According to Ebrahim Qanbari Mehr, qeychak bam was designed and manufactured around 50 years ago, in order to fill the lack of bass sound in national music orchestra in the art and culture designing instrument studio.
Qeychak bam is one of the bowed string instruments and is made from wood, hide and metal. Qaychak is held by a seated person vertically with the left hand, and the bow is drawn on the strings horizontally. The length of the instrument is about 60 cm. and the main components are resonating chamber, fingerboard,..
Construction and Mechanics
1.Taj
Pegs box is a small wooden hollow chamber located on the upper side of the fingerboard, with four pegs, two on each side. The scroll is located at the end of the fingerboard made from the same wood as the fingerboard.
2. Pegs
Qeychak has four pegs – the same number as the strings- shaped as a flat pin located on the sides of the pegs box. In the pegs box each string is sealed to the thinner part of the peg. They are used by the player’s left hand to tune the instrument.
3. Nut
Nut is a thick, small piece of wood as wide as the instrument’s fingerboard placed between pegs box and fingerboard. Strings are placed on its shallow grooves and cross towards the pegs.
4. Fingerboard
Fingerboard is usually made from the same wood used in the body. The fingerboard is short. From one side it is attached to the bigger part of the body, and from another side to the bridge.
5. Resonating Chamber
The main body is made from wood, usually walnut, blueberry, or other hard-wood material. Resonating chamber is big and two notches divide it into two parts which one part is bigger. The smaller part is at the bottom and its aperture is covered by hide(skin) on which the bridge is located. The bigger part’s aperture is uncovered and fingerboard joins it on the middle.
6. Hide
It is usually made of sheepskin.
7. Bridge
The bridge is made from wood and it is almost 4 cm. high. It is placed on the hide of the smaller chamber and the strings are placed on its grooves.
9. Tailpiece
It is a small piece of wood or metal, installed at the end of the box, on which the folded end of the string is sealed.
9. String
The bass-qeychak has four metallic strings. The strings are 68-70 cm long.
10. Pin
Pin is a metallic bar that can be shortened or lengthened by the small screw at the bottom of the resonating chamber. It is about 60 cm long. The pin shall be placed on the ground while playing.
