15 Jan 2001
Tom Grove stopped by to talk about a possible Watson having to do with traveling the Silk Road between Syria and China. We eventually got around to music, and it turns out he may be not uninterested in the Long Lutes project that I've been incubating for at least 12 years, probably longer...

21 May
 Bengi Baglama Uclusu
 Tanbur (Guitar)

Encyclopedia Britannica:

Bouzouki: also spelled buzuki, long-necked string instrument of Greece, introduced by the Turks and closely related to the tanbur, a lute of Afghanistan. Resembling a mandolin, the bouzouki is fretted, with metal strings arranged in three or four double courses. The bouzouki is traditionally used for dancing and entertainment at social gatherings, although the music is usually nostalgic or melancholy.

Tanbur: also spelled TAMBUR, long-necked lute played under various names from the Balkans to northwestern Asia. Closely resembling the ancient Greek pandoura and the long lutes of ancient Egypt and Babylon, it has a deep, pear-shaped body; a fretted neck; and 2 to 10 double courses of metal strings fastened with front and side tuning pegs without a pegbox. The tanbur has remained popular since medieval times. Its derivatives include the Greek buzuki, the Romanian tamburitza, and the Indian sitar and tambura.

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