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Arabic Musical Instruments
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'ud
العود
The 'ud, (an example of a chordophone) typical of Egypt and the Levant, is a pear-shaped, short-necked, fretless instrument. It has five double courses of nylon or gut and metal-wound silk strings. Occasionally, a sixth single course is added. Plucked with an eagle's feather or a piece of plastic, the five courses are tuned to G', A', D, G, c. The first course may also be tuned to F'. Like its counterparts within the ensemble, the 'ud is suitable for both solo and ensemble playing. Having a warm timbre, low tessitura, and microtonal flexibility, the 'ud is known as amir altarab, or "the prince of enchantment." It is the favorite instrument among theorists, composers as well as amateur performers. Intricate visual ornamentation is typical of the 'ud, especially in the rosette design and the wood inlay.
The Qanoon القانون is a flat zither-type instrument, trapezoidal in shape. Its twenty-six triple courses of strings are made from nylon or gut and metal-wound silk. The performer plucks the strings with short horn-plectra placed between the tip of each index finger and a small metal ring. The bridge of the Qanoon rests on segments of fish skin covering small square spaces on the wood top. The strings are tuned to the basic notes of a given scale. The pitch of each course is lowered or raised by a whole step, half step, or quarter step by lowering or raising fixed metal levers that stop the strings at specific distances.
The Nayالناي is an open-ended, obliquely blown flute made from reed, not bamboo. Exhibiting a breathy tone, it has a wide range of almost two and a half octaves. It is also extremely expressive and capable of producing dynamic and tonal inflections. The development and use of the nay has been attributed to shepherds, but it is, in fact, an urban instrument. The nay also appears in some Sufi musical performances. The western violin, Kaman or kamanjah, has been fully adapted to the Arab musical ideal in matters of tuning and playing technique. Almost indispensable to the modern Arab ensemble, the violin in Arab music is customarily tuned to G, d, g, d'.
In the urban ensemble, two
percussion instruments are essential and may appear side by side. The Riqq,
also called Daff, is a small tambourine; the Tablah, also called
Darbukkah الدربكّه,
is a vase-shaped hand-drum.
In the urban music of Iraq, all of the above instruments are used. In addition, two other instruments are locally important. One is the Santoor, a hammer dulcimer with metal strings, and the jawzah, a four-string spike-fiddle whose sound box is part of a coconut shell covered with skin. These instruments are members of the traditional ensemble that accompanies Iraqi Maqam singing.
In the urban traditions of North Africa, other instruments are essential. Among them is the Andalusian 'ud of Tunisia. Having a fretted neck, this 'ud type has four double-courses of strings. Also included is the Moroccan Moorish Rabab, a small boat-shaped fiddle whose appearance is somewhat similar to that of the medieval European Rebec.
In the area extending through the
Levant and Iraq, folk musical instruments tend to exhibit common features
and performance characteristics. The melody instruments generally
demonstrate an affinity for accentuated motifs, elaborate and intricate
ornamentation, and sound continuity. These instruments are most often played
solo or with percussion instruments and accompany singing and dancing.
Probably the most important instrument employed throughout this region is
the Bedouin Rababah
الربابه.
Played with a horsehair bow, this instrument has a quadrilateral sound box
covered with skin and a single string made from horsehair. Capable of a side
range of dynamic accents and ornaments, this instrument is the essential
melody instrument of the nomadic Bedouins. It is customarily played by the
sha'ir, or poet-singer, to accompany heroic and love songs.
Another Bedouin instrument is the Mihbaj المهباج, a wood coffee-grinder consisting of approximately a foot-tall base and a two-foot pestle. The Mihbaj serves the double purpose of being a household item and, when an expert artist uses it, a percussion instrument as well. It is also a symbol of affluence, social status, and the much-cherished Arab virtue, hospitality.
In Levantine and Iraqi villages, certain wind instruments are inseparable from wedding songs and dances. One is the open-ended, end-blown reed flute that is known as Minjayrah among the Lebanese and Shabbabah among the Palestinians. This flute type has a limited melodic range, but produces a distinctly ornate and breathy tone, often combined with the performer's intermittent humming. Unlike the urban nay, this flute is often played by shepherds.
Another essential wind instrument is the double-clarinet type, the Mitbiq in Iraq and the Mijwiz المجوز, literally "doubled," in Lebanon and its vicinity. This instrument consists of two identical reed-tubes, each having five or six holes. Fitted into each tube is a smaller tube, slit in a manner enabling it to vibrate and produce a sound. Unlike flute types, the Mijwiz and other double clarinet types are played by a process known as "circular breathing," which allows the performer to produce a continuous non-interrupted sound. Comparable in blowing technique and construction is the Palestinian Yarghul, which has, instead of two melody tubes, one melody tube and a longer tube without holes, used for producing a sustained accompanying sound or drone.
In
the Levant and Iraq, double-reeds or oboe-type instruments are also played
characteristically with a Tabl الطبل, a large double-sided drum.
The Zamr, or the Zurna, usually accompanies folk dances and is typically
used at outdoor festivities.
One
instrument played in both folk and urban contexts in this same region is a
long-necked fretted lute with metal strings commonly called
Buzuq البزق. Generally associated with itinerant Gypsies, the
Buzuq has a carved sound-box and resembles the Turkish saz from which it
appears to have been derived. Modern versions with mechanical pegs also
exist.
