Strings

Here are the string instruments that Todd Green performs and records with:
* ^{= Recommended listening}

--All instruments can be entered into www.youtube.com to see video performances by musicians from around the world--

Barikoto

This is the latest collaboration/creation with luthier Fred Carlson, which is the culmination of an idea I had to combine a nylon-string baritone guitar neck (tuned low to high B, E, A, D, b, e) with a small Chinese Gu Zheng-type section with 11 strings. With the special tuners that Fred designed (photo on L), each string has a tuning range, on either side of the bridge, of about a minor 3rd. The strings can be bent in a Gu Zheng-like style by pushing on the string behind the tuner or on the opposite side of the bridge of the string plucked. The instrument has Brazilian Rosewood sides and back and a cedar top. The blend of the baritone range and the Gu Zheng strings is just magnificent! Another unique feature is the low profile, L-shaped capos (middle photo) that utilize a hole at the intersection of almost every string and fret. The L-shaped capos are pushed in and turned, holding the string at that position. The main baritone neck has modern "friction" tuners. They look and feel like traditional friction tuners (i.e. Cello or Oud) but are actually mechanical inside (photo on R.)
* Todd Green

13-String Classical Guitar

My most recent acquisition is this 13-string classical guitar, which is a collaboration with Michael Thames of Santa Fe, NM. After hearing his “Dresden” 13-string, which is a guitar version of a lute, where a number of the strings are harp-type (no fretboard underneath),  I contacted him to build one where all the strings are fretable.  The first six strings are like a standard guitar tuning, the 7th through 13th are descending  from D, one step below the low E on a guitar, then C, B, A, G, F and E, which is one octave lower than the low E on a guitar. The last three strings are a longer scale length, as you can see. The instrument has Indian Rosewood sides and back with a Cedar top.
*Stephan Schmidt

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Michael O'Leary Classical Guitar

Magnificent sounding classical guitar built in Ireland by relative newcomer Michael O'Leary in 2006. Cedar top with beautiful Madagascar rosewood sides and back.
* Christopher Parkening, Enrique Coria, John Williams, Julian Bream, David Russell, Eduardo Falu, Rafael Arias

Richard Howell Fretless Classical Guitar

My formerly fretted "workhorse"classical guitar has now become fretless with the help of Fred Carlson. This allows me to play Middle Eastern and Indian music on a Western guitar. Indian rosewood back and sides with a cedar top.
* Perdesiz Fretless Guitar on YouTube

Spanish Baroque Guitar

This guitar was a bridge between the lute, a direct descendent of the Middle Eastern Oud, which wound up in Spain during the Andalusian period (from 711 to 1492) and the modern classical guitar. Much smaller than the modern guitar, it has 5 double courses, with the high string generally being left single. One of the more popular tunings, which I use, is high to low: e, bb, GG, Dd, aa. This tuning is similar to the first five strings of a modern guitar, but the a's are one octave higher. The design in the sound hole is handmade. The top is spruce and the sides and back are maple. It has tied-on frets similar to many instruments in the Middle East and Central Asia.formerly fretted "workhorse"classical guitar has now become fretless with the help of Fred Carlson. This allows me to play Middle Eastern and Indian music on a Western guitar. Indian rosewood back and sides with a cedar top.
* Xavier Diaz-Latorre, Rob MacKillop, Marco Meloni

9-String Semi-Fretless Guitar

The original design for the 10-string came from Narciso Yepes in the early 60's in collaboration with the renowned guitar maker Jose Ramirez. My instrument has been modified to be fretless on the top 6 strings, which are tuned in a normal guitar tuning. I have removed the 7th string and the 3 lowest strings are still fretted. I had a standard capo modified (see close-up photo) so I am able to capo the 3 bass strings to play in any key. The open tuning on these strings has been E and A one octave below the 6th and 5th string and B, but I will change these as needed. This instrument has a spruce top and Indian rosewood sides and back.








