Hear tanbur sheet music played back
Musaica is a free online sheet music reader with a tanbur voice. Upload a PDF or photo of a piece, choose Tanbur, and the recognised score plays back on a sampled long-necked lute rendered from a SoundFont, with a cursor following each note. The voice suits the Turkish tanbur and is a reasonable stand-in for related long-necked lutes from Kurdish, Persian and Central Asian traditions that share the name.
About quarter-tones and komas. Musaica plays standard 12-tone equal-tempered pitches. The recognition engine generally does not read maqam or makam accidentals such as the half-flat or the Turkish koma signs: they are usually dropped or read as an ordinary flat, sharp or natural. Playback then gives you the nearest standard pitch, so microtonal notes have to be placed by ear, from recordings or with your teacher.
About the tanbur and its notation
The Turkish tanbur has a small round body and a very long neck with dozens of tied frets, placed to give the intervals of the makam system rather than the twelve equal semitones of a guitar. It is plucked with a long plectrum, the tezene, and its sustained, singing tone makes it one of the central instruments of Ottoman and Turkish classical music.
Tanbur music is usually written in Turkish makam notation in the treble clef. In this system the written pitch is a convention: the instrument commonly sounds lower than written, and the exact pitch level depends on the ahenk the player uses. The notation also uses special accidentals for koma-sized steps, which the recognition engine generally does not read.
Musaica plays the written pitch at standard concert pitch, so playback will usually sound at a different pitch level from your tanbur. The melody, rhythm and form are the same, and those are what playback is best for.
| On the page | What Musaica does |
|---|---|
| Notes, rhythms, repeats | Plays them as recognised |
| Koma accidentals and makam key signatures | Usually dropped or read as ordinary accidentals; plays the nearest standard pitch |
| Makam, usul and composer names | Not read; keep your printed copy beside you |
| Ornaments and slides | Not reproduced; each note sounds once |
Learning a peşrev or saz semaisi
Instrumental forms such as the peşrev and saz semaisi are built from sections, called hane, each followed by a returning refrain, the teslim. That structure is ideal for loop practice.
- Learn the teslim first. It comes back after every hane, so loop it until it is secure. You will play it several times in every performance.
- Then take one hane at a time. Select its bars and loop them at 50–70% speed before joining it to the teslim.
- Count the usul. A saz semaisi is usually in aksak semai (10/8), often with a change of meter in the last hane. The rhythm counter counts each bar as written; say the usul's own strokes (düm, tek) over the metronome.
- Raise the tempo gradually. Use the 10%–200% speed control to step up a few percent at a time once a section is clean.
Reading the intonation check on tanbur
The microphone intonation check compares your pitch with the written note in equal temperament, ignoring octaves. On the tanbur, two things affect what it shows. First, the frets are placed for makam intervals, so many notes are meant to differ from equal temperament by a koma or more. Second, if you play at an ahenk other than the written pitch, the whole piece is transposed and the comparisons will not line up.
So treat it as a consistency tool. When your tuning matches the written pitch, it shows whether a note sounds the same every time it comes back. When it does not, use the check as a tuner while playback is stopped, and watch the pitch trace for clean, steady notes. Judge the makam intervals themselves by ear and with your teacher.
What to expect from recognition
Many Turkish classical scores are cleanly typeset, and their notes and rhythms usually recognise well; the koma accidentals are the main loss. Hand-copied or old photocopied scores recognise less well. Our guide to scanning sheet music for best results helps you get the sharpest image.
Free, honestly. Uploading and playing scores is free and ad-supported. Without an account you get an instant preview; a free account (we email you a sign-in link, no password) unlocks the full score and saves it to your library. The paid plan, Musaica Basic ($5.99/month), removes ads and adds Smart Playback, Band Mode, MusicXML export and HD audio renders.
How to practise a tanbur piece with Musaica
- Upload the score. Drop a PDF or photo of the tanbur music onto the box above.
- Choose Tanbur and listen. Pick Tanbur from the instrument menu and play the whole piece once.
- Loop the teslim, then each hane. Select one section at a time, slow it down and loop it until it is clean.
- Join the sections. Widen the loop to include the hane and teslim together, then raise the speed.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an online player for tanbur sheet music?
Yes. Musaica has a sampled tanbur voice. Upload a PDF or photo of the music and the recognised score plays back in your browser. It is free to use.
Does Musaica support makam intervals?
No. It plays standard 12-tone equal-tempered pitches, and koma accidentals are generally not recognised. Those notes play as the nearest standard pitch.
Does it play at my ahenk?
No. Playback uses the written pitch at standard concert pitch, so it will often sound at a different pitch level from your tanbur.
What is the best way to practise a saz semaisi?
Loop the teslim until it is secure, then learn each hane separately at a slower speed, and finally join each hane to the teslim before raising the tempo.
Does the tanbur sound work for other long-necked lutes?
It is a reasonable stand-in for hearing melody and rhythm on related long-necked lutes, but it is modelled on the Turkish tanbur.