Re: Cheng, bukharian hammered dulcimer

[r l reid <ro...>]

Asher, I was hoping one of the mavens would see this and have a chance to 
answer you.  Meantime, I'll tell you what little I can - 

Paul Gifford's extensive book "The Hammered Dulcimer" (Scarecrow Press, 2001)
makes scant mention of the "chang" of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan- I beleive 
that's the rough area  Bukhara is found in.  

Apparently there was a pre-Soviet version and a Soviet version.  Assuming
you have the Soviet version, they were standardized into 4 sizes and
"incorporated in 1938 into a state orchestra for playing Western pieces".

Tsimbls, cymbali, etc are notorious for thier lack of uniformity in
design, construction, and tuning.  Apparentl the chang is no exception.
Gifford  quotes 4 different sources with 4 different setups, and none of them
have any indication of tuning.

Is there any way to follow the instrument back to its source?  Your "vague
notion" of how to tune it might be as good as any.  Your best bet migh be
to try and contact Bukharan cultural organizations in Canada - I'd guess
Montreal might be as likly an area as any to find one.

There is the New York based Bukharan music group Shashmaqam - some judicious
web searching might track them down.  They might have some leads for you.

Good luck, and I hope you can find much more than I could give you!
Try following the Bukharan music thread instead of the cimbalom thread
to learn more.


keinherr freikopf wrotek
>   I recently acquired a cheng --Bukharian hammered dulcimer-- and I have 
> only a vague notion as to how to tune it. I've never played cimbalom or 
> dulcimer before. I've tried 4ths and 5ths and I understand the intervals but 
> I don't know what the appropriate pitch should be for optimal tension. There 
> are 25 sets of strings that ascend chromatically. There are two long bridges 
> and one small one at the top center that serves for the highest 5 or 6 
> strings from the left bridge. (I'm not looking at it right now and it's hard 
> to visualize) While the strings played to the right of the left bridge 
> ascend chromatically, there is a jump of one octave to these last strings 
> (on the left side of the left bridge, they still ascend by semi-tones).  I 
> have been tuning the lowest right string to F or G and taking it from there, 
> but I'm wondering if anyone has any familiarity with this instrument and 
> could offer advice. Also, does anyone know cimbalom makers or dealers in 
> Montreal or in the Mid-North Atlantic
> area?                            thanks, Asher K.

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