Membranophones

I chose this percussion instrument known in Morocco as tar (tambourine) for the following reasons:

1) My father sent me to the Music Institute to learn the rudiments of music but the director of the Institute insisted that I participated in Andalusian music practice as a listener.

2) From this early experience, I developed a thirst for knowledge that led the director of the Institute himself to teach me how to play the tambourine (tar).

As there was no other student in the Institute taking tambourine lessons, I was supposed to maintain the beat of the Institute’s band. Additionally, I used to practice with my brother to hone my artistic skills and I liked it so much to the degree that I preferred playing the tambourine to studying.

I do not have any knowledge of the evolution of the tambourine from its initial form. I was not interested in the history of the instrument but my main concern was learning how to play the tambourine and excel at it.

I received a lot of encouragement from my father, who urged me to play the tambourine at home whenever the opportunity arose. I should not forget the importance of this instrument in my cultural life. Indeed, whenever I get bored of studying or when I am preparing for an exam at night or when I come Back from school, I pick up my favorite instrument to have fun, enjoy the rhythm and unwind.

The tambourine is a musical instrument used in Andalusian music to maintain rhythm. It is also used in Moroccan modern music. In fact, the tambourine used in Moroccan cities, both old cities that celebrate traditional ceremonies including Andalusian music festivals and modern economic and administrative cities that have modern bands, has only one shape and form. It is possible that tambourines used in Middle Eastern countries have different shapes but I have never seen them. I can affirm that the tambourine is used in most Moroccan cities because it is light, has a beautiful shape and produces a beat that attracts music fans. Besides, the tambourine has a cultural continuity since it is a very old instrument in Morocco, which is as exciting to look at as any other historical monument in the country.

The tar and the darbuka are two percussion instruments with similar characteristics. First of all, both these drums are played with the hands throughout a musical piece, marking the time and rhythm. Technically, there is also some resemblance between the two instruments. The dom (deep and resonant beat) of the tar, like the beat of the darbuka, is simple and strong. The tek (light beat) is weaker and is played to fill up the empty space of the rhythm. But there are some well known dissimilarities as well, particularly with respect to:

1) their shape, since the tar is smaller and includes brass jingles around the edge of its small cylindrical frame while the darbuka is obviously larger;

2) their weight, since the tar is very light and easy to play with the hands while the darbuka is heavier and must be balanced on the musician’s knees;

3) the hand positions, since the tar is held in the right hand and struck with the free left hand, thus creating a rhythmic balance between the dom and the tek; and
4) the movement in musical interpretation, because it is strictly prohibited to play the dom of the tar with the left hand at the same time between one dom and another. The left hand also plays the tek or weaker beat and there are no less specific rules about when it should be played. Its role is also to focus the rhythm. The dom is produced by hitting the centre of the darbuka and the tek by hitting the edge.

It is difficult to determine precisely the geographical or cultural origin of these instruments since there are no historical sources. We only know that they specifically related to Andalusian music in Morocco where they keep the beat of songs.

The tar is essentially a short cylindrical wooden frame covered with a piece of very thin goat skin. Around the edge of the frame are five small openings or byout (cutouts), each with a pair of brass jingles. With its goatskin covering, the sound of the tar is higher pitched than the tambourine while the clinking of its jingles is deeper and thicker.

Each of these instruments can be played solo but they can also harmoniously complement the rhythm as an integral part of an orchestra.