Custom Search
|
This page gives some insight about some of the major instruments in Middle-Eastern Music.
Here is Dr. Ara DerMarderosian's Armenian Song Book for beginner piano.
One very common instrument in Armenian Music and also Arabic music is
the Oud (pictured left).
This ancestor of the Lute has 12 strings (2 for each note).
The Oud is, in fact, the ancestor of most of the guitars in the West. It's
been dated to be around 2,000 years old and has not changed much over time. Ouds are very commonly used
in various types of music in the middle-east including Arabic, Armenian, and Turkish music.
Here is a wonderful video of John Bilezikjian and John Berberian-two virtuoso oudists- playing 2 ouds together at an oudoor picnic while the listeners dance away!
Also another string instrument used in the middle east,
especially in Turkey, is the Saz. (pictured right) It resembles
a narrow oud with a very long neck.
As stated previously, the Oud is the ancestor of the western lute and similarly the Saz is the ancestor of the Bouzouki (pictured left). This is the most popular and beloved guitar of Greece, but its use is not limited there. It has also been occasionally used in middle eastern and even Armenian music.
An Armenian Composer, Sayat Nova, who live hundreds of years ago, used to play some of his serenadal compositions on the Kemence , a commonly used middle eastern instrument in Armenia and Turkey. The 3 stringed violin like instrument is played with a bow. Unlike a violin, it is played vertically on the knee.
The Duduk is woodwind instrument which is commonly used in both Armenia and Turkey. It is made from the bark of the apricot tree and is estimated to be about 3,000 years old. It has a thumbhole, 7 fingerholes. It's sound resembles a mystical clarinet. This instrument has become very popular in recent days, appearing in movies such as Gladiator and Passion of the Christ. One of the most well known duduk players, who has appeared in blockbuster soundtracks playing this ancient instrument is Armenia's own Givan Gasparian. This video is a clip from one of Yanni's live concerts, featuring Pedro Eustache on the Duduk, Samvel Yervinyan & Armen Movsessian on Violins.
Another wind instrument popular in Armenia is the zourna. Whenever I hear this instrument it reminds me of a bagpipe,because the timbres are so similar. This instrument is much smaller though. In ancient times the zourna was used to notify people in the village that the wedding was about to take place. If you ever heard a zourna live, you'd know why. The sound is so sharp, it cuts through any noise!
Another instrument used in Armenian Music and also Arabic music is the
Kanun. This instrument is also very very old. It is played on the lap
and plucked with thimble like pics which are placed on the fingers.
It resembles very much the inside of the early pianos of the west.
It is triangular in shape and produces a timbre very close to the
harpsichord.
The tones though are much more sophistocated. This is one of my favorite
instruments. This video features Abdullah Chhadeh and his skillful taksim.
The drum of Armenian Music and the middle eastern world
is called the Doumbeg, tumpook, or tableh .
It resembles an hourglass in shape and
can produce many sounds depending on how it is hit. There are no sticks
involved when playing this instrument. The bare hands are used. Hitting
a doumbeg towards the edge as opposed to the middle can make it sound
hollow or rubbery. You can even hit a few notes depending on how you play it.
There are so many noises you can make with a doumbeg
I can't even begin to explain them. Here is a video of Souhail Kaspar jamming on a doumbeg.
