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| Percussion | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Dafli,dap,def,tef,defi,gaval,duf,duff,dof |
| Classification | Directly struck membranophones |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 211.311 (Handle-lessframe drum with one usable membrane) |
| Playing range | |
| High sound of jingles, plus some have a skin with a lower sound | |
| Related instruments | |
| Buben,tambourine,kanjira,frame drum,parai | |
Daf (Persian:دف), also known asdâyere andriq, is aMiddle Eastern (mainlyIranian)[1]frame drum musical instrument, used in popular and classical music inSouth andCentral Asia. It is also used inAfghanistan,Azerbaijan,Tajikistan,Iran,Uzbekistan, many regions ofGeorgia,Armenia,Pakistan as well as in parts ofIndia[2] andRussianpolar regions. It is also popular amongBalkans,Caucasians,Bukharan Jews,Kurds, andMacedonians.[3]
Daf is thenational musical instrument ofPakistan[4][5] and is also depicted on thereverse andobverse of the Azerbaijani 1qəpik coin and 1manat banknote respectively, since 2006.[6][7]
It traditionally has a round wooden frame (although in the modern era it may also be made of metal), jingles, and a thin, translucent head made of fish- or goat-skin (or, more recently, a synthetic material).
The sound is produced by hitting the membrane with either hand – the left hand, which also holds the daf, strikes the edges, and the right hand strikes the center. The right-hand fingers are fastened about their neighbours and suddenly released, like the action of finger-snapping, to produce loud, rapid, sharp sounds.[8]
ThePahlavi (Middle Persian) name of the daf is dap.[9]
Some pictures of daf have been found in paintings that date before theCommon Era. The presence of the Iranian daf in the 6th–5th century BCEBehistun Inscription suggests that it existed before therise of Islam andSufism.
Iranian music has always been a spiritual tool.
It shows that daf played an important role inMazdean Iran emerging as an important element during theSassanian period, during theKâvusakân dynasty.
Also, there is a kind of square frame drum in the stonecutting ofTaq-e Bostan (another famous monument located 5km northeast ofKermanshah city). These frame drums were played in the ancientMiddle East,Greece, andRome and reachedmedieval Europe through Islamic culture.
Nowruz (the first day of the Iranian New Year and the national festival ofthe Iranian people) and other festive occasions have been accompanied by daf in theSassanid periods (224 AD–651 AD). In this period the daf was played in order to accompany Iranian classical music.
Dafs were likely used in the court to be played in themodes andmelodies of traditional music. This traditional or classical music was created byBarbod the Great and was named thekhosravani after the mythical kingKhosrow II.
Recent research reveals that these modes were used in the recitation of Mazdean (Zoroastrian) prayers. The modes were passed down from master to student and are today known as theradif anddastgāh system.
Many of the melodies were lost, but most of those that remain date to the Sassanid period. Dafs can be played to produce highly complex and intense rhythms, causing one to go under a trance and reach an ecstatic and spiritually-high state. For this reason, they have always been connected with religion in Iran.[citation needed]
An engraved bronze cup fromLorestan at theNational Museum of Iran inTehran, portrays a doubleney (end-blownreed pipes),chang (harp), and a daf in ashrine or court processional, as similarly documented inEgypt,Elam, and the Persian province ofBabylonia, where music was arranged for performance by large orchestral ensembles.[9]
TheArabs introduced the daf and other Middle Eastern musical instruments toSpain, and the Spanish adapted and promoted the daf and other musical instruments (such as theguitar) inmedieval Europe. In the 15th century, the daf was only used inSufi ceremonies; theOttomans reintroduced it toEurope in the 17th century.[citation needed]
The daf still functions as an important part ofIranian music (both traditional and classical) as it did inancient times. It successfully encourages many youngIranians to take up learning this ancient instrument.
Daf, and its smaller version calleddafli, is also used across India.[2] It is believed to have arrived along with other Persian influences in themedieval era, and is a popularfolk instrument. Insouthern India, its use became mainstream, especially in protests, during the early half of the 20th century.[10] Since the 1950s, it has also been used prominently inBollywood.[10]
In some forms ofIslam, daf holds special importance because some Muslims believe that it is the only musical instrument which is permitted to be used.[11] Other Muslims believe musical instruments in general are allowed, not exclusively the daf.[12][13]
The Prophet of Islam,Muhammad, did not impose a total prohibition on using the daf, stating that it is permissible duringEid, a weddingWalima, or to greet a government official after they arrive from a journey.[14]
It has always been an important part ofIslamic Sufi music.[15]
The jingles, which are thin metal plates or rings, are attached to hooks in three or four rectangular holes in the circular wooden frame.
Thedrumhead is made of fish or goat skin. The width of the frame is 45–50 centimetres (18–20 in) and the depth, 5–7 centimetres (2–3 in). In order to bend the frame, the wood ("buka", "orev") may be softened in water before being bent around a hot metal cylinder. The frame is closed by gluing the ends together. Finally, the skin is attached to the frame by fixing it with another wooden frame or by using nails.
Another variation is to have the ring-style jingles arranged around the edge of the inside of the drum the whole way around[9] or to have several tiers half way around the inside edge.[16]
Some Muslims hold all forms of music to be forbidden, others permit certain forms of unaccompanied singing, while others will permit the use of daff or drum like a tambourine (without the cymbals). In some Sufi circles the flute or lute are permitted.
The daff, a simple drum or tambourine, is specifically mentioned. The Prophet did not impose any restriction on using the daff, a common musical instrument used at that time.
Daff ... It has been important to Sufi music.
Media related toDafs at Wikimedia Commons
