The
Art of Middle Eastern Rhythm - Kobi Hagoel
136
pages - illustrated - with 6 instructional CDs
Written in English, Hebrew, French, German, Spanish
Price
$72
Available from http://www.pentagramweb.com/
Kobi's
website
Kobi's E-mail
First Edition 2003 - Hardback
OR-TAV Music Publications
ISMN 67500-002-3
ISBN 965-505-029-7
Imagine that...
...you grow up in a Israel, a region at the most easterly point of the
Mediterranean Sea. A meeting place of cultures and passions; where East meets
west and North meets South, a region where the continents of Europe, Asia and
Africa blend;
...you grow up surrounded by myriad diverse influences and styles that
engender in you a passion for the rich timbre and potency of the musics
and rhythms of this inter-continental melting pot;
...through all the tensions of this region during your lifetime your
passion for your art remains unabated and over more than a decade, you spend
countless hours researching and practising your instruments; uncovering their
history, examining and recording traditional techniques and
variations;
...you dream of gathering this information together into one single
volume that you can share with the world in order that those who follow your
passions and direction need not also follow in your research footsteps to gather
all the information together.
Imagine no more.
Review Introduction
Kobi Hagoel has assembled and presented an incredible, ..let me say
that again, INCREDIBLE... array of information directly related to the playing
of goblet and frame drums, the main instrument groups of this region to include
the styles of over a thousand mile radius . Whilst there are myriad designs,
structural variations and distinct sounds from both these drum genera, many of
the main techniques used are common to each other and in many cases are directly
transferable.
Starting from the basic premise that all rhythm is universal, Kobi
sets the reader out on a progressive learning journey
starting from the explanation of the geographic roots of the rhythms and the
diaspora of the instruments. This diaspora, due to the internet and modern
travel methods is now truly global.For demonstrating
the rhythms Kobi has selected the Darbuka/Doumbek and Persian Zarb (tonbak) from the Goblet drum family and the Daf from the frame drums.
The first instructional chapter of the book, deals with holding and
striking the drums, each technique is accompanied by clearly demonstrative
images (left). In this section Kobi usefully extends the range of drums
and techniques to include the riqq, a small frame drum with heavy brass jingles.
The explanation of the techniques in this section includes the most common and
basic ways of interacting with each drum but also gives more advanced techniques
and tips which will be of considerable interest to intermediate and advanced
players.
For each of the 474 (yes 474) rhythms and variations in the book
Kobi provides a single-line system of easily-followed notation using an
integration of western and arabic symbols, a detailed explanation of the
notation system used is given. Although understanding & learning the rhythms
can be done using the CDs alone, the reading of transcribed rhythm greatly
increases your ability to access and use them without having to carry around and
search through audio
Cds.
Each rhythm has a written source, commentary & explanation and on
the accompanying CD is recited in the oral tradition as well as being expertly
demonstrated. It is clear that a click track was used to record these, a must
for effective technical practise. The learning system is progressive in that it
starts with simple patterns and moves on becoming increasingly complex as it
progresses.
Rhythmic Sections (where it's at!)
The rhythmic sections are the main body of the book and are laid out
in a progressive nature from the most simple to the most
complicated
-
The first 52 rhythms are single meter warm ups and practise rhythms
useful for beginning and progressing players,
-
Patterns #53 - #181 are duple rhythms (2/4, 4/4 8/4, 8/8),
-
Rhythms & Variations #182 - #270 are all examples of triple
rhythms (3/4, 6/4, 6/8, 12/4 & 12/8).
Those first three sections cover the more common time signatures and
the majority of those that will be of use to progressing and hobbyist
players.
-
Rhythms #271 - 474 are what Kobi terms 'asymmetrical' rhythms and
includes rhythms in such unusual time signatures as 17/8 and 29/16.
-
This section also includes advanced symmetrical rhythms but of
extremely unusual character, 120/4, 22/16 etc.
