Mike's Oud Forums

The Cumbus

Monty88 - 8-15-2004 at 04:02 AM

Hi everyone

I'm starting a topic on the cumbus because i don't have an oud yet, but i do have a cumbus, and it is the closest i have to an oud YET. But I am considering an turkish oud by haluk or yilmaz ipek.

Anyways, what do you guys have to say about this nifty little instrument? for those who don't know what it is, its a gypsy version of the turkish oud, with an unusual metal pot-body, plastic head and twelve metals strings. I'll attach a picture of mine so you can see what it looks like. Tuning (lo to hi): A B E A D G
Interesting sound, but most turks hate them. They consider it non traditional. But anyway, who owns these things, and what do they have to say about them? The instrument definetly does not seem to like playing a lot of ottoman classical stuff (not in my amateur hands anyway), because of its very percussive sound.

Regards,
Paddy

Zulkarnain - 8-15-2004 at 05:25 AM

Hi

Is this Cumbus a family member of a Banjo?

David Parfitt - 8-15-2004 at 01:10 PM

Hi

I have some info about the cumbus on my website:

http://website.lineone.net/~david.parfitt/cumbus.html

Best wishes

David

Cumbus

spyrosc - 8-15-2004 at 02:03 PM

I have one of those and it is an interesting sound. Kind of between oud and banjo (or even oud and boujouki).

I have it tuned the same as my oud, and the only thing to worry about is the longest distance between notes, but you get used to it in a couple of minutes and you can have fun going back and forth.

Of course, in my opinion, the soulful sound of the oud is unsurpassed, but the cumbus is louder (metal strings over a membrane) so you can be heard over other instruments without electronic pick ups.

Spyros C.

billkilpatrick - 8-15-2004 at 02:17 PM

fabulous slippers...

spyrosc - 8-15-2004 at 03:35 PM

Even better looking carpet...

Spyros C.

Greg - 8-15-2004 at 03:56 PM

A friend of mine has one of these. One of the advantages of this instrument is that the wingnuts holding the neck in place also provide infinite adjustment of the string height.

However, the best feature is the bowl itself. Once the velum is removed, it makes a perfect cooking pot for the touring musician. :D

Monty88 - 8-15-2004 at 11:33 PM

Hey guys
I just recorded a brief taxim (if you can call it that, i'm just playing whatever sounds remotely turkish oud-like) so if it's disgraceful, i understand.

The microphone i'm using is absolutely crap so it crackles a little. Anyway hopefully for those who've never heard a cumbus before, it'll give you an example.

Monty88 - 8-15-2004 at 11:34 PM

it didn't work. oh well!

Mike - 8-16-2004 at 07:33 AM

Hey Paddy,

You can email me the file, and I'll compress it a little bit. The forum has a limit on the size an attachment can be. Email it to me at mike@mikeouds.com. By the way, I made your photo a little bit smaller for easier viewing. I hope you don't mind.

Take care,
Mike

Monty88 - 8-17-2004 at 01:00 AM

yeah cheers, it was way to big anyway!
I'll send it to you, but it's pretty damn bad quality, so do what u can.

Whats your adress?

Regards,
Paddy

Monty88 - 8-17-2004 at 01:05 AM

sorry, i see it now!

i'll email the sound to u
it's real player, mp3 or whatever u call it

The cumbus

wfspark - 8-17-2004 at 05:15 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Monty88
Hi everyone

I'm starting a topic on the cumbus because i don't have an oud yet, but i do have a cumbus, and it is the closest i have to an oud YET. But I am considering an turkish oud by haluk or yilmaz ipek.

Anyways, what do you guys have to say about this nifty little instrument? for those who don't know what it is, its a gypsy version of the turkish oud, with an unusual metal pot-body, plastic head and twelve metals strings. I'll attach a picture of mine so you can see what it looks like. Tuning (lo to hi): A B E A D G
Interesting sound, but most turks hate them. They consider it non traditional. But anyway, who owns these things, and what do they have to say about them? The instrument definetly does not seem to like playing a lot of ottoman classical stuff (not in my amateur hands anyway), because of its very percussive sound.

