The cura () is a plucked string folk instrument from Turkey. It is the smallest and highest pitched member of the

bağlama The ''bağlama'' or ''saz'' is a family of plucked string instruments, long-necked lutes used in Ottoman classical music, Turkish folk music, Turkish Arabesque music, Azerbaijani music, Kurdish music, Armenian music and in parts of Syria, Iraq ...

family of instruments. It is found in nearly every region of the country with varying exact dimensions, tunings, playing techniques, and names including ''dede sazi, parmak cura, üç telli cura, baglama curasi, and tanbura curasi''. The two other members of the bağlama family are the larger tambura and the largest divan sazi, which are one and two octaves lower than the cura, respectively. The instrument has three main parts, the bowl (''tekne''), the sound board (''göğüs''), and the neck (''sap''). The bowl is made from mulberry wood, juniper, beech, spruce, or walnut, the sound board made of spruce, and the neck is made of beech or juniper. The tuning pegs (''burgu'' literally screw). Frets are tied to the neck with fishing line, which allows them to be adjusted. The cura is usually played with a ''mızrap'' or ''tezene'', a

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...

made from cherrywood bark or plastic, but in some regions, it is played with the fingers in a style known as ''Şelpe'' or ''Şerpe''. The two-stringed Kozağaç Cura, known as “Two-stringed” in Teke Region, varies in terms of structural and instrumental features.

References

{{Reflist Turkish folk music instruments String instruments Turkish inventions Turkish words and phrases

See also

References