Arabic & Turkish
These two Middle Eastern music traditions are closely related. Both use the Maqam system and they share many of the same rhythms, so they are included together here. Performed on instruments such as the Darbuka, Riq, Bendir and Davul, the clear structure of low accents (Doum) and high accents (Tak) make these rhythms are extremely versatile. From dance rhythms, such as Maqsoum, Malfuf and Belledi, to classical rhythms, such as the spacious 10-beat Samai, the grooves transfer beautifully to the handpan and can be a never-ending source of inspiration.
Ayoub
The Ayoub is another popular Middle Eastern rhythm in 2/4. It is closely related to the Malfuf, adding an additional bass stroke on the 2nd beat. It is traditionally played for Sufi music, some folk music and dance. If you want to explore the countless variations of Ayoub, check out the lessons on Independence in our Level 2 course.
Belledi / Masmoudi Saghir
The Belledi, or ‘small Masmoudi’ is one of 3 popular Middle Eastern dance rhythms that share the same structure (the others are Maqsoum and Saiidi). The two bass sounds at the beginning of the pattern make it feel heavier and it is often played a little slower than the Maqsoum.
Felahi
The Felahi has a similar accent pattern to the Maqsoum, but it is played in doubletime. It is a very uptempo, energetic rhythm and the accents are less pronounced than with the Maqsoum and flow into each other. Felahi loosely translates as ‘from the farmers/peasants’.
Halftime Khaligi
Not strictly a traditional rhythm, this groove is very much inspired by Middle Eastern music and rhythms. It is basically a halftime Khaliigi. One of my personal favourites on the handpan.
Khaligi
The Khaligi has the same 3-3-2 subdivision as another Middle Eastern rhythm - the Malfuf. The difference between the two is that the Khalighi has 2 bass accents instead of 1. These bass sounds make it a little heavier than the Malfuf. It is one of our all-time favourite grooves at Handpan Dojo and works beautifully on the handpan. For more Khaligi variations, compositions and compositions, you can check out our Level 2 course.
Malfuf/Lef
The Malfuf has the 3-3-2 subdivision that you will find all over the world (and in another Middle Eastern rhythm - the Khaligi). This pattern appears in many styles of music in various traditions, from classical to world to electronic dance music. The Malfuf is usually played mid-to-uptempo and is often played for dance and popular music. Malfuf is the Arabic word for ‘wrap’.
Maqsoum
The Maqsoum is one the most common rhythms to accompany Middle Eastern/belly dancing. You have probably heard it before. It shares the same subdivision with Belledi and Saiidi. It is usually played mid-to-uptempo. For more variations and a Maqsoum composition, check out the Maqsoum lesson in our Level 1 course.
Masmoudi Kebir
A popular rhythm in the Tarab repertoire of the 20th century. The ‘big Masmoudi’ is a half-time version of the 4/4 Masmoudi, going over 2 bars of 4/4 or one bar of 8/4. It creates a lot of space for dancers or musicians to play with and there are lots of beautiful variations of this rhythm. Sometimes, a 3rd bass stroke is added between the two characteristic bass accents that start the pattern.
Sombati / Chiftetelli
This groove is like a doubletime Chiftetelli without the double Doum. It is popular in Turkey, and in Egypt where it is referred to as Sombati. Its accent pattern is quite similar to the Afro-Cuban ‘son clave’, but with the accent on the 3rd downbeat instead of the 3rd upbeat. For a handpan composition based on this pattern, check out our Level 1 course.
Wahda 4/4
The 4/4 Wahda can be played like a halftime Malfuf. Wahda means ‘one’ in Arabic, referring to the fact that this rhythm in 4/4 has only one bass accent (Doum) on the 1st beat. How you fill the rest of the bar can be very flexible, the single Doum in the beginning being its defining characteristic. The rhythm creates a lot of space and works beautifully on the handpan.
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In the premium version, you will discover twice as many rhythms, each accompanied by play-along practice tracks - most of which were hand-recorded on percussion by David, exclusively for this library.
