Silk Road Instruments

qanun
[KAH noon] orig. Middle East, Caucasus

The qanun is a plucked zither with a flat trapezoid-shaped body. It has 75 strings arranged so that three strings are plucked at the same time to make each pitch. The player uses the right hand to pluck the strings with a plectrum that resembles a thimble with a metal barb on one end. The left hand manipulates a set of switches that pull the strings to change the pitch. Qanun players use these switches to create beautifully ornamented melodies that mimic the sound of the human voice.

The qanun is a classical instrument of the Arab world, widely described in both oral and written traditions. In Turkey it is called the kanun. Like other instruments of the Islamic world, including the ney [nay] and daira [DYE ra], it is played in the improvisatory musical tradition known as maqam [mah KOM].