riq lesson part 1

8/17/2019 Riq Lesson Part 1

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Riq Lesson Part 1 by Randy Gloss

picture 1 - holding the drum

(front view)

Holding the Drum

There are two main playing positions for this tambourine. The two

positions are commonly referred to as the cabaret style and the soft

style. These lessons deal only with the cabaret style (see pictures #1 &

#2). For those people who have never played ri before! " will try to

tae you step by step on how to hold the drum in this playing position.

"t definitely helps to see this in person! so if you can! " recommend

taing a lesson. "f not then refer to the first two pictures.

1) $ae a % shape with your left hand (if your right handed).

2) est the ri into the % with one set of 'ingles facing down through

the middle of the %.

) ring your thumb (bottom half of %) up to push against the bac

'ingle.

*) +our forefinger (and possibly your middle finger will hold the ri

where the sin meets the shell.

,) $oderately tilt the drum forward to rid yourself of any unwanted or

e-cess shimmer of the 'ingles.

) +our right hand will be used to play the drum sounds in this position. /nlie other styles of frame drumming! your right hand

should not rest or pivot off of the shell. 0eep it free to move. ee

pictures #! #*! and #,. ) 3iewise your left hand will be used (along

with your right) to play front 'ingles in your %. /se your ring finger in

each hand (on that same 'ingle). 4ractice alternating right5left5right5left

for a while to get the feel.

picture 2 - holding the drum

(back view)

The Strokes

Doum

6pen low pitched sound played with the inde- finger of your dominant

drumming hand. To minimi7e motion it may help to visuali7e turning a

doornob to the left until your inde- finger stries the drum head.


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Tak 8 9igh pitched sound played close to the edge of the drum head.

/se your ring finger of your dominant hand. :gain to minimi7e the

motion you may want to visuali7e turning a doornob to the right until

your ring finger stries the head.

Kat8 %losed stroe played in the middle of the drum head. This stroe

can be played with all four fingers or four fingers and your thumb. "t is

a rela-ed stroe! so approach it with a mildly cupped hand.

The Jingles

This particular tambourine has very loud and active sounding 'ingles

(;hich is why before we even begin to play we slightly tilt the drum).

These two lessons were prepared to teach some basic playing ideas! butmore importantly it will give you some ideas on how to control and

manipulate the 'ingles.

With your ring ingers in both hands alternate striing the 'ingle that

is closest to the middle of your % grip (same as step on how to hold

the drum).

Shaking the tambourine ba!k and orth. "magine you are holding an

egg shaer or small maraca with your left hand. ecause of the weight

of the ri! this motion will cause fatigue in your hand at first.


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Ste" $ ;ith a slight amount of resistance from your right hand! push

the tambourine past your right hand! and follow through to the left

(second note of the triplet).

Ste" % ring the tambourine bac to the right! returning to the original

position (third note of the triplet).

Ste" & epeat steps 1 through *.

Lesson '

3esson " is based on a very common middle eastern rhythm called elladi(shown in '). The following

e-amples (labeled a through e) use this same rhythm for the drum! but varying ideas from the 'ingles.

4ractice each one over and over for a while before moving to the ne-t pattern.

Lesson 1

"n a all of the si-teenth notes are filled in and played with our fingers alternating right5left.

' a


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"n b the 'ingle is played by the left hand on the upbeats.

' b

"n ! the 'ingle is played by the left hand on the last two si-teenths of the beat.

' !

"n d the 'ingles are activated by shaing the tambourine bac and forth (thin of the egg shaer).

' d


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"n e we are superimposing the side to side (left to right rotation) triplet over top of the belladi rhythm.

This is very difficult and reuires that you have already mastered playing the triplet without drum

notes first.

' e

Listen to Lesson ' ( Putting 't )ll Together

Riq Lesson Part # by Randy Gloss

beladi *or baladi+ , maqsum , elahi

Three rhythms> 6ne rhythm> ?uite franly! yes to both.

The core! basic rhythm! is essentially the same. The primary difference is of tempo@

slow (baladi)! medium (masum)! and fast (felahi). 9owever! not 'ust tempo! but AfeelB as well.The ornamentation and the movement can be striingly different.

This lesson will deal with some 'ingle ornaments on the ri for masum.

"n the course of my own e-periences as both a student and performer of this instrument " have


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found three different basic framewors for this rhythm@

video

video

video

ome people play it one way! some play it another. Cveryone insists that theirs is the right way.

:nd of course! they may be rightDafter all8 "Em from 4hiladelphia. o! " find that itEs in my best

interest to be able to adapt to their Aright wayB. This lesson is designed in a modular manner so

you can wor through any of the 'ingle ornaments with any of three basic patterns above. "

recommend woring on only one basic rhythm at a time.

"tEs a good idea to sing the syllables (i.e.


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This e-ercise actually becomes twelve different patterns! by woring through playing basic

pattern " with 'ingle patterns :! ! %! and


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C) very staccato short closed sound. From the fingers. :lternate right left filling in the blans.

"""C! """C with te substitution played on 'ingle

F) 6pen sound! splashy. :lso from fingers. :lso played right 3eft filling in the blans. %an

either play off the 'ingle (with the striing finger) to allow them to open! or remove thumb from

the bac 'ingle and allow 'ingles to splash off of each other. """F

I) %onstant shaing bac and forth while playing the basic rhythm. """I

;or through the three basic rhythms with these three 'ingle techniues.

"n reality this is an addition of nine more patterns (plus thirty5si- including the te

substitutions). This brings us to a total of one hundred pattern possibilities discussed so far.

To build in intensity0 ne.t e !an add rolls2

: common way to roll on the ri is using the fingers on the 'ingles.

9ere are two ways to play a ,5note roll with the fingers.

The first way is using ight and 3eft alternately! ending with the right (335)! labeled 9.

The second fingering uses a triple stroe roll in the right hand ( striing the 'ingle with the third!

second! and first fingers on the right hand)! followed by left! right! labeled ".


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:nother techniue for rolling is to literally shae the ri. $ore specifically rest the fingers of

the right hand against the edge and simply flutter your hand in a rela-ed manner. Try to mae

this an even sound. C-periment with dynamics (try to build! crescendo. 6r get softer!diminuendo).

video

riq lesson part 1

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