Turkish Folk Music

Turkey sits at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. As a result the music traditions have absorbed influences from far and wide. Historical connections to Persia and Arabia left their mark on Turkish music, and more recently Europe made contributions that can be seen in the polyphony of some Turkish styles. In addition, the music of the Roma, also known as the Gypsies, has had a huge effect on the music of Turkey. All of this makes for a collection of very interesting styles, instruments, and sounds.

Folk Songs

In Turkey, folk songs are sung at many different functions and social occasions. Many folk songs have been in the repertoire for hundreds of years and as a result are found throughout the country. Though not folk music by definition, many folk musicians compose new "folk" songs that retain the feel of the tradition. Like Turkish classical music and Arab music styles, Turkish folk music uses scales that have microtones. Most scales are heptatonic, meaning they have seven notes, but generally four notes are dominant. For example, the kerem scale uses the following four notes: A B* C D. (The asterisk indicates that the pitch is found between B and C.)

Wind Instruments

There are many different types of aerophones, or wind instruments, found throughout Turkish folk music. Played in the south, the argul (or zurna) is a double-reed instrument with two pipes-one pipe serves as a drone. The argul is usually played with the circular breathing technique so the melody and the drone note sound continuously. The kaval is similar to the Arab nay in than it is an open-ended tube made from river reeds. Interestingly, the kaval is held at a 45-degree angle from the mouth, and the end is placed between the two front teeth. Air is blown at an angle across the top of the pipe producing a breathy tone. Many kaval musicians have a notch between their teeth from playing. A bagpipe called the tulum is found on the east coast of the Black Sea in the north of Turkey.

String Instruments

The most widespread string instrument is the baglama (also known as the saz) which is a long-necked lute with three courses, or sets, of strings-each tuned a fourth apart. The baglama has frets made of nylon or string that can be slid up and down depending on which scale the tune needs. Asik, or folk poets, often accompany their songs and poetry with a baglama. Found on the coast of the Black Sea, the kemence is an oblong-shaped bowed instrument with three strings. It is held between the knees and bowed like a cello, except the bow is held from behind. Interestingly, a kemence player usually plays two strings at a time, producing parallel fourths.

Percussion Instruments

No dance in Turkey is complete without the darbuka, the most common drum in Turkey. The darbuka is identical to the goblet-shaped drums found throughout the Middle East and the Balkans. The davul is a double-headed drum held by a rope in front of the musician. The davul can produce two tones: the left side plays the main beats with a large stick while the right plays off-beat subdivisions with a thin stick on the right. The davul is often paired with the zurna to accompany dance at celebrations, weddings, or festivals. With the high, shrill tone of the zurna playing the melody and the davul pounding the rhythm, the music keeps the dancers feet moving.

Odd Rhythms

Like many Eastern European and Balkan musics such as Greek and Bulgarian, Turkish folk music uses many additive meters, particularly for dancing. Meters such as 9/8 with the nine beats subdivided 2+2+2+3 are very common. These rhythms are called aksak by the Turks, which literally means "limping" or "slumping." This is likely because the measure ends with a slightly longer beat, necessitating a pause in the dance.

Turkish Folk Music Today

In many Turkish cities today folk music clubs called dernek or cemiyet have formed to continue the folk traditions alive in urban centers. Several musicians have come out of these clubs to become somewhat famous and have mass-produced their music which is sold throughout the country-including in the rural areas. In this way a dialogue has been kept alive between the rural and urban areas, keeping the traditions alive for generations to come.

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