Notice: This is the official website of the All Empires History Community (Reg. 10 Feb 2002)

  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

Some Middle Eastern Instruments...

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123>
Author
Guests View Drop Down
Guest
Guest
  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Some Middle Eastern Instruments...
    Posted: 12-Sep-2005 at 05:13

Today, much modern Middle Eastern music is played on instruments that look very familiar to Westerners: synthesizers, keyboards, clarinets, accordions, and violins. Some of these must be specially tuned to work with the quarter tones that appear in Oriental music.

However, traditional Middle Eastern music was played on instruments that were distinctly unique to the Middle East.

Stringed Instruments

The Oud, sometimes spelled Ud, was the forerunner to the lute that was known in Medieval Europe. It is pronounced "ood" where the "oo" sound is like that in "moon". It has 11 strings and no frets. The melody is produced through plucking the strings. Literally, the word "oud" means "wood", and the instrument is made by gluing thin tapered strips of wood edge to edge. The glue line is usually no more than a thousandth of an inch wide! The oud was introduced by the Persians to Arabia in the Middle Ages, and passed to Europe through Islamic Spain.

user posted image

***

The Kanoun, sometimes spelled Kanun or Qanun, somewhat resembles an autoharp. It is pronounced "kuh NOON". This instrument is common in Turkey and Arabic countries. Its wooden frame is designed to lie flat on a surface such as a table or the performer's lap, and the strings across it are plucked to produce the melody.

user posted image

***

The Rebaba, sometimes spelled Rababa, is a stringed instrument with one or two strings and played with a bow. It is pronounced "ruh BAH buh". Also sometimes spelled Rababa. This is a stringed instrument, typically used in music of the Said (Upper Egypt). It has one or two strings. The music appearing on cassette tapes or CD's by Metkal Kanawi uses rebabas extensively.

user posted image

The Saz, pronounced "sahz", is a gourd-shaped Turkish stringed instrument, resembling a lute only with a smaller base. It has frets whose positions can be adjusted, enabling the musician to get varying quarter tones. Different maqams require the frets to be set in different positions because they employ different musical notes. The saz was the ancestor of the Greek bouzouki.

user posted image

***

Percussion Instruments

The hourglass-shaped Dumbek, sometimes spelled Dumbec, Doumbek, Doumbec, or Darbuka, is a very popular percussion instrument used with Arabic music. It is pronounced "DOOM bek". Traditionally, dumbeks were made of ceramic, with the head made of either goatskin or fish skin. In modern times, many dumbeks have synthetic heads, and the drum body may be made of metal.

user posted image

***

The Def, pronounced "def", is a Middle Eastern frame drum which looks like a large tambourine. In a band large enough to have more than one percussionist, one musician might play the primary rhythm on the dumbek while another plays a background rhythm such as ayyub on the def.

user posted image


The Riqq, sometimes spelled Riq or Reque, is the Arabic tambourine. It is pronounced "reek". The riqq can be used for either lead percussion (instead of the dumbek) or background rhythm, however the musicians prefer.


Finger Cymbals are called Sagat (or Zagat) in Egypt, meaning "small metal trays", or Zills in Turkish.


Wind Instruments

The Mizmar is a member of the oboe family of musical instruments. It is pronounced "MIZZ mar". It produces a loud, blaring sound which is ideal for occasions where an ethnic style of music and dance would be appropriate.

user posted image

The Ney, sometimes spelled Nay, is a traditional instrument used in Turkish and Arabic folk music that resembles a flute both in appearance and sound. It is pronounced "nay". The ney is a very difficult instrument to play.

The Zurna is a type of horn used in Turkish folk music, which, like the mizmar, is a member of the oboe family of musical instruments. It is pronounced "ZERN uh". It produces a loud tone that is particularly well-suited to ethnic-style music and dance.

user posted image
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Here is very nice site about Middle Eastern music, enjoy




http://www.shira.net/musicintro.htm
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest
Guest
  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17-Oct-2005 at 03:47

 

THE CHARM OF THE 'UD

The charm of the 'ud (fretless lute), especially as a solo instrument, has gained increasing recognition in the 20th century. Sherif Muhieddine, a Turkish musician who was active in Istanbul and in Baghdad in the first half of the century, was one of those who played the most important role in renovating its performance style. People called him "the Paganini of the 'ud " to express his virtuosity.

