Tonbak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Tombac.

A Tombak (also known as tonbak, donbak, dombak and zarb) is a goblet drum from Persia (now commonly known as Iran). It is considered the principal percussion instrument of Persian music.

1 Construction
2 Culture
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Construction

The tonbak has five parts:

Skin
Body
Throat
Small Opening
Large Opening

The skin is usually glued to the body. Goat or lamb skin is the most popular material for the skin. The body of a Tonbak is made of mulberry wood which gives it its distinctive sound. The body may be decorated with carved furrows. The throat is almost cylindrical and it is connected from top to the body. The In fact the throat and small opening together are in the form of a trumpet. The large opening is in the top and is covered by the skin.

[edit] Culture

Goblet-shaped drums are played in different regions of Asia, East Europe and Africa. Although there are some similarities among all goblet drums, the techniques for playing the tonbak are different from most other goblet drums of the world. The modern tonbak described in this page is most commonly associated with the music of Iran.

Following the Islamic Revolution, the tombak gained popularity as Iranian pop music was banned and replaced by instrumental classical music. Today, the tombak is a serious concert instrument as well as a party favorite among the people of Iran.

The most common rhythm associated with the tombak is a 6/8,2/4,4/4 measure. The tombak does not simply serve the function of a metronome. The melodic beat of the drum is usually woven into the music like any other instrument. At times, a tombak player will adhere strictly to a set of notations, but in other instances he/she will improvise. The tombak was not considered a soloist instrument until the pioneering work of Ostad Hossein Tehrani in the 1950's. Modern players are expanding the technique of playing the tombak exponentially. Examples include: Madjid Khaladj,Navid Afghah,Pejman Hadadi, Djamshid Chemirani and Pasha Karami.

CD Temple of wooden fiures:Navid Afghah

CD Genesis:Navid Afghah

CD Infinite Breath - Nafas / Madjid Khaladj (Ba Music Records, 2006)

and