World Music Adventures

The Gu zheng (古箏) is a traditional Chinese zither with approximately 2,500 years of history. The character Gu (古) literally means “ancient” while Zheng (箏) means “zither.” Indeed it is one of China’s oldest instruments. The earliest form of the instrument emerged during the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.E) and it gained popularity during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.E). During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.), the gu zheng was highly appreciated and became one of the most popular instruments.

Zither Family

The Gu zheng descended from the Se ( 瑟), an ancient zither played more than 3,000 years ago. The Se is made of a large, rectangular soundbox, contains 25 silk strings, and moveable bridges. It is one of China’s most important ancient instruments, along with the Gu zheng (古箏) and the Gu qin ( 古琴).

The Gu zheng is the parent instrument in the Asian long zither family. It is the ancestor to the Japanese Koto, Korean Gayageum, Mongolida Yatga, and the Vietnamese Dan trah.

The mridangam is a double-sided drum found primarily in South India. It is the main form of rhythmic accompaniment for Carnatic music and religious kirtan music. The mridangam originated from the pakhavaj drum, a barrel-shaped drum that is also the predecessor of the North Indian tabla. The mridangam is an ancient drum that has been enjoyed for many centuries.

According to ancient Hindu scriptures, the mridangam was known as “Instrument of the Gods” due to its preference among a number of deities including Ganesha and Nandi. Legend has it that Nandi, companion of Lord Shiva, played the mridangam during the performance of the “Taandav” dance by Shiva.

The name mridangam is derived from 2 Sanskrit words, “mrid” meaning clay, and “ang” meaning body. In fact, the original material of the mridangam was made of clay. Modern day drums are commonly made from hollowing out a single block of wood, usually from the jackfruit tree. The body of the mridangam is barrel-shaped with two openings at each end. The two openings are covered with leather and are laced together with leather straps around the circumference of the drum. The straps are strung with high tension and are used to tune the drum, occasionally with the aid of wooden pegs placed in between the straps. The bass head is usually tuned one octave lower than the treble head.

The right side of the drum is the treble head. It is made of 3 concentric rings of leather, although only 2 are visible from the outside. The outer ring is usually made of cow hide, while the inner ring is usually made of goat hide. A permanent black spot of paste covers the center of the drum head. This paste is made from boiled rice, iron filings, and manganese. This spot of paste gives the mridangam its unique tones. Striking this spot creates different harmonics based on the various finger techniques used.

The left side of the drum is the bass head. It is made of two rings of leather, the outer ring is made of buffalo hide and the inner ring is made of goat hide. Before playing the mridangam, a temporary paste of rice flour and water is applied to the bass head. This makes the leather more flexible and it lowers the pitch. It also allows the player to produce a more dramatic bass sound that is characteristic to the mridangam by bending the note after the head is struck. After each performance, the paste is removed.

The Indian Tala System

The tala rhythmic system is perhaps one of the most complex rhythmic systems in the world. It is highly mathematical and takes many years to master.

Tala is a rhythmic cycle made up of beats. It is similar to the concept of a measure. In South Indian Carnatic music, the rhythmic cycle can range from 3 beats to 29 beats. The rhythm is counted with a series of claps, waves, and finger movements to set the beat.

There are 3 basic units which can be combined to create a tala cycle.

Anudrutam contains one beat. Counted by one clap of the hand.

Drutam contains 2 beats. Counted by a clap, followed by a wave of the hand (or a clap with the same hand palm up)

Laghu is a hand clap on the first beat, followed by a counting on the fingers. The number of beats can be 3, 4, 5, 7, or 9.

The darbuka is the quintessential Middle Eastern hand drum. It is a popular percussion instrument that is played throughout Northern Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Balkans. Its name varies based on region, it is also commonly known as Dumbek or Tablah.

Although the early history of the darbuka is unclear, it is believed to be of ancient origin. Artistic representations only document the existence of the darbuka as early as the 19^th century though. Since the 20^th century, it has been the dominant percussion instrument in Middle Eastern music. In earlier times, large-hooped frame drums, such as the Riq, Tar, and Daf, were the main percussion instruments.

The darbuka is a goblet-shaped drum often made from clay, wood, aluminum, or copper. The head of the drum is traditionally made from goat’s skin, although synthetic drum heads are now more common. There are 2 main types of darbuka, the Turkish Darbuka and the Egyptian Darbuka. The Turkish Darbuka is typically made of a lightweight metal and has a sharp edge on the head of the drum. The Egyptian Darbuka is typically made of a heavier clay and features thick, rounded edges around the drum head. Intricate geometric tilework on the body of the drum is characteristic of the Egyptian style.

Playing Techniques

The darbuka is played with the hands, often requiring highly complex finger techniques. When learning the darbuka, it is first important to learn each bol, or stroke. Each bol is a phonetic sound that refers to a specific stroke on the drum. Some basic bols include Doum, tek, and ka.

Doum is the deep bass sound. It is played by the right hand, holding the fingers together, striking the center of the drum and allowing it to bounce off.

Tek is the high rim sound played by the right hand. It is played by using the middle and ring finger to strike the edge of the drum.

Ka is the high rim sound played by the left hand.

Pa is a slap sound. It is played with loose fingers and the hand is kept on the head of the drum.

Traditional Rhythms

Using the system of bols, one can express a rhythm in a spoken form. It is quite common for a musician to recite the rhythm first, then play the rhythm.