Oud (Middle East)

The Oud is the most popular string instrument throughout the Middle East and North Africa. It is a short-necked, fretless instrument, which was brought back to Europe by the crusaders, where it influenced the development of the lute, which is the predecessor of the classical guitar. This instrument was originally called "Al-Oud" (which means "the wood"), a phrase that evolved into "Lute" in Europe and "Oud" or "Ud" in the Arab world. The earliest known Oud was discovered in a tomb from the reign of Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt, approx. 1500 B.C. Turkish Ouds (left side of photo) have a somewhat shallower body than Syrian and Egyptian Ouds (right side of photo.) The body is made of strips of hardwood, such as rosewood, walnut, maple and mahogany, usually in two contrasting colors. The peghead angles sharply back from the plane of the
neck and has ebony friction tuners. All Ouds have ivory filigree over the soundhole and the Arabic Ouds also have elaborate mother-of-pearl inlay (see close-up.) There are eleven strings, arranged in five double courses, with a single bass string. The standard Turkish/Armenian tuning is low to high: E, AA, BB, ee, aa, dd. The Arabic tuning is a minor third lower. The top four strings are generally tuned this way, but the two lowest strings can be changed, according to the "makam" (the scale or mode) that is being played. Traditionally, the strings were plucked with an eagle quill, known as a "mizrap". Today, most players use plastic plectrums.
* Hamza El Din, Hossein Behroozi-Nia, Munir Nurettin Beken, Munir Bachir, Simon Shaheen, Rahim Alhaj

Saz or Baglama (Middle East)

A popular, long-necked lute, played throughout Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. This is a seven-string instrument, divided into three courses, tuned, from low to high, Gg, Dd, Aaa. Like many Middle-Eastern string instruments, the Saz also has tied-on nylon frets. Unlike most plucked string instruments, the sound-hole is on the bottom instead of the top of the body.
* Kord Bayat, Talip Ozkan, Erdal Erzincan

Tanbur (Turkey)

The name Tanbur is a generic term used for many different types of plucked instruments throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. This one from Turkey was the main plucked instrument used in the classical music of the Ottoman Empire. The back is made of thin wooden ribs, the top of very thin spruce without interior bracing. As you can see, the very long, thin neck has many more frets on it than a Western guitar. This enables the musician to play the quartertones needed in Turkish makams. The strings are steel and brass and configured in different groupings, usually double-coursed. Though the one I play has eight tuners I have it strung with only six strings, (tuned low to high Aa, ee, aa.) Usually all the melodies are played on the first course, with the rest only occasionally strummed to give the listener a sense of the key center. The Yayli Tanbur, which can be bowed or plucked, is a fairly modern rendition of this classic Tanbur, which is plucked only.
* Necdet Yasar

Yayli Tanbur (Turkey)

Long-necked, bowed string instrument with six strings divided into three courses, tuned DD, AA, dd. The bridge rests on a skin head like on a Western banjo. Most of the melody is played on the high course of strings. This instrument is sometimes refered to as a bass banjo because of the low pitch of the strings. The neck has tied-on nylon frets, which are spaced for Middle-Eastern scales, which include quarter-tones. It is also possible to pluck the strings.
* Ali Jihad Racy, Fahrettin Cimenli, Mesut Demir

Tar (Iran)

The tar is the king of the plucked-string instruments in Iran. Like a lot of Iran's instruments, variations from this instrument are played throughout Central Asia. The body is carved out of a mulberry tree. The long neck is fitted with camel bone and has six strings in pairs, usually tuned Root, fifth, root. The bridge rests on a skin top which give the tar its characteristic sonority. The frets are nylon and tied on. They can be adjusted to get the notes used in Persian music between the notes in the western scale.
* Mohammad Reza Lotfi, Amir Koushkani, Hamid Montebassem

Setar (Iran)

The Setar (center of photo) is a small lute with a long neck. It has four metal strings. It has been mentioned in literature and poetry since the 12th Century. Like the tar, the setar has tied on frets made of nylon (see close-up.) It is plucked with the index finger and used extensively by Sufi mystics in Iran.
* Mohammad Reza Lotfi, Shahram Nazeri

Kamenchech (Iran)

This popular spiked fiddle is played throughout the Middle East. Similar instruments called Rabab in Egypt and Turkey and Ghijak in Central Asia are used in their classical and vocal musics. The four metal strings on the Persian instrument (left side of photo) can be tuned like a western violin G, D, A, E, or root, fifth, root, fifth or root, fourth, root, fourth. It is held upright, resting on the player's left thigh, and the horse hair bow is made more or less taut by the players' fingers in order to heighten the sensitivity of touch in the course of playing. The instrument is turned on the pivot to access the strings while the bow is held in the same position. The bridge rests on a skin top (see close-up.)
* Kayhan Kalhor, Asghar Bahari, Sa'id Farajpuri

