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The tambourine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a single drumhead mounted on a ring with pairs of small metal jingles. Most versions used in musical performance today consist only of the ring and jingles, with no drum head. The tambourine can be held in the hand or mounted on a stand, and can be played in numerous ways, from stroking or shaking the jingles to striking it sharply with hand or stick or using the tambourine to strike the leg or hip. It is found in many forms of music, classical music, Roma music, Persian music, gospel music, pop music and rock and roll. The word tambourine finds its origins in the Middle Persian word tambūr "lute, drum" (via the Middle French tambour).
Riq Small, circular frame drum with jingles, of the Arab countries. It is used in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan and Syria; in Libya, where it is rare, it is called mriq. It is between 20 and 25 cm in diameter and is now effectively a man’s instrument. Descended from the duff (see Daff), like the Tar, the riq acquired its name in the 19th century so that it could be differentiated. Essentially an instrument of music for the connoisseur, the riqq, which is also called daff al-zinjari in Iraq, is played in takht ensembles (Egypt, Syria) or shalghi ensembles (Iraq) where it has a particularly clearcut role, going beyond the simple rhythmic requirements of the duff, tar or mazhar, and exploding in a burst of imaginative freedom to colour the orchestra with gleaming sounds: this is quite unlike the role of the duff. In Sudan, where it seems to have been introduced recently, the riqq is also related to worship, as in upper Egypt. The instrument is carefully made. Its delicate frame is covered on both the inner and outer sides with inlay (mother-of-pearl, ivory or precious wood, like apricot or lemon) and has ten pairs of small cymbals (about 4 cm in diameter), grouped in two slits, each having five pairs. The skin of a fish is glued on and tightened over the frame, which is about 6 cm deep. In Egypt the riq is usually 20 cm wide; in Iraq it is slightly larger. Traditionally, frame drums have been used to support the voices of singers, who manipulate them themselves; but the player of the riq, like that of the doira of Uzbekistan, plays without singing. While the duff and the mazhar are held relatively still, at chest or face height, with the player seated, the riqq, because of the use of different tone-colours, may be violently shaken above the head, then roughly lowered to the knee, and played vertically as well as horizontally. The player alternates between striking the membrane and shaking the jingles, and his need for freedom of movement necessitates that he stand up. Students of the instrument are required to master the technical problems imposed by the timbre of the membrane and the jingles, both separately and in combination; aside from developing a virtuoso technique they also need to learn the many rhythmic cycles and the techniques of modifying them through creative invention. A large wooden ring with rattles along the rim, with or without taut leather stretched across it. The tambourine was for a long time a ‘female’ instrument, since it is convenient in size for female hands. There are various techniques for playing the tambourine. On the Balkans it is mainly held in one hand and slapped against the palm of the other with constant simultaneous shaking. However, in Asia it is played by tapping the fingers of both hands against the rattles along the rim. Buben Buben (Бубен in Russian and Ukrainian, bǫ̑bǝn in Slovenian, buben in Czech, bęben in Polish) is a musical instrument of the percussion family similar to a tambourine. A buben consists of a wooden or metal hoop with a tight membrane stretched over one of its sides (some bubens have no membrane at all). Certain kinds of bubens are equipped with clanking metal rings, plates, cymbals, or little bells. It is held in the hand and can be played in numerous ways, from stroking or shaking the jingles to striking it sharply with hand. It is used for rhythmical accompaniment during dances, soloist or choral singing. Buben is often used by some folk and professional bands, as well as orchestras. The name came from Greek language βόμβος (low and hollow sound) and βομβύλη (a breed of bees) and related to Indo-Aryan bambharas (bee) and English bee. Buben is known to have existed in many countries since time immemorial, especially in the East. There are many kinds of bubens, including def, daf, or qaval (Azerbaijan), daf or khaval (Armenia), daira (Georgia), doira (Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), daire or def (Iran), bendeir (Arab countries), pandero (Spain). In Kievan Rus, drums and military timpani were referred to as buben. Dajre A dayereh (or