It is indispensable to refer to the art of the taqsim in order to speak of the essence of the 'ud. The taqsim is an improvisation which presents various characteristics of the maqams (modes) of Arab music. It was originally an attempt to produce sound by an instrumentalist before playing a piece. In this attempt, he produced the typical melody types and feelings of the mode of the piece.
Today, the taqsim is an independent form of performance. It is performed without any accompaniment, or often accompanied by another instrument which produces a long duration of the tonic. It is also sometimes done with a rhythmic accompaniment.

Cairo knew its golden age of Arab music in the first half of the century.
For Egyptians, the 'ud has been the normative instrument which represents modes and melodies. The audiences admire mainly the musician's tarab (traditional sense of beauty), his profound understanding of the modes and lucidity of the musical language.
A 'ud taqsim is usually performed before songs or included in a musical suite, and its style is concise. The player acts "as if he sang," according to the Arab tradition in which the instrumental music was originally an imitation of the vocal music.
The sound of the 'ud must be voluminous and constant, with its plectrum assuring as if in a rhymed verse. To show his knowledge of the modes, the musician repeats the smooth and skillful modulations.

In Baghdad, by contrast, a large number of 'ud players who studied under Sherif Muhieddine have appeared and have developed an original style for solo performances since the middle of the century. We today call this tradition "Iraqi Style."
Largely without an accompaniment, the musicians pursue sheer instrumental techniques. As a result their performances tend to be longer; they are faithful to the same mode for a long time and create a massive and meditative sound space. The dynamic range has been widely enlarged, the tuning heightened. Keen attention has been paid to establishing the status of 'ud as a solo recital instrument.


Adel Salameh started from the "Iraqi Style." A Palestinian born in Nablus in 1966, he learned the 'ud largely by himself but also studied in the Music Institute in Baghdad under Professor Mu'taz Mohammed Bayati.
He now lives in Bristol, England(in 1996. Now in France) and devotes his time to performances on the international scene.
In addition to many recitals as a soloist, he has also played and recorded with musicians from other genres, such as Indian or Spanish music. As a result of these cooperative efforts, he has developed a profound sense of value in music, which is positively projected in his art.
It is as though the traditional spirit and a modern spirit which willingly accepts a new sense of value coexist within him. We have adopted primarily Adel Salameh's taqsims in the program of this CD.

Taqsim Bayati (track1) is an improvisation based on maqam Bayati [D-E-F-G-A-B(Bb)-C-D] that has the microtone and is one of the principal modes in Arab music. Adel Salameh creates a rhythmical teslim (refrain) at the end of the improvisation.

Taqsim Ajam (track2) is an improvisation based on maqam Ajam [C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C], of which the tonic is Bb in principle. The mode is comparable to the major scale in Western music. Here too there is an ample refrain with an occidental flavor at the end.

Samai Nahawand (track3) is a well-known composition by a Turkish performer-composer Mas'ud Jamil(1902-1963). Samai is a traditional musical form of Turkish origin with four movements and a teslim. The first three movements use a ten-beat rhythmic pattern. The fourth section is usually written in a duple or triple meter, though Mas'ud Jamil used a seven-beat rhythmic pattern in this piece.
Maqam Nahawand [C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-B(Bb)-C] is comparable to the minor scale in Western music.

Taqsim Nahawand (track4) is an improvisation based on maqam Nahawand. However, Adel Salameh begins with the maqam Bayati Nawa (Bayati mode in G), a related mode of Nahawand, and returns to the tonic mode eventually.

The suite of Nahawand mode ends in Musica Nahawand (track5), Adel Salameh's latest composition. Musica is a free musical form that uses basically a duple meter, though Adel Salameh adopts an improvised and experimental element especially in rhythm. In the middle part, he develops the mode Ajam which reminds us of the style of Sherif Muhieddine whom Adel Salameh respects.

The last and the longest improvisation is Taqsim Shudaraban (track6) based on the mode Shudaraban [G-Ab-B-C-D-Eb-F#-G]. Maqam Shudaraban is a mode of Turkish origin. Adel Salameh improvises in a solemn and meditative mood. His repetitive approach to the tonic seems to be infinite and invites us to enter an imaginative, "meta-musical" world.