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EXPLANATORY NOTES
The same rhythm can be known under many different names and those names can be spelled differently, depending on the region or individual.I have used names/spellings that I have most commonly come across when I learned or encountered a rhythm. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are original.
Many of these folk music traditions from around the world are related. For example you will often find the same rhythm in Arabic, Turkish and Greek music.Sometimes you will also find the same pattern in completely different music traditions. One example is the Arabic/Turkish Khaligi and the Brazilian Baiāo.I tried to sort the rhythms in a way that is concise and makes sense, but I don’t necessarily always get it right.
If there are any missing that you would like to see/learn, please let me know in the comments. My aim is for this to be an ongoing and comprehensive project!
We tried to extract the main characteristics of each rhythm and transcribe them to the language of the handpan. For some rhythms, for example most of the Middle-Eastern rhythms, this works quite well. The Middle-Eastern drumming vocabulary with its clear low and high accents (doums and taks), are quite straight-forward to transfer to the handpan.For other rhythms, for example South-American or African polyrhythms, it’s a different story. These grooves can not be transferred 1-to-1 to the handpan and are very much up for interpretation of the performer.
Our examples can never and do not intend to cover the whole cultural manifestation of every genre or rhythm. Nor do we claim to have the the correct or the definitive version. Our patterns are just one of many possible interpretations of a rhythm where we try to capture the essence of a rhythm on the handpan.Culture and traditions are living manifestations and subject to changes and evolution. Many of these rhythms survive until today through oral tradition and have different manifestations in their own countries or places they are original manifested. Therefore, let us always be open-minded in accepting the cultural diversity and living history of our world
I use a tablature notation for the handpan, which is based on the Middle Eastern names for bass and high accents: Doum and Tak (D and T/K)
D = Bass accent
T and K = High accent
● = ghost note or space
Numbers 1-9 = tone fields in a circular layout, starting with the lowest one and going up the scale.
If you don’t have a background in Western music theory, time signatures can be confusing. Here’s a quick summary, taken from our Dojo Dictionary:
Time signatures comprise two numbers, written like a fraction - 34, 68 and so on.
~ The top number shows us how many counts/beats make up a bar.
~ The bottom number is always a power of 2. It shows us what length of note = one count in a bar. Most commonly:
4 = crochets/quarter notes
8 = quavers/eighth notes (twice as fast).
Using the examples above, we have:
3 crochets (34)
6 quavers (68)
Examples of time signatures include:
4/4 time
(also known as ‘Common time’ - the most common in Western music)4 counts to a bar
Each count = crochet/quarter note
(Say: “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” - you are talking in 4/4!) 3/4 time
(think of a Waltz)3 counts to a barEach count = crochet/quarter note
(Say: “1 and 2 and 3 and”)7/8 time
(an ‘odd-metre’)7 counts to a barEach count = quaver/eighth note(Say: “1,2,3,4,5,6,7” at double the speed of the other examples)
With some of the rhythms, I note the rhythmical subdivision, for example 7/8: 3-2-2.
Rhythms are generally subdivided into shorter groupings of 2s and 3s (sometimes 4s).
The number refers to the amount of quavers/eighth notes or semi-quavers/sixteenth notes that a group contains. Using the 7/8 example: the quavers/eighth notes can be subdivided 3-2-2, 2-2-3 or 2-3-2. This refers to the placement of the accents, with each main accent marking the beginning of a new subdivision. In fact, all the 7/8s in the Odd-Metre Grooves section are worth checking out to see how the different subdivisions change the feel of the rhythm.
This World Rhythm Library project was inspired by Jas’s Middle Eastern Rhythm FAQ, an incredible resource I have visited countless times over the years: http://www.khafif.com/rhy/
Other sources:
Maqamworld.com
Monette Marino (https://www.monettemarino.com) - Mo'Rhythm (amazing IOS app for Djembe rhythms)
Greek Dance Rhythms for Drums - Basics and Beyond (Fred Bolder)