Doyra, Dojra, Dajre, Doira) is a medium-sized frame drum with jingles used to accompany both popular and classical music in Iran (Persia), The Balkans, and many Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It is a percussion instrument, and is something intemediate between a drum and a tambourine. Dajre is membrane-phonic instrument with wooden frame, on witch a thin metal plates are attached. One side of the dajre is closed with goat skin. Dajre is composed from a wooden frame in a shape of circle, perforated with rectangular holes in which a metal plates are attached. The creation of Dajre is in two ways: by master's professionals, and primitively by gypsies. The frame of the Dajre is made from a soft wood in a form of circle. The diameter of the frame is between 45 - 50 cm and the thickness between 5 -7 cm. The frame is perforated by rectangular holes in which a pairs of metal plates are attached. The number of holes is between 3 and 4. The bending of the wooden frame is made in two ways: by heating and mechanically. In the first way the soft wood ("buka", "orev") is first kept under water for a period of time, than its bended around hot metal cylinder. The closing of the frame is made by gluing the two ends. The membrane of the Dajre is made from a goat skin. The skin is attached on a frame by two ways: by fixing the skin with another wooden frame or by nails. The sound is produced by hitting the membrane with the left and right hand. The left hand, which in the same time is holding the Dajre is hitting on the edges and the right hand is hitting in the center. The Dajre is a solo instrument. Most often Dajre is supported by "Gajda", "chalgija" or "tarabuka". Marko Cepenkov mentions the Dajre as a companion of the "Gajda" in the XVII and XIX century. The Dajre is most often used for keeping the rhythm in the Macedonian folk songs and dances, and often even in some traditional Macedonian rituals, like weeding ceremony or Macedonian folk dances. Introduction Frame drums are one of the most ancient types of musical instruments. They have a simple structure with strong spiritual and entertaining effects. Frame drums are usually round, made of wood with animal skin and sometimes metal rings or plates incorporated into the drum to provide jingle. They have different sizes; the larger drums are played mainly by men in spiritual rituals and medium size drums are played mainly by women. Frame drums originated in the ancient Middle East, India, and Rome, and reached medieval Europe through Islamic culture. The similarity of the names of frame drums in these regions shows the common history of these drums. Dayereh is one of the most famous frame drums in Persia and Central Asia. The Pahlavi (Persian ancient language) name of dayereh is dareh. Dayereh (In Azerbaijan, it is called ghaval and sometimes daf) is played in festive occasions. When playing a doyra, an artist holds it in his left hand and flicks (hits) it with his right hand fingers. The most interesting thing about it is that the artist doesn't make these hits with his hand itself, but rather fastens each finger about its neighbour and then suddenly releases it (like we do when we snap our fingers). As a result it can produce loud, rapid and very sharp sounds. You can often hear about doyra that it isn't an attendant instrument, but a solo one. The structure of a Dayereh Dayereh has four parts: 1. Frame 2. Skin 3. Hook 4. Ring Bendir The bendir is a frame drum used as a traditional instrument throughout North Africa, more specifically in Tunisia. Unlike the tambourine, it has no jingles but most often has a snare (usually made of gut) stretched across its head, which when the drum is struck with the fingers or palm gives the tone a buzzing quality. Daf
Introduction Daf has been played inside and outside of Iran for millenia and is often used in dhikrs, especially by Sufis. History The earliest evidence of Daf dates back to Sassanid Iran. The Pahlavi (an ancient Iranic language) name of Daf is dap. The word daf is therefore the arabicized form of the word dap. Some pictures of dap have been found in the paintings to be painted before the birth of Christ. The presence of Iranian dap in the reliefs of Bisotun is enlightening and is hard proof that dafs existed much before the invasion of Islam. Dafs were part of religious music in Iran much before Sufism. In fact, Iranian music has always been a spiritual tool. It shows that dafs played an important role in Mazdean Iran emerging as an important element during the Sassanian times during the Kâvusakân dynasty. The monuments of Bisotun are situated 25 kilometers from Kermanshah city. Also there is a kind of square frame drum in the stonecutting of Tagh-e-Bostan (another famous monument located 5 kilometers northeast from Kermanshah city). These frame drums were played in the ancient Middle East (chiefly