HOI - Skoll World Forum

The Kamancha-Kemane-Kamancheh ; is the oldest instrument which utilises strings from central Asia and the Eastern hemisphere.   The name of the instrument varies in various regions due to language differences. This family of instruments has more than 3000 years of history. The fascinating and mystical sounds created are a culmination of hundreds of years of development which has presented us with the instrument we recognise today.

In its earliest form the Kamancha had one string, but due to the demand for a more enhanced experience of sound, additional strings where attached throughout the instruments lifespan and today we are presented with a five stringed instrument.

In the Anatolian region this instrument was used by the Yoruk Turkmen's and is referred to as the Kemane. Most of the Kemane from this region as produced using local gourd. The Kamancha-Kemane, is an instrument which is still to this day evolving, and although there are many different versions of it today they all are bound by a single deep rooted ancestry.

It has been used in a multitude of different cultures stretching from the Turkish, Kurdish, Azerbaijani, Persian and Armenian folk music for hundreds if not thousands of years, and continues to make appearances in an even more diverse range of musical styles and cultures.

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