The Structure of Kurdistan Daf (IV)

Researcher:
Mohammad Tarighat

Translator:
Fatemeh Alimohammadi

Daf Structure

The Structure of Daf in different cities of Iran has a great variety in terms of dimensions, components and even appearance; some of which are as follows:

– Square Daf, on which the skin was stretched either on one or both sides, with strings installed inside it and hazelnut-shaped bells were placed inside or outside the frame.

– Two-sided circular and two-sided square Daf on which the skin was stretched on both sides and the rings were installed inside or outside the frame.

– Octagonal Daf or “Dast koub” that had skin on one side and a number of bells inside the frame.

– Dodecagonal Daf on which the skin was stretched on one side and there were a few Malileh inside the frame and used a string to hold Daf while playing.

– Arabaneh, the use of this circular Daf is common in Yazd. Inside of this Daf, hazelnut-shaped bells were used instead of Malileh.

The structure and components of Dafs with natural skin in the Kurdistan region are:

1. Arch, frame, “Gharbali”;
2. Avazeh of Daf;
3. Thumb index;
4. Stud or tack;
5. Ring, chain, ” Malileh”,”Jalajal *”, “Khash khasheh or Rakht;
6. Hook;
7. Skin or leaf;
8. Leather or tarpaulin straps.

Dafs are evaluated for wood and skin (proper tanning, age-old, one-handed thickness, no white spots and color uniformity), distance of ring from skin, distance of ring from next ring, end cut of arch and connection to the skin, circular shape of the arch, Avazeh of Daf, the width of the arch, the correct cut of thumb index, the appropriate weight, and etc. Which ultimately leads to well-built and pleasant sound production.
Arch: In Kurdish, the arch of Daf is called “Chameh”, “Kama”, “Kamar” and “Kavaneh”. Behzad Naqib Sardasht wrote in his book named “Kurdish Music Organology “: Daf arch is made of walnut, plane tree, quince, and willow wood. The thickness of arch is about one to two centimeters, its width varies from five to ten centimeters and the diameter of Daf varies from 48 to 70 centimeters” (Naqib Sardasht, 2007: 295).

Arch is a wooden ring, made of grape wood and a Salicaceae such as: poplar, red willow, and etc. Diameter of arch can be between 50 and 60, its height is between five and six and a half, and a part that studs are on it should be between one and a half to two and two tenths of a centimeter (Mogharab Samadi, 2009: 77-78). In addition to the mentioned woods, Ali Asghar Nasrollahpour also mentions walnut, orange, and fig wood for the material of arch and he points out Daf circle diameter between 41 and 54 (Nasrollahpour, 2000: 73). Khaktinat also mentions wood of walnut trees, grape, ash** (Van, Benav, Benavch), quince, orange, and red willow (Khaktinat, 2005: 58).

Heidar Mohammadi – Daf maker – says: “The wooden body of the frame is made of wood of trees, such as: willow, in form of one layer; plane, grape, orange, and walnut in two layers and ash, maple, and berry in three layers; with a width between five to five and seven and in some cases up to seven centimeters and a length of two meters when it is circular, its diameter is about 53 to 57, which is common up to 60 cm; of course, usually for children and adolescents are made with smaller dimensions and less than 50 cm in diameter. The thickness of single-layer arch and bilayer varies between one and eight to two centimeters. The Avazeh of Daf also starts from the middle of the frame and gradually decreases to a thickness of two and a half to three millimeters” (Mohammadi, 1399).

 

______

* chime

** Fraxinus excelsior

Post a Comment

Required fields are marked *
*
*
Your email is never shared.

Nasser Masoudi: The Voice of Gilan and a Legacy of Iranian Music

In Iranian music, certain singers have become emblematic of their homelands through their distinctive voices. Historical figures such as Eghbal Sultan, who epitomized the grandeur of Azerbaijani music, and Taj Isfahani, who conveyed the authentic essence of Isfahan, serve as notable examples from the Qajar era. Nasser Masoudi occupies a similar position; his voice emerged as a symbol of Gilan while also achieving national acclaim. Before him, Master Ahmad Ashurpur represented Gilan’s musical landscape, but his extended residence outside Iran limited his continuous engagement in the music scene. In contrast, Masoudi’s consistent presence allowed him to introduce the voice of Gilan to audiences across Iran.

Farhad Poupel: The Voice of the Shahnameh in the Orchestras Around the World

In an era when almost no trace of contemporary Iranian music can be heard in international concert halls, except (so-called!) avant-garde works that owe their existence solely to the fashionable slogans of the “pseudo-intellectual” crowd who have seized the already meager resources for performing classical music from the true artists of the field, the numerous performances of Farhad Poupel’s works shine as a ray of hope for lovers of sincere musical art. Without resorting to trendy slogans, he has kept the flame of Iranian classical music alive purely through the power of his artistry.

