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I'm at the beginning of a commission for a Bulgarian instrument called a Tambura. I'll show it as I build it, this will be fun. This is especially interesting to me now because I have been reading about Bela Bartok collecting folk music from Eastern Europe in the early twentieth century.
A few pictures now and I'll update it as I carve more, the form will be revealed.
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RE: Building a Bulgarian Tambura (in reply to estebanana)
The body is made of planks of Cherry glued together. The neck is integral to the body.
This instrument has four double courses of steel strings, and a solid carved out body with a spruce top. More later...I'll answer any questions if I can.
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Posts: 3497
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Building a Bulgarian Tambura (in reply to estebanana)
Stephen,
I will be interested in following your progress in building the Bulgarian tambura. Many years ago (1974-1976) I was posted to the American Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria as a young Foreign Service Officer. It was my first assignment after entering the U.S. Foreign Service, and to make matters more interesting, it was at the height of the Cold War, with a hard-line, totalitarian communist government in charge and Todor Zhivkov at its head. The American, British, West German, French, and other Western diplomatic missions were deliberately kept isolated from the Bulgarian people by their own government. We dare not have casually approached ordinary Bulgarian citizens, since to have done so would have put them in danger of the "midnight knock on the door" from the Bulgarian secret police. All inter-action with Bulgarians had to be carefully choreographed. If you have ever read the British espionage novelist Eric Ambler, particularly his book "Judgment on Deltchev," you will have a good idea of how it was.
Your order to build a tambura revived pleasant memories of the instrument and Bulgarian music. Although the communist government of Bulgaria discouraged any experimental music, opera, theater, and other arts, it did underwrite traditional culture. I particularly remember a visit to the town of Koprivshtitsa, located due east of Sofia, in which there were well-preserved, traditional Bulgarian houses and buildings, as well as musicians. I remember sitting for a couple of hours in a traditional cafe, drinking good Bulgarian Cabernet Sauvignon (which was very good indeed!), and listening to a Bulgarian group play traditional music in which the tambura played the main role. Very good music, and for a moment one could forget that one was living in what amounted to a prison for most Bulgarians. Of course, all that has changed now. I hope, though, that there are still musical groups playing the tambura, and that Bulgarian society has not been overtaken by "rap" and "hip hop."
Cheers,
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
RE: Building a Bulgarian Tambura (in reply to estebanana)
I did not have the faintest idea how to officially brace a Tulgarian Lute so I pulled this out of my head: It's little bit mando, a little bit flamenco, and a bit of who knows what....hope it works!
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RE: Building a Bulgarian Tambura (in reply to estebanana)
Dude! To start off with a body of planks and then start carving and shaping to end up with that is true art my friend. It's looking good. Can't wait to see the end result. I'm not familiar with this instrument but I love "ethnic" instruments. Right now I'm digging the Portuguese guitar. May attempt to build one later on down the line. Excellent work.
RE: Building a Bulgarian Tambura (in reply to estebanana)
Wow that looks beautiful Estebananov. Back in ancient history (not quite as ancient as Bill's) I played one for a school year in two groups, one Bulgarian and the other Macedonian. The instrument I had was a standard Bulgarian factory job and not nearly as nice as yours.
Here's what they sound like in one typical context - playing melodically, the principle is like Appalachian dulcimer, playing the melody by running up and down the top string, with the others as drones:
The gent on the gaida (bagpipes) in this clip was our artist-in-residence for that year, it was a real treat playing with him. At 1:06 they get out the tamburas to accompany a song with the typical harmonies of what has become the modern 'tradition'.
In the faster dance-band pieces it's just a matter of bashing out the rhythm - what the guy with the mandolin is doing here. Apart from the fact that he should be playing a tambura - and didn't know he could get one from you - , they do a good job:
RE: Building a Bulgarian Tambura (in reply to estebanana)
Its a very interesting build. And a great change from building all those guitars.
I want strange commissions to. I would like to build and own one of each in the mandolin family. And I will start building a violin very soon. I need one.
Estevan. Great videos there. Thanks. I really like that bagpipe singing video.
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, they do a good job: 
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