Regarding the tuning of the Saz Baglama, it is a matter that takes time to understand because we go according to the position on instrument , according to location on the neck.

So the position is dominant, if for example there is a certain position called DO / C then this position will always be the note DO / C even if the actual note according to a tuner will be different note. It is similar to SA in Indian music for those who know.

There are several reasons for this, also in terms of the scales, makams, but also because the saz and beglama are from a very large Saz family , which contains different types and sizes of saz, and each size and type of saz from the extended family has, in addition to the usual tuning and position, also a completely different tuning that is played on it, because this is very special for this instrument that it has a lot of different tunings. on the other hand it is the same Technique so it’s not like learning about a new instrument but like receiving a gift – a new inspiration, for example every tuning has points of strength, where what is played comes out very beautiful and full of inspiration, so if for example you take a certain song and play it on a Saz in a certain tuning and size and then you play it in a different key and in a different tuning, you see new dimensions to the song, to the key, to the music and to the playing, and the inspiration goes on and on, the most important thing in music is the inspiration and that’s how with the help of the different tunings and sizes of the same instrument (Cura , Saz Baglama) the inspiration goes on. And that’s why we call the position by its name, because that’s how we create a way to communicate between the different sizes and tunings , each different size of a saz will have a different string tension and then if we go according to the absolute sound then we’ll have to change position each time in order to reach the same sound and do transposition over and over again. And not only the tension of the strings is what changes, but also the type of special tuning that constantly changes depending on the size of the instrument and there are many different tunings even for one size – for example on a long Saz – there are many different possible tunings, it’s a bit confusing at first and different then for example a guitar or a piano player which usually have Only one tuning. The beauty of the Saz is that it is a folk instrument, We learn a lot by listening, by ear so it is not significant that we play a certain sound in a certain location with a name that may not be the same in a tuner but u

It works because when we play with other musicians on different instruments that are using notes sheets we will play by ear and we could play together with other people because we know how to listen, which is actually a gift.

After understanding the matter of the position, then a broad understanding opens up in the way we see the saz and also regarding on how we communicate between saz players and themselves in relation to the wide variety of different tunings and various sizes of the saz, this is actually a point of reference that takes into account that this instrument has a wide family and many different tunings.

Regarding the main tuning, there is an explanation on my website in the toturials and also on my YouTube channel of https://youtube.com/@BarakSazBaglama.

 

It is also very helpful and full of inspiration to learn how to improvise, also because a lot of people work by ear and also because there are many various tunings and sizes so there is a lot of inspiration for improvisation.