The Art of Crafting and Playing with Kamâncheh

Kamâncheh which can be found from the Middle East to the Balkans and to Central Asia originated in the 15th century in Iran, now equipped with four metal strings, and originally had 3 silk strings. Kamâncheh is the only bowed string instrument in traditional Iranian music.

Its smooth tone lends itself equally well to solo use as well as ensemble use. It is a major component of classical and traditional music and is played at a large number of social and cultural gatherings. It is the only bowed string instrument of Persian and Kurdish classical music, as for the Lorestan model, it is used in folkloric music.

Its dimensions are 58 to 90 cm in length and it is made up of three assembled elements: *the handle, cylindrical, on which is plated a smooth bone fingerboard *the resonance box, spherical, in mulberry wood covered with a thin animal membrane *the metal spike, stuck at the base of the handle, which crosses the body and on which are fixed, thanks to a pin, three melodic strings: two in steel and one in brass.

Kamâncheh is held vertically, the spike resting on the thigh or on the ground. The musician rotates the neck and the plane of the strings in front of the bow – the reverse of the playing technique adopted for the violin.

This instrument is registered on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.