TombakBy Jocelyn Lambert

Origins

• The Tombak is a goblet drum from Persia, or ancient Iran• The actual origin of the Tombak is still in dispute; historians only

agree that the goblet drum is ancient in origin, believed by some to have been invented before the wheel

• We know that an early form of the Tombak, the Dombalag, was present during the period of the Sassanid Persian Empire, the last pre-Islamic Iranian Empire. (about 205-651)

• The Tombak is also called the Tonbak, Donbak, or Dombak• Goblet drums are played in regions of Asia, Eastern Europe,

and Africa• We have studied a form of goblet drum, the Tabla

Application

• The Tombak is the principal percussion instrument of Persian music

• All goblet drums are similar, but the technique for playing the Tombak sets it apart.

• The Tombak is positioned diagonally across the torso• Player uses one more or more fingers and/or palms of the

hands on the drumhead• Sometimes players wear metal finger rings for an extra-

percussive click on the drumhead• Normally two or three contrasting timbres, resulting from various

finger placements, are played in an antiphonal style

Putting it Together

• The Tombak is usually 43 cm in height with a 28cm diameter head

• The shell is carved from a single block of mulberry wood (often carved with geometrical designs)

• At the bottom the shell is thicker than the top for strength, with the shell’s wall thickness at approx. 2 cm.

• The throat is almost cylindrical and connects the top cavity to the hollow base

• Sheepskin or goatskin is glued or tacked onto the head• The top is wide which allows a nice full bass tone as well as an

assortment of treble tones

• Head tension is usually fixed before performances• To fix head tension one must heat, cool or dampen the

membrane, with a special attention to temperature and humidity, to reach the desired pitch.

• Pitch can be raised slightly during performance by applying finger pressure

Ostad Hossein Tehrani

• The Tombak was not considered a solo instrument until the work of Ostad Hossein Tehrani in the 1950s; he is regarded as the father of the modern Tombak

• Tehrani organized an ensemble of Tombak players and performed in the Iranian Music and Art Festival, the first time Tombak had been highlighted in that way.

• Tehrani was known for astonishing listeners by imitating real sounds on his Tombak, like locomotives and Motorcycles.

• Tehrani also innovated a new technique, which involved the Tombak being played in harmony with the saying of Persian phrases.

• Nowadays there are many Tombak soloists, and virtuosi can perform Tombak soloes lasting ten minutes or more

• Modern Tombak players are still expanding the techniques used in playing the instrument.

Examples

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KWyjJ1vbcc• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLCn

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