A Proposal for the Bridge Position, Height and Mounting the Sound Board on the Ba？lama

This article is about a study which is carried on the ba？lama, the ancient instrument of Turkish traditional music. The current information on the instrument was used together with golden ratio calculation to improve the performance comfort and sound quality of the instrument. The string length, neck length and the bridge position of the instrument were recalculated in terms of ratio and proportion and the mounting position of the soundboard was redesigned. The assembly of the sound board on to the body in traditional production techniques of the ba？lama is related to the form of the body, and this process is generally realized with empirical knowledge according to which the bridge is positioned in such a manner that it corresponds to 1/5 of the body. With the method offered, the mounting of the sound board is systematized in a way that requires the bridge to be positioned at the ？ of the body. After this method which is different from the traditional construction techniques was applied, the sound analyses and characteristics of the instruments made were compared. When the data collected was analyzed, it is seen that the new method has positive effects on performance comfort, tension/stress and the sound quality of the instrument