From Past Days…

Ennio Morricone’s music for Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight

After watching Quentin Tarantino’s latest movie, The Hateful Eight, everyone was excited by its novel music besides the beautiful scenes of blood and guts.
The Hateful Eight is the first collaboration between the world-famous film music composer, Ennio Morricone, and Quentin Tarantino as a famous director.

Polyphony in Iranian Music (II)

With regard to each polyphonic form, only one specific and distinguished example is analyzed. These polyphonic forms are as follows:

Iranian Fallacies – School of Vaziri

Iranian Fallacies – School of Vaziri

The term “School of Vaziri” is often used in writings on Iranian music, but the exact meaning of the term is not clear; some of the authors have used the term to only refer to the group of Vaziri’s students, including a large group of his conservatory students and his Tar students such as Abolhassan Saba, Rouhollah Khaleghi, Ahmad Foroutan Rad, Hossein Sanjari, Heshmat Sanjari and others. But can we consider all Vaziri’s students as followers of his school of thought? This is definitely a mistake, because we know that some of Vaziri’s students have chosen a completely different path than that of Vaziri.

“Symphonic Poems from Persia” Released in Germany

While the name “Persia” (Western historical name of Iran) has attracted tens of thousands of people from around the world to London’s British Museum to visit ancient Persian artifacts, the Nuremberg-based music company, Colosseum, invites Europeans to listen to eight masterpieces of Persian symphonic music.

Parviz Meshkatian’s Heart Beat for People (I)

Amidst the popularity of traditionalism in the Iranian music, Parviz Meshkatian (1955- 2009) moved from Neyshabur to Tehran. He learnt to play Santour and became educated in the Radif of Iranian music at the Centre for Preservation and Promotion of Music which was at the forefront of promoting the return to musical traditions. Despite his studies at a centre which promoted the use of the phrase “traditional music” in Iran, Parviz Meshkatian emerged as a creative artist whose innovative and unique ideas attracted the admiration of Iranian artists and people from different walks of life. This article studies the reason behind Meshkatian’s deviation from the wrong approach of traditionalism strongly promoted by the Centre and argues that apart from the issue of theory of Iranian music, he can be considered as Ali Naqi Vaziri’s successor.

Violin’s inner mold, an essential factor in developing the idea of violin

A part of the secrets of the masterpieces from the golden era lies in the special design of the instruments, as a result of a profound insight to and awareness of the significance of the precise calculation of the various components of the object of arts being created, such as making a violin or a bow.

Transition to Enlightenment: Six Lectures on Mozart’s String Quartets (3)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a musical prodigy of the Classical era, was deeply influenced by the intellectual currents of the Enlightenment. His exposure to Enlightenment ideas was multifaceted, shaped not only by the cultural milieu of his time but also by the relationships within his family and his own interactions with prominent figures of the Enlightenment. This exploration will delve into Mozart’s acquaintance with Enlightenment ideas through his father’s relationships and his own encounters with influential personalities of the era, including Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, Baron Melchior Grimm, Madame d’Epinay, and Joseph von Sonnenfels. Additionally, the essay will examine the impact of Joseph II’s reforms on Mozart’s life and artistic endeavors.

A Miracle in the Iranian Music: About Tehran Flute Choir’s Eight-year Tenacity

Tehran Flute Choir is a 40-member orchestra of Iran’s best flutists; Iran’s best flutists? Yes! If you write down the names of the greatest Iranian flute players who participate at concerts and contribute to academic centers in Iran, you will see that most of them are among the choir’s members.

Homayoun Rahimian & Iran’s National Orchestra

The Roudaki Foundation presented the permanent conductor of the National Orchestra (Orchestr Melli), Homayoun Rahimian, in a ceremony, and finally, after four years, the national orchestra found a permanent conductor. Homayoun Rahimian is the fourth permanent conductor of this orchestra after Farhad Fakhreddini, Bardia Kiaras, and Fereidoun Shahbaziyan. He, who has previously had experience of conducting concerts besides being Meister’s concert of this orchestra, performed the concert “Autumns” on the 20th of Tir, performing works by Rouhollah Khaleqi, Javad Ma’roufi, and Hossein Dehlavi.

Women and the Music Environment in Iran

The life territory of the female-male relations in the Iranian cultural context is basically a domestic territory and not a social-living one in the labour and leisure domains. To prove this, it only suffices to consider the Iranian men’s viewpoints about women. For the Iranian men, there are three perspectives regarding the women: mother, sister and wife. Mother represents the emotional territory; sister represents the logical territory at home while wife represents the sexual territory.