June Chiki Chikuma & Yoshiko Matsuda

http://www.arab-music.com/pas003ble.html



Edited by 1001nights
Back to Top
kotumeyil View Drop Down
Chieftain
Chieftain
Avatar
Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 21-Jun-2005
Location: Turkey
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1494
  Quote kotumeyil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18-Oct-2005 at 05:20
I can play oud, saz (baglama), ney and darbuka along with other instruments

Edited by kotumeyil
[IMG]http://www.maksimum.com/yemeicme/images/haber/raki.jpg">
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest
Guest
  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23-Oct-2005 at 21:56

Originally posted by kotumeyil

I can play oud, saz (baglama), ney and darbuka along with other instruments

coool.. that's nice... , what's your favorite?

I wish I could play Oud{Arabic or Turkish}. But my favorite instrument is Kanun

ohh... I can play a bit Darbuka

Back to Top
kotumeyil View Drop Down
Chieftain
Chieftain
Avatar
Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 21-Jun-2005
Location: Turkey
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1494
  Quote kotumeyil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24-Oct-2005 at 02:27
I love all but my favourite is baglama. I performed at many concerts with baglama. On the other hand, my favourite western instruments that I play are guitar and accordeon... 
[IMG]http://www.maksimum.com/yemeicme/images/haber/raki.jpg">
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest
Guest
  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Nov-2005 at 23:55

Originally posted by kotumeyil

I love all but my favourite is baglama. I performed at many concerts with baglama. On the other hand, my favourite western instruments that I play are guitar and accordeon... 

wow.. ccol... do you have any of ur stuff that we could listen to?

As for western..yes I love Guitar.. I'm learning how to play, just started a while ago, do you think I could play Ud, if I learned how to play guitar(accoustic/spanish one}?

Back to Top
kotumeyil View Drop Down
Chieftain
Chieftain
Avatar
Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 21-Jun-2005
Location: Turkey
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1494
  Quote kotumeyil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Nov-2005 at 02:38

Thanks

Unfortunately I don't have a digital record yet

You can play the Ud easier (when you already know how to play guitar) but Ud is fretless so it requires a well-hearing...

[IMG]http://www.maksimum.com/yemeicme/images/haber/raki.jpg">
Back to Top
ok ge View Drop Down
Arch Duke
Arch Duke
Avatar
Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Aug-2005
Location: Saudi Arabia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1775
  Quote ok ge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Nov-2005 at 03:22
I really want to learn playing Ud. My uncle from my mother side is a Musician and he earns his living from playing Ud and Qanun in concerts and weddings. I tried playing and he helped me but I guess I like the most important thing, talent!!
D.J. Kaufman
Wisdom is the reward for a lifetime of listening ... when youd have preferred to talk.
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest
Guest
  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-Nov-2005 at 19:40
Originally posted by kotumeyil

You can play the Ud easier (when you already know how to play guitar) but Ud is fretless so it requires a well-hearing...

hopefully...

Originally posted by ok ge

playing Ud and Qanun in concerts and weddings

Do saudi have Kanun too?

I mean I thought only Arabs  from Syria & Iraq use Kanun in their music!



Edited by 1001nights
Back to Top
Zagros View Drop Down
Emperor
Emperor

Suspended

Joined: 11-Aug-2004
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 8792
  Quote Zagros Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-Nov-2005 at 20:08
Persian traditional music
Some of the most famous Iranian traditional instrument
High quality sample sounds, History, Information

Setar

Tar

Ney

Daf

Kamancheh

Santur

Tombak

Ud

http://www.dejkam.com/music/iran_traditional/instruments/

You can click on the pictures for sound samples.

Here is a sufi Iranian song by Shahram Nazeri (guy in my avatar), he sings this one in Kermanshahi.

http://www.iranian.com/ram/Nazeri/3.ram

A mor elively song from teh Kamkars:

http://www.iranian.com/ram/Kamkar/7.ram

If you get an error message keep clicking till it works.

The Sassanid Shah Khosro Parviz supposedly had a personal ensemble of 10,000 musicians who played such instruments.  Kurdish music is believed to be closest to the music of that time.



Edited by Zagros
Back to Top
Periander View Drop Down
Knight
Knight
Avatar

Joined: 25-Jan-2006
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 77
  Quote Periander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-Jan-2006 at 01:50
Ah, the Ud, give me some Giorgios Bacanos any day

I have a Bouzouki, which I always wanted to learn, but never had enough money to do so. After that, I wanted to learn the Ud.

