Masmoudi, Chiftetelli and Other 8/4 Rhythms

RHY-033 What is masmoudi kebir and how do I play it? #

Masmoudi kebir (“big masmoudi”) is 8/4: D D - T D - T - (grid: quarter notes), “dum dum – tek dum – tek –”. It’s baladi stretched over 8 beats, which is the same as 2 bars of 4/4, so count in whole bars or you’ll lose your place. It’s slow to medium, deliberate and powerful. Maqamworld calls it one of the most popular rhythms of 20th-century tarab, and its examples include Abdel Wahab’s Bint el-Balad and Umm Kulthum’s Ruba’iyyat al-Khayyam. That long gap in the second half is prime space for your fills and rolls.

RHY-034 What’s the difference between “two-dum” and “three-dum” masmoudi? #

It comes down to one stroke: whether beat 5, the start of the second half, is a dum.

• Three-dum: dums on beats 1, 2 and 5. The Three Winds troupe describes it as someone striding deliberately (the “walking” masmoudi).
• Two-dum: beat 5 becomes a tek or is left open. The same source calls it “warring”, like two people arguing back and forth, and groovier.

Written forms differ. Some sources place the third dum somewhere else again, so check whatever you’re given against a recording.

RHY-035 What is chiftetelli (çiftetelli / tsifteteli)? #

Chiftetelli is a slow 8/4 rhythm: D - - T - - T - D - D - T - - - (8ths). The first half is a 3+3+2 phrase; the second half is two dums, a tek, and a long silence. It’s Turkish in origin. Baba Yaga reminds players that “silence is a note” here, and that’s the whole rhythm in four words: don’t fill that gap in. It’s used for taqsim, sensual veil work, slow floor work, and the Turkish/Greek dance of the same name. Played faster it compresses into a 4/4 that maqamworld says is nearly identical to wahda w-nuss.

RHY-036 What is Greek tsifteteli? #

It’s the Greek name for the same rhythm, and for the solo belly-dance style danced to it, mostly by women. It came to Greece with Anatolian Greeks after the 1923 population exchange, and it sits beside zeibekiko as one of the core Greek popular dances. Wikipedia describes the 8/4 rhythm as 3+3+2 eighths followed by 2+2+2 with a silent last beat, which matches the chiftetelli pattern above. Greek pop also uses a fast 2/4 or 4/4 “tsifteteli” version.

RHY-037 What’s the difference between chiftetelli and wahda kebira? #

It’s a fair question, and sources disagree. Baba Yaga reports the rule of thumb that “wahda has one dum, chiftetelli has two” (the two dums in the second half). Maqamworld defines wahda kabira as wahda stretched over two measures, also called wahda sunbati. Baba Yaga also notes that Egyptians may call chiftetelli “wahda kebira”, Lebanese musicians “wahda w-nuss” and Syrians/Iraqis “dar e noss”. So use your ears and listen for the second-half dums: two dums together means chiftetelli, a sparse second half means wahda kebira or sombati.

RHY-038 What is bambi? #

Bambi is a stretched Egyptian 8/4: D - - T - - T - - T - - D - D - (8ths). Maqamworld says it usually starts on beat 7, so three dums in a row (the last two plus the first) open each cycle. You’ll find it under improvisations and sparse vocal sections. Examples include Simon Shaheen’s Taqsim on the Beat and part of Alf Leila w Leila. Baba Yaga calls it “similar to wahda kebira but faster”, and both sources agree on that three-dum signature, which is the part to listen for.

RHY-039 When do I use masmoudi versus chiftetelli for a slow section? #

Both are slow 8-beat cycles, so it’s about weight. Masmoudi is heavier and more stately: think grand orchestral tarab entrances. Chiftetelli is more sinuous, more breathing, and it’s the classic bed for a taqsim. Baba Yaga suggests masmoudi as the slower alternative when chiftetelli starts to feel too familiar.