Some people call it "the piano of Turkish music", owing to the large number of frets that make it possible to create all the komas (microtones) available in makam music.

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Tanburi Cemil Bey (1873-1916) is the most significant master who also invented the bowed version of this instrument.

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Plucked with 8 strings, mostly bottom 2 strings are used. It has a very thin soundboard hollow around the bridge.

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Resonance can be generated by shaking the neck. Necdet Yaşar, Murat Aydemir, Özer Özel are among the masters.