Instrument Definitions

Question 1

Gambus

Answer 1

• wooden, pear-shaped plucked lute
• short and fretless neck
• 5-8 strings in double crosses and a single high pitch string
• held horizontally in player’s lap and plucked with fingers

Question 2

Accordion

Answer 2

• Box-shaped aerophone
• played by stretching and squeeing with the hands to work a central bellow that blows air over metal reeds while melody and chords are sounded by buttons or keys

Question 3

Rebana

Answer 3

• single-head frame drum resembling the Arab Tar that states main dance rhythm
• drum skin made of taut goat hide
• wooden wedges inserted between the body and rattan brace to tighten the drumhead

Question 4

Gong

Answer 4

Knobbed bronze gong between 30-60cm in diameter
Hung vertically from wooden rack
Serves colotomic function of marking time

Question 5

Marwas

Answer 5

Small double-sized hand drum of middle-eastern origin

Played in groups of 3 in interlocking manner

Question 6

Dok

Answer 6

large double-sized hand drum
played by striking drumhead with both hands
low resonant timbre that punctuates zapin rhythmic cycle on specific beats —> colotomic function

• Marwas and Dok plays zapin rhythmic pattern —> kopak