Some of my favourite Rebetika songs are those of Asia Minor, the Amane is most exquisite as are the Oriental instruments.
Back to Top
DayI View Drop Down
Sultan
Sultan
Avatar

Joined: 30-May-2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2408
  Quote DayI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-Jan-2006 at 07:27

Here a oriental Tarkan song, didnt expected Tarkan should come up with this sort of music

http://users.pandora.be/Kenan/01-TARKAN%20_%20BOUNCE%20-%20O RIGINAL.mp3

Back to Top
kotumeyil View Drop Down
Chieftain
Chieftain
Avatar
Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 21-Jun-2005
Location: Turkey
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1494
  Quote kotumeyil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-Jan-2006 at 08:23

Originally posted by Origen

Ah, the Ud, give me some Giorgios Bacanos any day

I have a Bouzouki, which I always wanted to learn, but never had enough money to do so. After that, I wanted to learn the Ud.

Some of my favourite Rebetika songs are those of Asia Minor, the Amane is most exquisite as are the Oriental instruments.

Ah I know Yorgo Bacanos (his official name on the identity card in Turkey) he played with many important Turkish classical music people

As for rebetika, I like Asia Minor songs more, too. Any Turk can feel what they tell very well...

[IMG]http://www.maksimum.com/yemeicme/images/haber/raki.jpg">
Back to Top
Periander View Drop Down
Knight
Knight
Avatar

Joined: 25-Jan-2006
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 77
  Quote Periander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-Jan-2006 at 15:12
@ Kotumeyil,

hehe, I bet (looking at your avatar).

That's right, I could not remember whther Yorgo was spelt as Yorgo or Giorgos.

@Day1

Thanks for the link, I will take a peek when I come back after work.
Back to Top
The Hidden Face View Drop Down
Chieftain
Chieftain
Avatar
Ustad-i Azam

Joined: 16-Jul-2005
Location: Mexico
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1379
  Quote The Hidden Face Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-Jan-2006 at 21:38
I know Yorgo Bacanos too.   Turkish classical music rulz!
Back to Top
kotumeyil View Drop Down
Chieftain
Chieftain
Avatar
Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 21-Jun-2005
Location: Turkey
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1494
  Quote kotumeyil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-Jan-2006 at 03:23

Here's a nice page for old classical Turkish music records, including some from Yorgo Bacanos:

http://www.kultur.gov.tr/portal/kultur_en.asp?belgeno=5883

[IMG]http://www.maksimum.com/yemeicme/images/haber/raki.jpg">
Back to Top
Periander View Drop Down
Knight
Knight
Avatar

Joined: 25-Jan-2006
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 77
  Quote Periander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-Jan-2006 at 07:39
@ THE TURK

I love it. Rebetika is the creme de la creme of music for me, whether it be Greek or Turkish.

@kotumeyil and THE TURK

First time I heard Yorgo Bacanos was when I was studying Theology. I was listening to Greek Rebetika, when a fellow student brought in the CD of Bacanos! I fell in love immediately with the Ud. I knew of the Ud from Greek Asia Minor Rebetika, but his was a totally different sound. That link kotumeyil and Bacanos's taxim, transprts me to a different time. Thank you!

I hope I cause no offence here (ie. excuse my ignaorance here), but Sufi music is very nice too.
Back to Top
kotumeyil View Drop Down
Chieftain
Chieftain
Avatar
Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 21-Jun-2005
Location: Turkey
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1494
  Quote kotumeyil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-Jan-2006 at 08:03

If so, here are some ney taxims of sufi music:

http://www.neyzen.com/neytaksimleri.htm

[IMG]http://www.maksimum.com/yemeicme/images/haber/raki.jpg">
Back to Top
Periander View Drop Down
Knight
Knight
Avatar

Joined: 25-Jan-2006
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 77
  Quote Periander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-Jan-2006 at 15:09
YOU Sir, are a legend (do we have a worship smiley here?)
Back to Top
kotumeyil View Drop Down
Chieftain
Chieftain
Avatar
Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 21-Jun-2005
Location: Turkey
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1494
  Quote kotumeyil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-Jan-2006 at 17:31

[IMG]http://www.maksimum.com/yemeicme/images/haber/raki.jpg">
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.56a [Free Express Edition]
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz

This page was generated in 0.125 seconds.