Tambourine
Riq, Buben | |
Classification | Hand percussion |
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Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 112.122(+211.311, with drumhead) (Indirectly struck idiophone, sometimes including struck membranophone) |
Related instruments | |
The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head. Tambourines are often used with regular percussion sets. They can be mounted, for example on a stand as part of a drum kit (and played with drum sticks), or they can be held in the hand and played by tapping, hitting, or shaking the instrument.
Tambourines come in many shapes with the most common being
History
The origin of the tambourine is unknown, but it appears in historical writings as early as 1700 BC and was used by ancient musicians first in Ancient Egypt, the Ancient Near East and eventually to Greece and other places.[1] The tambourine passed to Europe by way of merchants or musicians.[2] Tambourines were used in ancient Egypt, where they were known as the tof to the Hebrews, in which the instrument was mainly used in religious contexts.[3] The word tambourine finds its origins in French tambourin, which referred to a long narrow drum used in Provence, the word being a diminutive of tambour "drum," altered by influence of Arabic tunbur "drum".[4] from the Middle Persian word tambūr "lute, drum".[5]
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Ancient GreekBourgasArchaeology Museum.
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Woman holding a mirror and a tambourine facing a winged genie with a ribbon and a branch with leaves.oinochoe, ca. 320 BC, from Magna Graecia. (Notice the coloured decorative woven stripes hanging on the tambourine, which can still be seen today on "tamburello", the tambourine of Southern Italy.)
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Girl playing a tambourine. Detail from Recreation (1896), by Charles Sprague Pearce. Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.
Playing
The tambourine can be held in the hand or mounted on a stand, and can be played in numerous ways, from stroking or shaking the jingles to striking it sharply with the hand or a stick or using the tambourine to strike the leg or hip.
Tambourine rolls
There are several ways to achieve a tambourine roll. The easiest method is to rapidly rotate the hand holding the tambourine back and forth, pivoting at the wrist.
Thumb roll
An advanced playing technique is known as the thumb or finger roll.[6][7] The middle finger or thumb is moved over the skin or rim of the tambourine, producing a fast roll from the jingles on the instrument. The thumb or middle finger of the hand not holding the tambourine is run around the head of the instrument approximately one centimeter from the rim with some pressure applied. If performed correctly, the finger should bounce along the head rapidly, producing the roll. Usually, the end of the roll is articulated using the heel of the hand or another finger. Beeswax or rosin is commonly smeared around the edges of the head to assist in the technique. These materials increase friction making it easier to execute. A continuous roll can be achieved by moving the thumb in a "figure of 8" pattern around the head.
Popular music
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Tamborine_detail.jpg/220px-Tamborine_detail.jpg)
Europe
Various European folk traditions include the tambourine. The Romani people used the tambourine as a percussion instrument, and it was often passed around the audience to collect money after a performance. In the late 1700s, the tambourine had a surge in popularity in England, with some composers of salon music writing parts for tambourine, indicating as many as 30 different playing strokes or moves. The tambourines of this era often had a circular hole in the frame for the thumb, as one of the moves was to spin the tambourine on the upright thumb. In the late 19th century, The Salvation Army codified the tambourine as one of their important rhythm instruments. They preferred the term "timbrel" which was taken from the Bible. By 1945, Salvation Army performances often entailed elaborate tambourine choreography performed by squads in para-military style, more for visual appeal than for musicality.[8]
African American influence
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/LadyTambourineJazzfest08Howieluvzus.jpg/220px-LadyTambourineJazzfest08Howieluvzus.jpg)
At the same time, the tambourine expanded from gospel music to various forms of African American popular music including blues and jazz. For instance, singer and guitarist Blind Roosevelt Graves was accompanied by his brother Uaroy on tambourine and voice, singing both sacred and secular songs. Singer-songwriter Josh White got his start as a child performing for handouts in the street with an exuberant tambourine performance, beating the instrument's drumhead on his elbows, knees, and head.[10]
In the 1950s as gospel elements were incorporated into rhythm and blues by African American singers such as Ray Charles, the tambourine often accompanied the changes. It continued its foray into popular music within the music of Motown. Motown singers and musicians often grew up with gospel music, and they carried the tambourine into pop performance. The Supremes performed with two tambourines – more for choreography than percussion – played by Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson standing apart from Diana Ross.[11] Jack Ashford's distinctive tambourine playing was a dominant part of the rhythm section on many Motown records,[12] for instance on the Miracles tune "Going to a Go-Go",[11] and Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is".[12]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Fleetwood_Mac_-_Stevie_Nicks_%281980%29.png/170px-Fleetwood_Mac_-_Stevie_Nicks_%281980%29.png)
Inspired by African American examples, musicians of all races have used the tambourine in modern pop music. It was featured in "
