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Home > Saz Strings
Saz Strings
Persian and Turkish term meaning 'musical instrument,' used in the past for many types of instrument. In Iran, the Caucasus and the Muslim traditions of southeast Europe and Asia Minor, the term 'saz' is now used to designate a long-necked fretted lute of the Tanbur family. In Iran and the Caucasus the saz is possibly a descendant of the jufti-saz ('double saz,' a three-string lute). Its pear-shaped resonator is carved from a single piece of wood, or fitted together from wooden staves. It has a thin wooden soundboard with small soundholes. Openings are also carved in the sides of the body. The neck of the saz is straight with 10 to 14 gut frets arranged to produce an incomplete chromatic scale. It ends in a pegbox holding wooden pegs. The instrument is often ornamented with mother-of-pearl. Most instruments have eight to ten metal strings in double or triple courses. A typical tuning is d'/d'/d'-g/g-c'/c'/c'. The first two courses are stopped, the third is played open, providing a drone. Courtesy of New Grove DMI © 1995
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