Tapan
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A tapan (Macedonian тапан) is a large double-headed drum. Tapani are commonly used in the folk music of Macedonia. In Bulgaria they are called tǔpan or tǎpan (Bulgarian тъпан), and in Turkey they are called davuls. Tapani have a deep sound and are most often used to accompany other instruments such as the zurla and gaida. Tapani are also played solo in some Macedonian folklore dances and songs.
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[edit] Construction
Tapan drum shells are made of soft wood ("orev", "kosten"). To make the shell, the wood is boiled in water to make it bendable. The heads of the tapani are usually goat skin, and they are shaped into circles by wooden frames. However, one head may be goat skin to provide a higher tone, while the other head can be and sheepskin, calfskin, or even donkey-skin to provide a lower tone. Rope ("kanap" or "konop") threaded back and forth across the shell of the drum, from head to head in a zigzag pattern, holds the heads on the drum and provides tension for tuning the drum. Sometimes metal rings or leather straps join neighboring strands of the rope in order to allow for further tuning. Two rings are attached to the main rope to hold a rope which is used for a belt to hold the Tapan. Most often the Tapan is made in two dimensions: "golem Tapan" (500 - 550 mm) and "mal Tapan" or tapanche (300 - 350 mm).
[edit] Playing style
The Turkish and Bulgarian styles of tapan playing use two kinds of sticks. Tapan players use a rope hooked to the drum to hold the drum sideways, so that one head is accessible with the left hand and one with the right. The drummer plays the accented beats on one side of the drum and unaccented beats on the other side. Accents are played by the dominant hand with a special stick known as the kukuda or ukanj. This stick is a thick pipe-like stick about 440 mm long, which is made from a soft wood called orev. The drumhead played with the kukuda is often muted with a cloth. Unaccented beats are played by the nondominant hand on the other head using a thin switch called pracka. Pracka is usually made from hard wood (vrba, dren, or cornel).
The Balkan school of tapan playing presumes the playing (not the accompaniment) of a melody, where the twig is used to express all that the player wishes to say, while the stick is only used to accentuate certain moments in the melody.
[edit] Uses
For centuries the tapan was irreplaceable at village festivities (weddings, celebrations of patrons saints of homes and villages), and was played along with zurla (zurna) and gaida or in larger instrumental ensembles, as well as being played as a solo instrument.
The rhythm of the tapan is complex and utilizes many accents in numerous traditional time signatures, and it is played all over Macedonia.
[edit] History
The instrument originates from the Middle East. It was used in ceremonies in ancient Greece such as religious festivals or war marches.[citation needed]
Fresco-paintings from the fourteenth century show that the tapan was used in the Balkans before the arrival of the Turks. Judging by that, it may be concluded that Tapan was used in Macedonian music and songs before the fourteenth century. Whether the tapan is an original Macedonian instrument is not known at the moment.
