Welcome to Sazmania.co.uk
What is Sazmania?
Hello my saz friends, my name is Salahi Ormandji, I was born in 1972 in London. I am a Turkish Cypriot and currently living in Hertfordshire in the UK. I am married and have three lovely daughters, Pelin, Yazmin and Selvi.
I have always loved music, I listen to a variation of cultural music from around the world. I have been playing the Saz since the age of 13. I remember the first day my dad bought me a Cura Saz, the smallest of the Saz family. I was waiting excitedly on top of a hill in my village to see my uncles bus return. I felt as if I had been given the whole world. At the time I couldn't even play, but I enjoyed listening to the instrument on the radio and music tapes.
The following winter my family and I went to Cyprus again. My Cousin had been playing the Saz for about 6 years and he asked me if I wanted to learn, I jumped at the chance, and in just two weeks he had taught me all the basics, how to hold the Saz, tuning, finger positions, the music scales and by the end of the 2 weeks I was playing my first song - Leylim Ley. When I left Cyprus my cousin gave me his Saz as a present so I could keep up the practice, that was my first ever Long Necked Saz, I still have it to this day. I practiced day and night, playing non stop.
I later went to a local Turkish school every Saturday, there I met other Saz players. In 1987 I formed a Turkish wedding band with my other Saz friends, we played at weddings and International Music Festivals. They were some of the best years of my life. In 1994 I stopped playing in bands but carried on playing the Saz and composing my own songs at home in my own studio. I like to create atmospheric melodies with the Saz and tend to use a lot of traditional Turkish percussion instruments. I hope to finish my first album which will be named SAZmania™ in 2006....
I have always wanted to create a website to link Saz players from around the world. The Saz instrument to me is very important, I enjoy playing and also like to experiment with various styles such as the Tapping Method (Shelpe), Bridge Plucking Method (Arpej) and many more. I hope to show some of these methods I have taught by myself in the coming months. I have added a Tuition section into the site for beginners to the Saz instrument, I hope everyone enjoys the site as much as I enjoyed designing it. Keep up the playing my friends.
..and oh ye, i forgot the reason its called Sazmania is simple I am manic about the Saz!