In this area, percussion instruments include the Darbukkah, a conically shaped hand-drum of pottery or metal, and the Daff الدف, a small tambourine used typically by the Lebanese performers of Zajal, or sung folk-poetry.
In Egyptian folk music, particularly in villages along the Nile, a wide variety of instruments exist. Instrumental music plays a prominent role, and larger ensembles of melody and percussion instruments are typical. Doubling, or using more than one of the same instruments in the same ensemble, is fairly common. The instrumentalists are usually professionals who perform under the direction of a rayyis, a leading instrumentalist.
Among
Egypt's folk instruments is the Salamiyyah, an open-ended reed-flute,
characteristically breathy in tone and commonly seen in folk-oriented Sufi
performances. The Zummarah is comparable to the Lebanese Mijwiz, while the
Arghul resembles the Palestinian yarghul. The double-reed Mizmar
المزمار appears characteristically with a large double-sided drum called Tabl
Baladi. Typically, three Mizmars play together. The
Rababah, a two-string spike fiddle
whose sound box is made from a coconut shell, is characteristically used by
the sha'ir to accompany folk epics.
The
percussion instruments of Egypt are numerous and play an essential role in
the music. They include the Riqq الرق, a Tambourine-like
instrument, the Tablah, the Tabl Baladi, the tar, a large frame drum, and
the Mazhar, a large tambourine, with sets of cymbals. Small brass
finger-cymbals, or
Sajat, are used by the dancers.
The
Arabian Gulf region presents a wide variety of instrument types and playing
techniques. Percussion plays a central part. In terms of sonority and
construction, the instruments seem to reflect the area's exposure to the
Levant, Africa,
and perhaps South Asia. Pearl fishermen's songs, or Fijri, of Kuwait, Qatar,
and Bahrain employ percussive sound in the form of complicated group
hand-clapping. In these songs, a small double-sided hand-drum, known as the
Mirwas, is used. Large, slightly elongated, double-sided drums, comparable
in features to both Indian and African drum-forms, are also used. Another
member of the pearl fishermen's song ensemble is the jahlah, a clay pot
played with both hands. In addition, the Gulf region features a variety of
wind instruments including both double and single-reeds, in addition to the
nomads' single-string Rababah.
North Africa has numerous folk instruments, both melodic and percussive. These instruments accompany various genres of dance and song, both secular and sacred. The instruments also represent the large ethnic variety found within this vast geographical area. In matters of construction and playing technique, they also demonstrate the influence of both the Asiatic Near East and Africa proper.
North African folk instruments include the Qasabah, an end-blown reed flute which produces a breathy sound enriched with overtones. Used mostly to accompany songs, this instrument is common in Southern Algeria and the Oasis area of Tunisia.
A
North African single-reed instrument comparable to the Levantine Mijwiz, but
equipped with two horn bells, in the Maqrunah, which is
commonly played in Libya and Tunisia. In these countries, and in Algeria,
this instrument also appears with a bag and is played in the bagpipe style.
In this form it is known by the name Mizwid, literally
"bag," or "food pouch."
Double-reed instruments are also prevalent. The zukrah of Tunisia and the ghaytah of Morocco play an extensive role in public festivities. In Morocco, ensembles usually combine several of these instruments with percussion. A long natural trumpet called Nafir is occasionally used in Morocco as a signaling instrument.
Fretless, long-necked lutes, whose sound boxes are covered with skin, appear to be a specialty of western North Africa and certain parts of the African Sahara. The Moroccan Ginbri, whose neck is cylindrical in shape, is common among members of the Ginnawa brotherhood, whose religious rites are apparently rooted in sub-Saharan Africa. Another common instrument, whose function is comparable to that of the Rababah in Egypt and among the eastern Bedouins, is the Moroccan folk Rabab, a long-necked fiddle with a round skin-covered sound box and a single string made of horsehair positioned to the side rather than in front of the neck. It is typically used for voice accompaniment by the rwayyis, a professional group of entertainers and praise singers.
In
North Africa, percussion instruments include the Tabl, a cylindrical
double-sided drum; the qas'ah, a large, shallow kettledrum
found in southern Tunisia; the double
Naqqarah, pottery kettledrums of
Morocco; and various forms of vase-shaped hand-drums and tambourines. In
Moroccan Berber music of the Atlas Mountains, a number of snare frame-drums,
or bandirs, may be played simultaneously. This group of instruments also
includes the qaraqib, metal clackers that roughly resemble double-castanets
and are held two in each hand. These are commonly used by Ginnawa
performers, particularly during weddings and other festive events.
Finally, instruments of the Arab world have been influenced by urbanization and Westernization. Folk instruments are becoming popular in the cities and are frequently modified to suit urban musical styles. Concurrently, urban instruments are being introduced into folk musical traditions. In the Arab world, Western instruments are prevalent and in some cases are connected with new musical repertoire. Keyboard instruments are usually adjusted to produce some of the neutral intervals of Arab music. Viewed in their great variety, Arab musical instruments are a living testimony to Arab history, musical and visual aesthetics, and the social and cultural facets of a rich and complex society.