folk side of Anatolian bowed instruments, compare it with the kabak kemane, a gourd-bodied spike fiddle with a very different voice.

Each kemence is made by hand, so availability changes. If the instrument is not in stock when you visit, write to us and we will tell you when the next one from the workshop is expected. You can also browse all our bowed instruments or read more about the classical kemence. Worldwide shipping & 15-day return.