The kamancheh is a bowed string instrument from Iran. It is used in Persian, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Kurdish, Georgian, Turkmen, and Uzbek music. Small differences in how the instrument is built exist in each of these traditions.

The kamancheh is connected to the rebab, which is an older version of the kamancheh and also related to the bowed Byzantine lyra. The instrument's strings are played using a bow that can change tension.

In 2017, the skill of making and playing the kamancheh was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists of Iran and Azerbaijan.

Name and etymology

The word "kamancheh" means "little bow" in Persian. In Persian, "kæman" means "bow," and "-cheh" means "small." The Turkish word "kemençe" comes from Persian, but the way it is pronounced has changed to fit Turkish sounds.

The word also refers to a bowed string instrument. However, the Turkish version of this instrument is different in how it is built and how it sounds compared to the Persian kamancheh.

There is another instrument called "kabak kemane," which means "pumpkin-shaped bow instrument" in Turkish. It is used in Turkish music and is only slightly different from the Iranian kamancheh.

Structure

The kamancheh has a long neck with a fingerboard. The maker shapes the neck like a cone that is cut off at the top to allow the bow to move easily. The pegbox has four pegs on both sides, and a finial is attached at the top.

Traditionally, kamanchehs had three strings made of silk. However, modern versions use four metal strings.

Some kamanchehs have beautifully decorated inlays and tuning pegs made of ivory with detailed carvings.

The body has a long upper neck and a lower part shaped like a bowl. This part is made from a gourd or wood and is covered with a membrane made from the skin of a lamb, goat, or sometimes a fish. The bridge is placed on this membrane.

A spike extends from the bottom of the instrument to support it while being played. This feature is why the kamancheh is sometimes called a spiked fiddle in English.

The instrument is played while sitting, held like a cello. It is about the same length as a viola. The end-pin can rest on the player’s knee or thigh when seated.

The kamancheh is usually tuned to the same notes as a violin: G, D, A, and E.

• Kamancha in an Armenian miniature, XVI or XVII century.
• Qajar Iran miniature of a woman playing the kamancheh.
• A woman playing the kamancheh. Detail from a wall painting showing Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar surrounded by musicians and dancers. Painted by Abuʾl-Qasim, dated 1816.
• Woman playing kamancheh, ca. 1820.
• The Armenian ashugh Sayat-Nova playing a kamancheh, ca. 1964.
• Azerbaijani kamancheh player Malik Mansurov.
• Kayhan Kalhor performance in Vahdat Hall, Tehran, 2016.
• Kamancheh player, Kermanshah, Iran, 2008.
• Kamancha player, Yerevan.

Notable kamancheh players

• Habil Aliyev
• Mehdi Bagheri
• Ali-Asghar Bahari
• Mark Eliyahu
• Kayhan Kalhor
• Ardeshir Kamkar
• Kourosh Babaei
• Sayat-Nova
• Mostafa Taleb
• Yaara Beeri
• Mehrnam Rastegari