Turkish Cümbüş Oud

This was the original creation that gave birth to the Cümbüş line of instruments—the Cümbüş Oud. It was designed with two goals in mind: to make the Oud louder for live performances, and to make it more affordable. What emerged instead was something entirely its own—part Oud, part banjo, part dobro, and, depending on who you ask, even a little "electric guitar." In short, a gorgeous accident. Or perhaps not an accident at all. Whatever the intention, the result is breathtaking—an instrument so versatile that I'm not sure there's a genre it can't belong to.

In the first video, I'm paying tribute to the more traditional side of the instrument, playing slowly and deliberately to highlight its resonance and timbre. In the second, I take a different approach—something simpler and more Western-influenced, built around chorded and melodic progressions. Together, they show just how naturally this instrument can bridge worlds.