Learn about the Arab people, their culture, and their music.
Sing a well-known Palestinian folk song.
Play three different rhythm ostinati to accompany a song.
Materials
World map
Tambourine, hourglass drum (or bongos), and frame drum (or conga),
Instructions
Today's song is called "Al-yadil yadil yadi." It is from the Middle East region. (Locate this region on the world map.)
The Middle East region commonly includes the following countries: Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Libya, and Sudan.
Many people of the region are Arabs. Their main language is Arabic.
Play "Al-yadil yadil yadi." ASK How would you describe this piece? (lively and upbeat; different instrument sounds; different language; danceable, etc.)
Once the words are comfortable when spoken, echo-sing each phrase of the song. Sing the entire song together, then with the recording.
Display conga drums, bongos, frame drums, and tambourines. Demonstrate two different sounds these instruments can make: low ringing sounds and high short sounds.
Drums: Play an open sound so that it produces a low, ringing sound. (Bounce your hand off the head immediately after striking so that the head can continue to resonate.) Then, play a closed, "tight" sound by hitting near the edge of the drum and keeping contact with the drum after hitting.
Arab musicians use words to describe the sounds they make on the drums and other percussion instruments. They call low sounds dumm ("doom"), like the sound you played in the middle of the conga. They call high, short sounds takk ("tock"), like the sound made from hitting the side of the drumhead.
Have everyone practice the two different strokes. Produce both dumm and takk on the conga, the frame drum, bongos and even the tambourine.
Read the article (PDF) "Music of the Arabs." ASK What instruments do you think they played in "Al-yadil yadil yadi?" (darbukka, riqq, and tar)
Rhythms: Read each of the descriptions of the three rhythm patterns. Listen to the Instructional Audio of Beginning Arab Rhythms, then join in.
Introduce the hand-clapping rhythm pattern: Clap four beats at a steady tempo. Challenge them to maintain a steady tempo without help. Frame drums may be played to help hand claps..
Introduce the Riqq (tambourine) rhythm pattern. Echo-speak: "rest, takk, takk, takk, dumm." (Saying "rest" for the first rest of the pattern will help them perform accurately.) Lead them in saying this pattern continuously. Transfer this pattern to the tambourine.
Introduce the darbukka (conga and bongos) rhythm pattern. Arab musicians call this pattern maqsoum ("mahk-soom"). It is the main rhythm of the song. (In the notation, the note A represents dumm and the C represents takk.) Echo-speak: "dumm, takk, takk, dumm, takk" in the maqsoum rhythm. Lead them in saying the pattern continuously. Transfer this pattern to the darbukka (conga and bongos).
Divide into two groups and have half clap the hand clap pattern while the other group plays the riqq rhythm pattern. Then, divide into three groups and play all three rhythm patterns. Place a strong leader in each group who is confident playing the rhythm.
Stagger the entrance of each group to make it easier to adjust to each new rhythm.
Begin practice at a slow tempo, then progress to the tempo of the recording. If needed, work in small groups to practice these patterns.
Perform: Once everyone is secure with the rhythm patterns, ask for volunteers to sing the song while a group of instrumentalists play. Repeat many times to allow everyone to have a chance to sing and to play the instruments.
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