Embellishing and Switching Between Rhythms

RHY-086 How do I embellish a basic rhythm without losing it? #

Leave the dums and main teks exactly where they are, and fill only the rests with light strokes. Maqsum D T - T D - T - becomes D - T - t k T - D - t k T - t k (16ths), for example. Take the extra Ka strokes with your weak hand, keep them clearly softer than the skeleton, and add density a little at a time rather than all at once. If your listener, and especially a dancer, can no longer hear the skeleton, you’ve gone too far.

RHY-087 What are the most common ways to vary a rhythm? #

These are the ones you’ll use most:

• Filling the gaps with tk tk.
• Swapping a tek for a slap or a pop to sharpen an accent.
• Doubling a dum (maqsum ↔ baladi).
• Dropping strokes to create space (“silence is a note”).
• Rolling through a long rest, e.g. masmoudi’s second half.
• Playing a short break or fill at the end of a 4- or 8-bar phrase to signal a change.

RHY-088 How much should I embellish when accompanying a dancer or singer? #

Less than you think. Dancers hit their accents on the skeleton, and singers need space to breathe and ornament. In wahda and chiftetelli especially, the rests are the character of the rhythm. Save the flashy fills for phrase endings and for your drum solo.

RHY-089 How should I practise switching between related rhythms? #

Loop them in pairs over a metronome: maqsum ↔ baladi ↔ saidi (changing only the dums), 2 bars of malfuf ↔ 1 bar of maqsum, and chiftetelli ↔ wahda w-nuss. That’s the drill I give students. Switch on the bar line, without a stumble or a gap, and don’t let the tempo creep up when you change. That’s exactly how Arabic songs modulate between iqa’at, so practising it this way is practising the real job.

RHY-090 How do I practise odd meters like 9/8 and 7/8? #

Set your metronome to click only on the group starts: four uneven clicks for 9/8, three for 7/8. Say the grouping out loud (“1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2-3”) while you play the skeleton, and don’t add a single fill until the “limp” feels natural under your hands. A Drum Forum instructor notes that the Turkish 9/8 groove really comes alive from about 120 BPM upward, so you’ll need the skeleton solid before you get there.

RHY-091 What tempo are these rhythms usually played at? #

There’s no fixed tempo for any of them, but as a rough guide:

• Malfuf, fallahi, ayoub and khaleegi: fast.
• Maqsum: anywhere from medium to fast.
• Baladi and saidi: medium.
• Masmoudi, chiftetelli, wahda and zeibekiko: slow.

Plenty of rhythms change tempo within a single performance, too. Baladi progressions and zar pieces are famous for accelerating.