Middle, Near, Far East
Daf

This is a large, round, wooden Iranian frame drum covered with goatskin on one side, and held with two hands and played with the fingers. This "daf " has a string of metal rings attached to each other in multiple rows, and gives a sympathetic sound when the drum is struck and swayed by the player. Many cultures in the Mediterranean also play dafs, however, in Egypt, it is referred to as a "duf ", which is considerably smaller and has no rings or jingles.

The WORLD BEATS video features live, costumed performances of ancient, ethnic, percussive traditions. Aaron Plunkett puts it all together in this fascinating 33 minute program. SEE MORE...