Baglama Tunings and Playing Styles

Ancient Sound of Anatolia: the Baglama
Baglama. If a single instrument were to represent Turkish folk music it would have to be the baglama. There is no region, no village in Anatolia which is not familiar with this string instrument...

Baglamas are tuned differently in every part of Turkey, and the structure of the folk song to be played and the strokes of the plectrum affect the tuning system.

The baglama can be played either with or without a plectrum, in the latter case by striking the strings with the fingers in the method known as selpe. Selpe has several regional variations. For example among the Turkmen communities of the Aegean, musicians bang the body of the baglama, while among the Alevis they strike with less force.