Kobi worked closely with Dutch ethnomusicologist Wouter Swets on his
research for this final section and has drawn in many European and Eurasian
styles. Kobi makes the point that many of these beautiful rhythms have been lost
with the standardisation towards common western metres, I am very happy that he
has taken the effort to include these in this book as they shall now be forever
recorded for future generations.
The CDs
The 6 CDs have been professionally recorded
and are excellently executed.
For each rhythm Kobi announces the corresponding number from the book
in both English and Hebrew and gives an oral rendition before going on to
demonstrate on each drum. As you progress through the book toward the more
complicated material you will find that Kobi plays the rhythms on each drum
overlaid on top of each other plus some variations and a small amount of
improvisation.
User friendliness
I don't believe that Kobi could have created this book with the
end-user any more in mind. He has taken every step possible to ensure that even
the most novice player can pick it up and be playing authentic middle eastern
rhythms in only a few minutes. Those of us who have been playing these drums for
years, often (in my own case) with a rhythmic vocabulary of only a mere handful
of patterns, have suddenly been presented with a dream resource that we can dip
into or we can use as a practise regimen to improve our drumming and knowledge
of the richness of rhythm. This is customer-focus in action.
Conclusion
I didn't know what to expect from this book whenever Kobi spoke about
it as he was preparing it and once it was eventually published. It is only now
that I have it in my hands that I realise the significance of what he has
achieved. This is a highly ambitious piece of work, it is not at all difficult
to see how Kobi could have spent a decade researching and drawing it all
together not to mention the mammoth task of presenting it in a coherent and user
friendly format. From reading the introductory sections of the book, Kobi says
that he is not yet finished cataloguing these rhythms, although I wonder where
on earth he gets them from and has the tenacity to continue his search, I am
extremely confident that there will be a sequel to add to this vault of Middle
Eastern percussion
information.
I have no difficulties in saying that this is a seminal piece of work
in the field of percussion and ergo should rightfully become THE resource for
any student seeking to move beyond mild interest in this subject. I am
personally grateful to Kobi for his hard work and for the inspiration that I
have already gleaned from it in the very short time that I have had it in my
possession.
The only complaint that I can see anyone having in relation to the
publication is in relation to the price. If you find yourself falling into that
trap, please remember that this is a hard back publication with SIX bespoke Cds,
it represents many thousands of hours of Kobi's time, time which he will likely
never be compensated for.
To my mind the price is too cheap, for many players the book
represents less than the cost of a single drum, I have hundreds of drums but
this is the key to unlock many of them. I say bite the bullet, pay the price and
be thankful that you didn't have to spend the time re-tracing these arduous and
time consuming research paths.
I come away from this publication enriched as a player and fellow drum
enthusiast with immense respect for Kobi the player, the researcher the author
and the communicator.
Awesome just
awesome
Paul Marshall
December
2003
Paul Marshall
on Kobi Hagoel.
Kobi Hagoel is an
actor and, since 1996 a professional musician. He formed and is the singer /
percussionist with his band, Kav Hatefer, the name meaning seam line or border,
reflecting the region from where he comes. Kobi is a regular contributor to many
drumming fora on the internet, he is a contributor to the 2003 Frame Drummer
Group (FDG) CD.
I have known Kobi
from these fora for perhaps 3 years and during this time I have come to know him
as a gentleman, a scholarly percussionist of great skill and clearly a devoted
father & husband. We
have talked much on and off the fora and we both have expressed the desire to
work together at some point. We have not yet met or spoken directly however we
acknowledge that this is only a matter of time. My friendship with Kobi could be
construed by those not knowing Kobi or myself as an influencing factor in this
review however I wish to state clearly that I have tried to remain impartial
throughout and my excitement at receiving such an incredible resource should not
be taken as 'friendly support' but as subjective opinion. How much weight you
attach to my opinion is your decision.
Trackback(0)
 |