Tar: Azerbaijan musical instrument

Tar is a Persian long-necked waist-musical instrument that is used in many countries like Iran, Armenia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and some other countries that are around the Caucasus region. In the Persian language, the word tar means ‘string’ and it is believed that the name might have the same meaning in any region that the Persian has influenced or any of the branches of Iranian language like the Kurdish. For this reason the Iranian expert concluded that the tar must be common among all the Iranian people as well as the countries that have the Iranian cultures as their heritage. This was the source of the claims that the dutar, guitar, setar, and sitar all emanated from this musical instrument. Though the musical instrument was believed to be developed in the Persian Empire but the actual region where it was first produced is yet to be confirmed. The tar is one of the most important musical instruments in Iran and the Caucasus region. The formation, compilation, edition and passing down of the most readable version of the radif are all done on the tar.

The tar showed up in its present form in the middle of the 18^th century in the Persian region. The body of the instrument is a double-bowl shape constructed from the mulberry wood having a thin membrane that is made from the lamb-skin to covering the top. The finger board is possessing about 25 to 28 adjustable gut frets with about three double courses of strings. Its range is at least about two and one-half octaves and can be played with a pointed plectrum. The long and narrow neck of the musical instrument has a flat finger board running level to the membrane and stops in an elaborate peg box that has 6 wooden tuning pegs of different dimensions and this added to the decorative effect of the instrument.

The melodies that are performed on the tar were believed to be useful for headache and melancholy, also it is considered to be a good eliminator of nervousness and muscle spasms. It believed that listening to the instrument can create philosophical mood that can compel the listener to reflect upon the thing of this life and can cause a person to fall asleep.