Table of Contents
Preliminaries ................................................................................................................................4
What is a Frame Drum?.........................................................................................................4
Playing Frame Drums............................................................................................................4
A Note To Left-Handed Players ............................................................................................4
Holding the Drum ........................................................................................................................5
Basic Right-Hand Strokes..............................................................................................................5
Thumb Stroke.......................................................................................................................5
Notation................................................................................................................................8
Ring Finger Stroke ................................................................................................................8
More Notation .....................................................................................................................10
Alternating Strokes..............................................................................................................10
Full Hand Stroke .................................................................................................................13
More Notation .....................................................................................................................14
Stroke Combinations ...........................................................................................................14
Basic Left Hand Stroke................................................................................................................15
A Word of Encouragement ..................................................................................................15
Getting into Position............................................................................................................15
Ring Finger Stroke ..............................................................................................................17
More Notation .....................................................................................................................18
Multiple Strokes per Rectangle....................................................................................................18
Middle Eastern Rhythms..............................................................................................................19
A Bit About Middle Eastern Rhythms.................................................................................19
Masmudi..............................................................................................................................20
More Notation .....................................................................................................................20
Representing the Absence of a Stroke.................................................................................21
More on Middle Eastern Rhythm Cycles.....................................................................................22
Dum, Tek, and Ka................................................................................................................22
Names of Rhythms ..............................................................................................................22
3
Western Music Theory .................................................................................................................29
Beats and Measures.............................................................................................................29
Notes and Rests ...................................................................................................................30
Quarter Notes and Quarter Rests.........................................................................................30
Tempo..................................................................................................................................30
Divisions of the Beat ...........................................................................................................30
Syncopation.........................................................................................................................31
Longer Rhythms..................................................................................................................31
Eight-Measure Rhythm Patterns .........................................................................................32
Syncopated Rhythms...........................................................................................................32
Stroke Combinations....................................................................................................................34
The mr Combination ...........................................................................................................34
Tmr, Rmr, and Fmr Combinations ......................................................................................37
Tmr+, Rmr+, and Fmr+ Combinations ...............................................................................37
The RI Combination............................................................................................................38
The RIr Combination ..........................................................................................................42
The RIr+ Combination ........................................................................................................43
The RImr Combination .......................................................................................................43
The UL Combination...........................................................................................................44
More on Syncopation...................................................................................................................47
Simultaneous Strokes...................................................................................................................49
Three Beats Per Measure .............................................................................................................50
Quarter Notes ......................................................................................................................50
Odd Rhythms ................................................................................................................................51
Fives ....................................................................................................................................52
Sevens..................................................................................................................................52
The End........................................................................................................................................55