Singers who rarely play an instrument are likely to play the tambourine at concerts:[12] among the most well-known examples are Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, Jim Morrison of the Doors,[13] Janis Joplin leading Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Stevie Nicks as part of Fleetwood Mac and as a solo performer. Very often, the instrument used in pop music is the headless tambourine or "jingle ring", lacking a drum head. The singer should, however, play the tambourine with the overall song arrangement in mind; in some cases, band members have purposely hidden the tambourine from an irresponsible lead singer who disregards the interplay of rhythm.[12] On the other hand, skilled performers such as Jagger have brought a fine sense of timing to their tambourine playing. In the Rolling Stones' 1964 U.S. single of "Time Is on My Side", the less-known version, Jagger lays the tambourine on the front of the beat while Charlie Watts holds the snare to the back of the beat, which allows the longer decay time of the tambourine to synchronise with the snare at the end. The result is an intentional feeling of running to catch up.[14]
In jazz, the tambourine was used prominently but non-traditionally by percussionist Joe Texidor who backed Rahsaan Roland Kirk in 1969 on Volunteered Slavery.[8] In 1960 when Nina Simone wanted to play the old minstrel song "Li'l Liza Jane" at the Newport Jazz Festival, she said "Where's my tambourine?", as heard on the album Nina Simone at Newport. Jazz drummer Herlin Riley often takes the stage while beating and shaking a tambourine, and he is featured on the tambourine in Wynton Marsalis's jazz oratorio Blood on the Fields, which tells the story of slavery in the US.[15]
Jazz, pop and rock drummers sometimes mount a headless tambourine in the
In classical music
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Tambourine_126_%2813514147834%29.jpg/170px-Tambourine_126_%2813514147834%29.jpg)
Similar instruments
Buben
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Ukr_folk_05.jpg/220px-Ukr_folk_05.jpg)
Buben (Бубен in
The name is related to
Daf
A daf (دف) is a large-sized tambourine or Perso-Arabic frame drum used to accompany both popular and classical music in Iran, Azerbaijan, the Arab world, Turkey (where it is called tef), Uzbekistan (where it is called childirma), the Indian subcontinent (where it is known as the dafli) and Turkmenistan. Daf typically indicates the beat and tempo of the music being played, thus acts like the conductor in the monophonic oriental music. The Persian poet Rudaki, who widely used names of the musical instruments in his poems, mentions the daf and the tambourine (taboorak) in a Ruba'i: A common use of tambourine (Daf) is by Albanians. They are often played by women and bridesmaids in wedding cases to lead the ceremony when bride walks down the aisle.[citation needed]
Pandeiro
Originated in
Panderoa
The
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Riqq.jpg/220px-Riqq.jpg)
Riq
The Dayereh
A dayereh (or doyra, dojra, dajre, doira, daire) is a medium-sized
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Kanjira.jpg/220px-Kanjira.jpg)
Kanjira
The kanjira or ganjira is a South Indian frame drum of the tambourine family. It is mostly used in Carnatic music concerts (South Indian classical music) as a supporting instrument for the mridangam. The instrument is called dafli (डफली in the northern Hindi-speaking parts of India and is a common instrument in orchestras and solos. Nepal also has a variety of tambourines, going by the names daanf, damphu (Nepali: डम्फू), hring, and khaijadi (Nepali: खैंजडी).
Tar
Tar (
Timbrel
Timbrel or tabret (the tof of the ancient Hebrews, the deff of Islam, the adufe of the Moors of Spain), the principal musical instrument of percussion of the Israelites, similar to the modern tambourine.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Lijsttrom_TMnr_1772-445.jpg/220px-COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Lijsttrom_TMnr_1772-445.jpg)
Rabana
A rabana (plural raban) is a one-sided traditional tambourine played with the hands, used in Sri Lanka.
Rebana
Rebana is a Malay tambourine that is used in Islamic devotional music in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore.
See also
References
- ^ "Tambourine". VSL-Academy. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ Overby, Jonathan (22 May 2014). "The Tambourine and Music Making Around The Globe". Wpr.org. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ public domain: Schlesinger, Kathleen (1911). "Timbrel". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ "tambourine | Origin and meaning of tambourine by Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ "tabor | Origin and meaning of tabor by Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ "Playing Techniques - Vienna Symphonic Library". Vsl.co.at. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ "Five Tips To Perfecting A "Thumb Roll"". groverpro.com. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ ISBN 9781847144720.
- JSTOR 895685.
- ISBN 9780415942041.
- ^ ISBN 9780879723699.
- ^ a b c d e Brinkworth, Jayson (2 March 2010). "The Almighty Tambourine". The Black Page. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
- ^ ISBN 9780875862071.
- ISBN 9781134717613.
- ^ Geraldine Wyckoff (2016). "Living a Childhood Dream". OffBeat (The Bible of Jazz Fest ed.). pp. 44–45.
- ^ "The Subdudes | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "Tchaikovsky, P. 1892. The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Danse Trepak)" (PDF). Ks.petruccimusiclibrary.org. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "Holst, G. 1916. The Planets, Op. 32 (Jupiter)" (PDF). Ks.petruccimusiclibrary.org. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ Georges Bizet. Carmen. Opéra comique en quatre actes. Critical Edition edited by Robert Didion. Ernst Eulenberg Ltd, 1992, 2003 (No. 5 Habanera, p. 99).
- ^ "buben", word reference, retrieved 6 February 2023
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. .
- . . 1914.