Richard's Notes

Layne Redmond gives an excellent tambourine or riq lesson. This is is an excellent video lesson, worth spending some tme with.

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Masmoudi is a middle eastern rhythm usually played on dumbek or tar but can be played on any drum. I’m using Glen Velez’s notation system. Here I’ve listed three variations of it:
Three-beat Masmoudi

|| D-D-D-TK D-TKTKT TKTKT -TK ||

Masmoudi sigir

|| D-D-TKTKT D-TKTKT TKTKT -TK ||

Soft Masmoudi

|| D-TK D-TK D-TKTT D-TKTT T-TKTT ||

Notes
D = [...]

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Malfouf is a middle eastern rhythm usually played on dumbek or tar but can be played on any drum. I’m using Glen Velez’s notation system.

|| 1&2&3&4& ||
|| DKK TKK TK ||

A variation would be to repeat the above pattern 3 times and then add this ornament at the end:

|| DDT- ||

Notes
D = dum, bass [...]

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Chiftiteli is a middle eastern rhythm usually played on dumbek or tar but can be played on any drum. I’m using Glen Velez’s notation system.

|| DD-TKT D-TKT TKD TKD TKT TKD-T ||

Note: This rhythm is similar to baladi, just drop the second part and add a TK bridge or connector.

|| DD-TKT D-TKT TK ||

Notes
D = [...]

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Walking Macsoum is a simple middle eastern rhythm played on dumbek or tar or any drum. I’m using Glen Velez’s notation system.

|| 1234 567 8& ||
|| DKTK DKT TK ||

The last two notes might be left out in learning the rhythm leaving a rest instead as they’re played quite fast. These same [...]

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Macsoum is a simple middle eastern rhythm played on dumbek or tar or any drum really. I’m using Glen Velez’s notation system.

|| 12&3&4 5&6&78 ||
|| DD-KTKT D-KTKT-T ||

Notes
D = dum, bass note, strong hand
T = tek, edge or rim or high note, strong hand
K = kah, edge or rim or [...]

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Baladi is a simple middle eastern rhythm played on dumbek or tar or any drum really. I’m using Glen Velez’s notation system.

|| 123&4 56&7 8& ||
|| DD-TKT D-TKT TK ||

Notes
D = dum, bass note, strong hand
T = tek, edge or rim or high note, strong hand
K = kah, [...]

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Ayub is a simple middle eastern rhythm played on dumbek or tar or any drum really. I’m using Glen Velez’s notation system.

|| 12& 34 12& 34 ||
|| DTK DT DTK DT ||

Notes
D = dum, bass note, strong hand
T = tek, edge or rim or high note, strong [...]

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This is a set of simple practice rhythms from a frame drum workshop a few of us took with Glen Velez.
There are many more rhythms like these in Glen’s books which can be bought from his web site: Glen Velez – Frame Drums.
These practice rhythms can be played on any drum. This is as close [...]

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