Posted on April 15, 2026April 20, 2026 by Dale Phillips Building the Tanbour Building the Tanbour by Nasser Shirazi Originally published in American Lutherie #120, 2014 About a thousand years ago, the great Persian philosopher Abu Nasr Farabi (873ad–950ad) dedicated a large portion of his major work on music Al Mosighi Kabeer (Great Music) to the tanbour. In this day and age, instruments similar to the tanbour are still played in different countries of the Middle East. I have based this article on an instrument that belongs to my friend Amir Nojan, a master setar player. It was made in Kurdistan, west of Iran, where the tanbour is very popular. The plan presented here is based on measurements of this instrument, whose builder is Ostad Assadollah Gahvareh, known to be one of the best in this part of the world. The sound chamber (kaseh) is most often made of a solid piece of wood. In recent times, some builders use ribs like those used to make an oud to build the sound chamber, but what we see in this article is the traditional way and it works well. I wrote more about the solid-wood method in my article on constructing the tar in AL#10. Also, I wrote about making a sound chamber of ribs in my book about constructing the setar. Both of these are also long-necked plucked Persian instruments and they share many structural features. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on March 6, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Building the Kamanché Building the Kamanché by Nasser Shirazi Originally published in American Lutherie #4, 1985 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 The word kamanché in the Persian language (Farsi) means “small bow.” This instrument, with varying shape, size, and material, is widely used in Middle Eastern countries. The kamanché described in this article is modeled after the Persian (Iranian) instrument. The kamanché is a very old instrument and possibly dates back as much as 1500–2000 years, being another form of the ancient Indian ravanstron. In 1418 A.D. Ben Abd-ul-Cadir wrote a treatise (the manuscript of which is in the University of Leyden) which shows that its existence today has changed little since that time. A 16th-century Iranian miniature painting in the Khamza of the poet Nizami shows a kamanché very similar to the one described below. Various early European travelers to Iran have described it also. Among these are Sir W. Ouseley in 1819,1 and Sir Percy M. Sykes.2 Sykes describes a kamanché in Khorasan, an eastern province of Iran, as follows: “...made of walnut wood. The total length is 37", with fingerboard 9" in length. The instrument is handled like a violoncello; but in shape resembles a mandolin with a long spike of worked iron. The belly is constructed from a pumpkin covered with parchment and mounted with stripes of bone radiating from a turquoise. The neck is pierced on each side with three holes, and with a hollow at the back, 3" in length; there are three wire strings and six pegs, three of which are dummies. The bow resembles our double-bass bows and is 22" in length; it is made of gypchin wood and has a strap and a loop with which to tighten the horsehair. To complete the equipment, a bit of beeswax is tied on to serve as rosin.” Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on September 22, 2021May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Building the Tar Building the Tar by Nasser Shirazi Originally published in American Lutherie #10, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 The Tar (meaning “string” or “chord” in Farsi) is a classical Iranian stringed instrument which has two body cavities and is played by plucking the strings. The two sound chambers are covered with two separate skin membranes. The instrument’s six strings are tuned in pairs and are played with a brass plectrum inserted in a lump of beeswax. The tar is an integral part of classical Iranian music ensembles, along with the kamanché, setar, ney, santour, tomback, and oud. The soundbox is extensively made of mulberry wood, although other woods such as maple, walnut, and apricot have also been used. Use a well-seasoned wood with no knots, checks, or other wood defects known to luthiers. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
