Post by mso872 on Jul 23, 2012 1:56:27 GMT 1
Hi, I'm new to the forum. I have grown up in Fresno, CA being exposed to Armenian, Turkish, Arabic, and Greek music and love it. I've been playing music my whole life, most recently with others in a Kef-style middle eastern band. I play guitar, bass, and just started playing Oud in the past 6 months or so.
I personally have only met one Kanun player, and I've always been entranced by his playing. I love the look, style and sound of the instrument. My point of this thread is to find out if it would be feasible for me to buy a Kanun and learn how to play. If I did so, I would quit either one or two of my focuses on other instruments and dedicate most of my music-playing time to Kanun.
I know about all someone could know about playing Kanun from researching on the internet. What I want to know is this:
1. What is the minimum I should spend on a Kanun that will be respectable for a long time? I see that they range from 1200-2000 just for entry level Kanuns.
2. I play mostly Armenian and Turkish music in E and A hijaz and natural minor, and some B major and C major. Should I get an Arabic or Turkish/Armenian Kanun?
3. In playing songs in this key, how much would I really have to use mandals if I wasn't incorporating a taqsim/solo into playing the song?
4. Can anyone tell me just how difficult Kanun is to learn compared to other instruments? Or how hard it is to learn if you are already a strings player with years of experience?
5. What are other things about having and playing kanun I should know that make it difficult? How long does it take to tune and how hard is it to get the strings in the right pitch? How difficult is Kanun maintenance?
I know this is a lot of questions, but it is hard to find this info. Thank you
I personally have only met one Kanun player, and I've always been entranced by his playing. I love the look, style and sound of the instrument. My point of this thread is to find out if it would be feasible for me to buy a Kanun and learn how to play. If I did so, I would quit either one or two of my focuses on other instruments and dedicate most of my music-playing time to Kanun.
I know about all someone could know about playing Kanun from researching on the internet. What I want to know is this:
1. What is the minimum I should spend on a Kanun that will be respectable for a long time? I see that they range from 1200-2000 just for entry level Kanuns.
2. I play mostly Armenian and Turkish music in E and A hijaz and natural minor, and some B major and C major. Should I get an Arabic or Turkish/Armenian Kanun?
3. In playing songs in this key, how much would I really have to use mandals if I wasn't incorporating a taqsim/solo into playing the song?
4. Can anyone tell me just how difficult Kanun is to learn compared to other instruments? Or how hard it is to learn if you are already a strings player with years of experience?
5. What are other things about having and playing kanun I should know that make it difficult? How long does it take to tune and how hard is it to get the strings in the right pitch? How difficult is Kanun maintenance?
I know this is a lot of questions, but it is hard to find this info. Thank you