How to restring a cura saz
The cura is the smallest member of the bağlama family. The Turkish Ministry of Education's luthier course (MEB/MEGEP) gives it a 56 cm scale, 48 cm on the tambura curası, with three double courses of plain steel string. There are no ball ends and no tuning machines: each string is locked at the tailpiece with a small inverted V and wound on a wooden friction peg.
Cura saz bozuk tuning, course by course
Bottom course in A4, at A 440 Hz, from the top course (3, üst) to the bottom (1, alt); each course is a unison pair.
| String | Note | Hz |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | G4 | 392.00 |
| 2 | D4 | 293.66 |
| 1 | A4 | 440.00 |
Beydüz, Y. Z. (1998), Bağlamada Boyut Farklılıklarının İcrada Yarattığı Sorunlar ve Çözümleri, İTÜ
How to use it
- Open the Cura saz guide and tick each step; your progress is saved on this device.
- When every step is ticked, the page scrolls to the tuner. Choose your bozuk pitch, from bottom A4 to bottom D5 on a small cura.
- Pluck one string at a time and turn its peg until the needle centers. Start over clears the list.
Help and explanations
The steps below follow the method in the MEB course for the bağlama family. At the end, the tuner checks the usual bozuk tuning, from the top course down: G4 (392.00 Hz), D4 (293.66 Hz) and A4 (440.00 Hz).
Strings for a cura
A cura uses only plain steel, in pairs, usually without the wound bam string of the long-neck bağlama. The MEB tables give a cura set of 0.18 to 0.25 mm on a 56 cm scale. A long-neck set is cut and gauged for an 88 cm scale, tuned an octave lower; on a cura its strings would be too heavy, so buy a set labeled for cura.
The MEB course recommends changing the whole set rather than one or two strings, and taking the strings straight from a ready-made set or a coil with 15 to 20 cm to spare.
Course names and order
Turkish players name the courses by position as you hold the instrument: üst (top), orta (middle) and alt (bottom). In bozuk tuning the top course is the lowest note, G4, the middle D4 and the bottom, which carries most of the melody, A4. The MEB method strings and tunes from the bottom up: alt, then orta, then üst.
Tips
- Check the pairs in unison at several frets (perde), not only open: a twisted string shows up higher on the neck.
- For the final tuning, the strobe tuner shows deviations of a tenth of a cent.
- Tuning the whole cura a step higher or lower? Use the tunings in the cura saz tuner.
Frequently asked questions
How do you string a cura saz?
Pass each string through its hole in the tailpiece, bend the last 1 cm into an inverted V and push it back in so tension locks it. Wind 4 to 5 turns on the wooden peg, from the top down, and work from the bottom course up.
What strings does a cura saz use?
Plain steel in three pairs, with no wound string. The MEB tables list 0.18 to 0.25 mm for a 56 cm cura. Long-neck bağlama sets are too heavy for it.
How is a cura saz tuned?
In the common bozuk tuning, top course G4 (392.00 Hz), middle D4 (293.66 Hz) and bottom A4 (440.00 Hz). Many players move the whole tuning up to bottom B4, C5 or D5 on smaller curas.
Why does my saz string slip at the tailpiece?
The inverted V didn't lock. Thin steel slips most: for strings of 0.15 to 0.25 mm, pass the string through the hole twice before you bend the V, as the MEB course advises.
Which way do saz pegs turn?
The MEB method winds from the top of the peg down, turning counterclockwise to tighten, so the string leaves the peg at least 5 mm above the pegbox.