The Kamancha Instrument

- This instrument is known as the Kamancha.

- It belongs to the family of stringed instruments played with the help of the bow.

- It is made of walnut, berry, maple, etc. wood.

- Kamancha is generally made in three shapes and sizes.

- Wide and narrow bodies in the northern regions of Zagros and Taurus, like the areas that speak the dialects of Northern Kurmanji.

- Spheral and ball shaped bodies are generally used throughout Kurdistan. It is common among Sorani Kurds in East and South parts of Kurdistan.

- The small body and open back are known as the Lori Kamancha. Lori and Laki Kurds use it more.

- This instrument is made up of the following parts:

- Body (sound box), skin, neck, pegbox, string, bridge pins, bridge, peg, endpin, bow

- Body (sound box)

- The body of the Kamancha is made in three ways, each of which has its size and shape.

- Narrow body Kamancha and open back Kamancha, unlike the spheral body Kamancha have one piece. The sphere body Kamancha, like the body of the oud instrument, has 12 to 14 small pieces of wood in the thick part of the body formed in 3 to 3.5 mm after smoothed.

_ Skin

- Formed from the skin of young animals (calf, lamb). The skin of the Kurmanji Kamancha is thicker.

- The skin is placed on the top of the body to release sound from the instrument.

- When the strings are tuned, a lot of weight falls on the skin surface, so they should not be held too tightly to tear or loosen the skin.

- Neck, pegbox

- The length of the neck is twenty-nine to thirty-two centimeters. One end of the neck goes into the body and the other end is the pegbox.

- A metal or iron goes through the body from below the neck and comes out from under the body. The pegbox and endpin are attached to this part.

_String, bridge pins

- The strings of this instrument are three strings in the Kurmanji Kamancha and four strings in the other two types.

- The Kamancha bridge pins is as shown in the pictures.

_ Bridge

- There are two types of bridges. Made of wood or horn. The location of the strings is indicated. One is at the end of the neck at the top.

_Peg

- Pegs are made of hardwood (mostly walnut).

- One end is fixed on the bottom of the bridge pins and passes two bridges to reach the pegbox, and then the other end is rolled into the pegs.

- Each string has its peg and loosening, tightening, and holding the strings is done with the help of a peg.

Endpin:

An iron bar with one end going into the bridge pins and the other end going into a base. It is placed on the ground or the player's lap.

Bow:

- Sound is made by playing the bow on the strings of the Kamancha.

- The bow consists of the following parts:

Heel:

At the bottom of the bow, the player holds the bow with his hand.

Hair:

It is made of horsetail.

Leather belt:

The loosening and tightening of the bow is done with the help of this leather belt.

Tip:

At the top of the bow, the hair and the stick are attached.