FINGERS OF FURY

Percussion of the Arabic World and beyond

Part 3 - The Req / Practice Sessions / Advanced Fingerstyle

Matt Stonehouse

The Riq, or Req is a pocket drum kit. One of the most amazing hand drums ever invented! It is generally made with sh or goat skin and a timber body yet its not uncommon to nd more modern ones made with plastic skin. The riq has ten groups of Zills (cymbals) placed around the frame and is usually a diameter of around ten inches with a frame depth of two inches. Like the darbuka, there is an innite combination of sounds that can be created and youll also notice that the Tuk and Tun are the same as that in nger style Darbuka playing. It is highly recommended that someone playing a Darbuka should also learn the Riq and other frame drums; not just to be a more dynamic and versatile musician but to compliment a particular composition with the correct tones. When choosing a Riq it should be reasonably light to avoid stress on the wrist and the Zills should have a nice rich tone with good volume. There are metal Riqs available with a blue skin like those found on the darbuka, however I have found these too heavy on the wrist and with a poor Zill tone. Save yourself the pain and jump on the net with about $60 - $100 to spare and get something comfortable to play with a nice tone. This will also save your wrist! In this chapter I will cover a basic way of playing the Riq, which is ideal for supporting a Darbuka player. Also I will cover another style to allow for ornamentation and lls. Once these techniques are mastered, if you wish to further your technique, check out the classical style. This is where the Riq can replace the Darbuka as a solo drum. You will hear this style of playing on many of the older recordings of Turkish and Egyptian music where the composition allows for a more subtle drum to be played. Its an amazing way of playing and the ngers of both hands are used on the skin.

The Riq

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Basic technique & rhythm

182

Position 1 - like nger style Darbuka

Position 2 - like finger style Darbuka 183

Position 1 - like finger style Darbuka This is now our Dum sound

Position 2 - like finger style Darbuka

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Basic technique & rhythm

184

Position 1

Position 2

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Basic technique & rhythm

Position 1

Position 2

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Basic technique & rhythm

Position 1

Position 2 - dampened

The Slap on the riq is similar to the darbuka slap, except for the way that the fingers are separated.

96

Basic technique & rhythm

188

Position 1

Position 2

The rim is struck with an open palm to replace the tun with a more full cymbal sound.

In order to reduce the amount of cymbal volume coming through the rhythm, try tilting the riq forward slightly.

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Basic technique & rhythm

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Basic technique & rhythm

2
R R

1
R

3
L

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Basic technique & rhythm

Below are our now familiar sounding Arabic rhythms. I have included a simple variation ideal for accompanying a Darbuka player and also some more ornamental variations, when the Riq is featured....... I told you it was like a pocket drum kit!

21 e & a 2 e & a 4 Tn C C Tn C C M C

21 e & a 2 e & a 4 Tn C C Tn C C T C

21 e & a 2 e & a 4 Tn Tn M C

r r

r r

100

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