Indonesian Gamelan & Middle Eastern Percussion Traditions

Question 1

The darbuka originates from…

Answer 1

potentially Anatolia, Central Asia, or North Africa.

Question 2

The darbuka is used in…

Answer 2

theatric/classical/popular music of Middle Eastern countries; Considered folk instrument in Turkish history; Some Western classical pieces.

Question 3

It is hard to draw a cultural map of the darbuka because…

Answer 3

of its historical/cross-cultural use and the wide range of the time period.

Question 4

Performances styles on the darbuka range…

Answer 4

from musician to musician; perceived differences in attitudes as stylistic richness instead of producing strict patterns of understanding.

Question 5

Etymology of the word “darbuka” comes from…

Answer 5

“darb” - to hit
“darba” - repeated blows

Question 6

Three main categories of clay darbuka include…

Answer 6

(1) solo (smallest)
(2) sumbati (mid-range)
(3) dehollo (largest)

Question 7

Ahmet learns/teaches music by using…

Answer 7

existing musical discourse transferred orally; Learns by committing music to memory and teaches the same.

Question 8

Two basic strokes on the darbuka include…

Answer 8

(1) “dum” (bass sound) (first strike sound)
(2) “tek” (sharp sound) (second strike sound)

Question 9

Listeners should keep in mind while being concentrated on rhythmic structures the…

Answer 9

(1) Evaluation about the interpretation/style differences like musical richness
(2) Definitions of cultural richness through music (vehicle to express thoughts/emotions)
(3) Differences in attitude as stylistic richness instead of strict patterns of understanding
(4) Consistent patterns of individual performer to figure out what they’re trying to portray

Question 10

Darbuka repertoire primarily carried through…

Answer 10

memory (always verbal-never written).

Question 11

Purpose of written notation in study of darbuka was…

Answer 11

(1) To help determine boundaries of performance besides area of freedom brought by musical practice