Fasil Kemenche (Turkey)

This three-stringed traditional violin (right side of photo) is used in the classical and Sufi religious music of Turkey. It is held upright on the lap and played with a bow. Like the Indian Sarangi, the left hand fingers don't press directly on the strings, but touch the string on the side with the fleshy part of the finger between the nail and the first joint.
* Tanburi Cemil Bey, Necdet Yasar Ensemble

Santur (Iran)

The Persian Santur is the original Santur. It is a three-octave dulcimer with 72 strings arranged in 4-string courses. It is played with very thin, wooden hammers with felt on the ends. It can be made out of various kinds of wood depending on the desired sound quality. Both instruments have adjustable bridges, allowing you to play three octaves on the Persian one. Though the Santur originated in Persia, it has universal appeal. The Greeks have a similar instrument called a Santoori; the Chinese have the Yang Chin; the Hungarians have the Cymbalon; and the Germans have the Hackbrett.

 

Sarangi (India)

For many centuries, the Sarangi has been the premier bowed instrument of India. It is held upright on the lap and bowed with the palm facing up. Instead of pressing the strings with the top of the fingers of left hand, the player presses the sides of the strings with the cuticle (see close-up.)  In earlier times, its primary role was to accompany classical vocal music, because of its voice-like quality. Today, it has been accepted as a solo instrument as well. There are three main playing strings tuned tonic (Sa), fifth (Pa) and tonic (sa). In addition, there are 30 to 40 resonating strings (see close-up.) All these strings pass through the bridge, which rests on a skin head. Some of these are tuned to the rag (scale) and some are chromatic. These tuners are at the top and along the side of the body.
* Ram Narayan, Sultan Khan, Ramesh Misra, Dhruba Ghosh

 

 

Santoor (India)

The Indian Santoor (29A), from the northern state of Kashmir, for centuries was an accompaniment to vocalists. Originally it was called a "Shata Tantri Veena," or the 100 string lute. The Santoor pictured has 93 strings arranged in 3-string courses. A standard Indian tuning has the Sa (or tonic) as the lowest note. The first octave is tuned to the Raga to be played. The rest of the strings are tuned chromatically. It is played with two relatively thick, wooden hammers.

 

 

Tamburas or Tanpuras (India)

In traditional Indian music, the tamburas provide the drone, which delineates the key in which the solo instruments perform. The traditional tamburas come in two sizes, called the male (left side of photo) and the female (right side of photo.) They each cover a different range of keys in octave. These instruments can have four to six strings and are usually tuned to the tonic (Sa) and the fifth (Pa) of the raga (scale) being played. The large tuners at the top are for basic tuning. There are fine tuners at the bottom for more precise tuning (see close-up.) Sometimes, small pieces of thread are placed between the string and the bridge for more sustain and "buzzy" quality to the sound. These traditional tamburas are huge and delicate instruments, which are difficult to travel with. There are smaller versions, the Instrumental Tambura (left side of bottom photo) and the portable Vocal Tambura (right side of bottom picture.)
* Any traditional classical Indian music

Rubab (Afghanistan / Pakistan / Iran)

An instrument from the lute family, played mostly in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is a beautiful instrument, carved out of a single piece of mulberry wood. Originally from the Kabul-Ghazni region of Afghanistan, it is regarded as the predecessor of the Indian Sarod. The neck and upper body are hollow and covered with a thin piece of wood. The lower body is covered with skin. The three main playing strings are usually tuned a fourth apart. Though the key of a concert Rubab is usually D, the strings are tuned, low to high, C#, F# and B. In addition, there are 12 to 16 wire sympathetic strings, which are tuned to the scale the raga is in. The lowest and highest of these are on the same plane as the main plucked strings for rhythmic accents. It also has just three tied-on frets and the rest of the fingerboard is fretless. There are three sizes of Rubabs. The two in the picture are the middle and large concert size.
* Ustad Mohammar Omar, Homayun Sakhi, Aziz Herawi

Komuz (Kyrgyzstan / Uzbekistan)

The Komuz (short neck in left photo) is the main instrument of Kyrgyz. It is a three-string fretless lute, usually made of apricot wood. It involves many playing techniques, mainly with the right hand including plucking, strumming and striking the string in various rhythmic patters with very stylized hand and arm gestures. The strings are generally all the same gauge but are tuned a, E, a.
* Nurak Abdrakhmanov, Namazbek Uraliev