Regards,
Paddy

Hello their. I think the cumbus is neat, but Atamen or Turkish classical music should not be played on this instrument. I think that tuning you use is also a little high, but I may be wrong. I do have an Eraydin learner oud, and If you'd like, I can send you a sound file. Email me at wfspark@hotmail.com, and if you are interested in that Eraydin oud sound, let me know.

William F. Sparks

Greg - 8-17-2004 at 07:33 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by wfspark
Hello their. I think the cumbus is neat, but Atamen or Turkish classical music should not be played on this instrument. [snip]
William F. Sparks


William,

I know little about this instrument, but I am aware that it was designed and built specifically for the purpose of playing Turkish music, including Ottoman art music.

I have a friend whose main passion in life is playing and teaching Ottoman classical music. He plays oud, ney and cumbus.

So perhaps your advice to Paddy may be a little off the mark.

Regards,

Greg

mavrothis - 8-17-2004 at 03:18 PM

Where are you getting your information William?

The cumbus is just a variation of the oud.

Here is a picture showing Bacanos, Hrant, many others at an event honoring Udi Hrant, and pictured there with them is a cumbus. Several of the musicians are titled as Cumbusi..., just like we see Udi, or Kemani, etc.

mav

cumbus samples

Monty88 - 8-18-2004 at 01:04 AM

hi guys,

for anyone who hasn't heard the cumbus, hear is a sample from 1940

old and crackly, the maker's grandson sent it to me on a cumbus compilation cd.

so here it is

David Parfitt - 8-18-2004 at 03:44 AM

Hi Monty

Is the cumbus compilation CD you mentioned available commercially?

By the way, have you seen this site:
http://www.rootsworld.com/turkey/cumbus.html

There is also a cumbus method (in Turkish) available from
http://www.goldenhorn.com
(Just search for 'cumbus' on their site!)

Best wishes

David

billkilpatrick - 8-18-2004 at 04:36 AM

as a connecticut yankee whose love of music began with american folk songs, i'm finding it hard to credit this much interest in a perfectly ordinary, fretless banjo.

ok...it has an extra string or two but she'll be coming 'round the mountain on the orange blossom special with ol' dan tucker, regardless.

grumpily yours - bill

mavrothis - 8-18-2004 at 07:10 AM

That's a great clip Paddy, thanks!

mav

Reputable cumbus

wfspark - 8-20-2004 at 06:33 AM

Hello all. Does anyone know where I can get a reputable cumbus? I was looking at some web sites such as Mid-east MFG and other ethnic music shops, but they don't seem to have a lot of reputable information on this instrument. I like the sound of the instrument, but for me, they are hard to find. Any help would be great. By the way, I'll never trust those ethnic sights again for information on such sacred musical instruments. That's where I got my information on my previous posts.

William F. Sparks

David Parfitt - 8-20-2004 at 01:32 PM

Hi William

Maybe Haluk could help you out with this?

Best wishes

David

Haluk - 8-20-2004 at 07:37 PM

I couldn't help you.I am not selling cumbus.There is not any cumbus on the chorus of TRT ,(Turkish Radio and Television).You can listen it on some wedding ceremonies.

Regards.

tunings for cumbus

Monty88 - 8-25-2004 at 02:34 AM

hi spyros
what tuning do you use on your cumbus? do you have any clips of you playing?
i still haven't settled on my standard tuning for cumbus. sometimes for certain pieces, i need the four basic turkish tuning notes, B E A D and for some i need the arabic step down, A D G C.

What do you do for strings? sometimes i tune it to the lower armenian variety, but the strings seem to slack.

Regards,
Paddy

Tuning etc

spyrosc - 8-25-2004 at 01:07 PM

Dear Paddy,

I use the same tuning as my ouds so that I don't have to re-adjust all the time. I use two tunings for my ouds, for the Arabic I use DGADGC and for my Turkish I take everything up so I end up with the familiar BEAD. So I'm sorry I didn't give you anything new.

I find strings at Lark in the Morning (San Francisco).

I don't use the Armenian tuning.

I don't have any decent equipment to record myself. Besides I don't think you want to hear ME !

Good luck
Spyros C.