by women in Kurd societies), Greece, and Rome and reached medieval Europe through Islamic culture. Norouz (the first day of the Iranic New Year and the national festival of the Iranic peoples) and other festive occasions have been accompanied by dap in Sassanid periods (224 A.D. - 651 A.D.). In this period dap was played in order to accompany Iranian Classical Music. Undoubtedly daps were used within court to be played in the modes and melodies of traditional music. This traditional or classical music was created by Barbod the Great and was named the khosravani after the King Khosrow (Chosroes). Recent research reveals that these modes were used in the recital of Mazdean (Zoroastrian) prayers. The modes were passed down from master to student and are today known as the Radif and Dastgah system. Many of the melodies were lost, but most of those that remain date to the Sassanid period. Dafs can be played to produce highly complex and intense ryhthms, causing one to go under a trance and reach an ecstatic state and spiritually-high state. For this reason, they have always been connected with religion in Iran, again, much before Islam. The Moors introduced Daf and other Middle Eastern musical instruments to Spain, and the Spanish adapted and promoted Daf and other musical instruments (such as the guitar) in medieval Europe. In the 15th century, daf was only used in Sufi ceremonies; the Ottomans reintroduced it to Europe in 17th century. The art of daf playing in Eastern Kurdistan and other parts of Iran has reached us by the effort of Iranian Sufis; especially in 20th century by the late Sayyed Baha-al-Din Shams Ghorayshi (1872-1947), Ostad Haj Khalifeh Karim Safvati (1919-…), Ostad Haj Khalifeh Mirza Agha Ghosi (1928-…), Mohi-al-Din Bolbolani (1929-…), Sayyed Mohammad Shams Ghorayshi (1930-…) and Masha-Allah Bakhtiyari (1940-…). It is fortunate that daf still functions as an important part of Kurdish and Persian art music (traditional or classical music) as it did in ancient times. It successfully encourages many young Iranians to take up learning this ancient instrument. A thin band made of hard wood, covered with goatskin on one side. It can also have rings or small cymbals along the rim. In these regions, the daff is held with both hands at shoulder height. Tones of various depth and colours are played by hitting different spots on the skin with the fingers. There is also an Oriental technique of leaning the daff against the knees. The daff is a percussion instrument with a soft, deep tone. It is suitable for playing indoors and to accompany singers and players on the tambura, violin, oud, saz and other Oriental instruments. Kanjira The kanjira or ganjira (or South Indian frame drum) is an instrument of the tambourine family. It is mostly used in Carnatic music concerts (South Indian classical music) as a supporting instrument for the mridangam. The kanjira is a recent innovation (having been used for fewer than 100 years), and was added to classical concerts during the 1930s. Similar to the Western tambourine, it consists of a circular frame made of the wood of the jackfruit tree, between 7 and 9 inches in diameter and 2 to 4 inches in depth. It is covered on one side with a drumhead made of monitor lizard skin (specifically the Bengal monitor, Varanus bengalensis, now an endangered species in India), while the other side is left open. The frame has a single slit which contain three to four small metal discs--often old coins--that jingle when the kanjira is played. The kanjira is probably the most difficult Indian drum to play. It is normally played with the palm and fingers of the right hand, while the left hand supports the drum. The fingertips of the left hand can be used to bend the pitch by applying pressure near the outer rim. It is not tuned to any particular pitch, unlike the mridangam or the ghatam. Normally, without tuning, it has a very high pitched sound. To get a good bass sound, the performer reduces the tension of the drumhead by sprinkling water on the inside of the instrument. This process may have to be repeated during a concert to maintain a good sound. However, if the instrument is too moist, it will have a dead tone, requiring 5-10 minutes to dry. Tone is also affected by external temperature and moisture conditions. Performers typically carry a couple of kanjiras so that they can keep at least one in perfectly tuned condition at any given time. G Harishankar (1958-2002) is widely considered to be the greatest kanjira artist ever to have played this instrument. V. Selvaganesh (son of "Vikku" Vinayakram) is a modern exponent of the kanjira who has played extensively with the guitarist John McLaughlin in the group Remember Shakti, as well as having recorded numerous albums with bassist Jonas Hellborg. See also | ||||||||||
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