Dotar (Uzbekistan)

The Dotar (long neck in left photo) is popular throughout Central Asia and can be fretless or have tied-on frets like this one. It is also called Tambur or Dombra. Dotar is Persian for "two strings". They are tuned to the tonic and fifth. Traditionally, the body is made of mulberry wood and the neck of apricot wood.
* Abdorahim Hamidov

Sato (Uzbekistan)

A long-neck lute from Central Asia played mainly in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the Sato is made from hollowed-out mulberry wood with beautiful inlay on the side, neck and top. As with all string instruments of Central Asia and the Middle East, the Sato has tied-on frets. The sound holes are a few drilled holes in a geometrical design. It can be plucked or bowed. .

Kashgar Rabab (Western China)

This beautiful, unusual-looking instrument (to the left in photo) from Xinjiang, China is played by the Uyghur ("wee-ger") people who are related to the Turks. Named for the main town where it is found, the Kashgar Rabab is carved from one piece of mulberry wood, in a f half coconut shape, with two horn-like extensions at both sides at the base of the neck. The front is covered with a thick skin, often python. The frets are tied-on nylon with metal strings. The instrument, when played, is supported by the right forearm as it is strummed and plucked, similar to the way the Azerbaijan Tar is played in the Middle East.

Dolan Rawap (Western China)

Similar in appearance to the Kashgar Rabab, this instrument comes from the neighboring Dolan people. Rawap is the Chinese spelling/pronunciation for Rabab.
Carved from a single piece of mulberry wood, hollowed out, with two straight extensions, the body is covered with a thick skin. Highly decorated with inlay, it has a neck just as long, but wider than the Kashgar Rabab. This instrument can have metal or nylon strings. The one I play has two upper nylon strings and a cello string for the lowest string. There are ten extra strings that run over the same bridge which allows them to resonate as you play. They can also be strummed.

Pipa (China)

A string instrument from the lute family, dating back over 2000 years. The Pipa has a unique pear shape, with four large friction tuners. The four silk strings are tuned, low to high, A, D, E, a. There are bamboo frets glued to the belly of the lute. The traditional playing technique includes very fast tremolos, using all of the right hand fingers in succession. The higher quality Pipas have very ornate, hand-carved ivory head-stocks, on this instrument, a dragon (see close-up.)
* Wu Man, Tang Liangxing, He Shu-Feng

 

 

 

Er-Hu (China)

This is the most widely used bowed instrument in China. It became popular in the Sung dynasty, approx. 1,000 years ago. This instrument only has two playing strings that are suspended above the body. The bow goes between the strings and requires both sides of the hair to be rosined. The sound box is covered with snake skin (see close-up), which gives the instrument its distinctive tone. The more yellowish-beige pigment there is in the skin, the younger the snake was and the better the tone is considered to be. 
* Zhu Changyau, Liu Ying

 

 

Matouqin (Mongolia)

The Matouqin ("ma-toe-chin") is a two-string bowed instrument in the range of the Western cello. Traditionally a lot of the instrument was made from different body parts of a horse, including horsehair from the tail for the strings. The modern-day instrument is made of wood with bunches of thin nylon strands making up the strings. string instrument from the lute family, dating back over 2000 years. The Pipa has a unique pear shape, with four large friction tuners. The four silk strings are tuned, low to high, A, D, E, a. There are bamboo frets glued to the belly of the lute. The traditional playing technique includes very fast tremolos, using all of the right hand fingers in succession. The higher quality Pipas have very ornate, hand-carved ivory head-stocks, on this instrument, a dragon (see close-up.)
* Qinggele, Darima

 

Gu Zheng (China)

This beautiful instrument is made from a rare wood in China called zitan (gee-tan) with jade decorative flowers. This is the original Asian zither influencing similar instruments in Japan, Korea and Vietnam. The strings are plucked on the short side of the bridges. You can bend the notes by pushing on the left side of the strings. It is usually tuned to a pentatonic scale.
* Angela Jui Lee

 

 

 

 

Gu Qin (China)

The Gu Qin ("chin") is an ancient Chinese instrument renowned for its subtle, tranquil and deep qualities. It has seven strings which are plucked with the right hand as the left hand slides in and out of the melody notes. The entire top is the fingerboard with white position markers called huis ("ways".)

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