In
this article I will discuss about time, rhythm and drums. Drums (percussion skinned instruments) have their unique role in
music. Though different sounds to be extracted from any drum by applying different techniques is one of the characteristics
of the drum, but it is supposed that there is one characteristic common among all of them and that is to keep the rhythm of
any musical piece. According to some topics of applied mathematics music has at least three important dimensions: melody,
rhythm and accent.
So
the role of drums is as important as the role of the other musical instruments that produce the melody. Since rhythm is the
framework of time so it is good to start from a discussion of time.
Time
and Rhythm
Rhythm
is to measure the time among the strokes. But how do we measure the time? Of course we need a criterion. What is the criterion
for measuring the time?
The
first step is to distinguish that this time is longer than the other, similarly to this case that this mass is heavier than
the other one. For measuring we need a unit. The movement of the pendulum of the metronome causes to have a unit and by that
we are able to measure the time. In fact we compare which movement follows the other. But how do we understand that this movement
follows the other one? By remembering! (Man learns the concept of the past by remembering. [Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations,
p. 231]).
Drums
Drums
are percussions skinned instruments. The drumhead can be stretched by natural skin or pre-fabricated head which is unaffected
by changes in humidity, unlike natural skin.
Sound
is obtained by striking the drumhead with a stick or hands of the drummer (fingers, palm and so on).
Though
the main role of drums is to keep the rhythm, but some drums can produce melody also. A very good example is the tabla-tarang.
Tabla-tarang is an Indian musical instrument composed of numerous wooden tabla-s tuned to different pitches.
Different
techniques can produce different sounds but the main trick that a drummer has in his hand is to play with the duration of
the times among the different strokes. To use more variations can make the rhythmic piece more beautiful. This is at most
the concept of the mathematical complexity of the rhythms, which a good example for this concept is the tala-s of Hindustani
sangeet (rhythms of the Northern Indian system).
My Favorites Drums
These
are my favorite drums: tonbak (Persian goblet drum), ghaval (Azerbaijani frame drum), daf (Kurdish frame drum) and tabla (Indian
pair of small drums).
The
most popular percussion instrument in Persian music today is a Dumbek-type drum known as the Tonbak. The Tonbak is a large
wooden instrument with a goatskin head. Unlike other Dumbeks, this drum has a much more squared-off shape and produces lower-pitched
and softer tones due to its size and skin being put on with less tension. Other names for this drum are Donbak, Tombak, Dombak,
Tompak and Zarb. Maybe the name Zarb has its origins in the Arabic word darb, meaning to strike, as mentioned above. The other
names have a more interesting origin. The two main strokes played on this drum are known as Ton, for a bass tone played in
the center of the drum head, and Bak, for a treble tone played on or near the rim. Combining the terms results in the name
Ton-Bak. It is highly likely that the name Dumbek is derived from one of the Persian names. At the end it should be declared
that in Iran there is another kind of Goblet Drum and its name is Tempo. This instrument is the same as Arabic Dumbek and
it is noted as an Arabic instrument and sometimes it is used for accompanying Persian banal songs.
Ghaval
Ghaval (not be confused with qawwali music) the Azerbaijani
frame drum is played in Azerbaijani folk and art music. In folk music of Azerbaijan Ashigh (poet-musician) sings and plays
on gopuz (nine-stringed long-necked lute) and sometimes composes poems in different festive occasions. The drum that usually
accompanies the Ashigh is ghaval. In Azerbaijani art music a traditional ensemble contains a singer, which plays on ghaval
and two instrumentalists, one plays on tar (long-necked lute) and the other plays on kamancheh (bowed spike fiddle). In modern
art music of Azerbaijan an ensemble can contain more than two instrumentalists. Usually the drum that accompanies the modern
ensemble is naghara (a kind of cylindrical drum that is called in Armenia dhol).
