Group 3: Rhythmic instruments without
Since ancient times, man has used solid instruments
in order to express his rhythmic feeling. Any material
that can emphasize or execute the desired rhythm can
be considered a rhythmic instrument. It does not necessarily
have to have a skin in order to become a rhythmic
instrument. In Oman's traditional music there are
several rhythmic instruments without a skin that contribute
to the rhythmical texture in many ways.
Rhythmic instruments without skin can be classified
into the following groups:
a) Idiophone instruments (by shaking)
b) Percussion instruments
c) Wind instruments
A. Idiophone instruments
This group of instruments produces the rhythmic sound
by shaking. They can be shaken by hand or by the leg
or by the movement of the whole body.
Idiophone instruments include:
1. Mangur 2. khirkhash 3. Khirkhasha 4. Khalakhil
5. Lubus or habus 6. Adad
The African element and effect is clear in most of
this group's instruments, like the mangur, the khirkhash,
the khirkhasha and lubus or habus. This is also evident
in the genres that employ these instruments such as
at-tambura, the mikwara, and raqs az-zinug.
mangur consists of a wide belt of cloth on which hundreds
of sheep hooves are fixed very close together. This
belt is tied to the waist of the mangur player.
The rhythmic sound is produced by the movement of
the player's waist. The mangur player usually stands
in one place and shakes his hips to produce the desired
sound. We can say that he is a player and a dancer
at the same time because the rhythm is closely tied
to the movement of his body. The mangur sound is strong
due to the dryness of the sheep's hooves and the intensity
of their knocking together. Al-mangur is an essential
part of the rhythmic instruments of the tanbura genre.
khirkhash consists of a large collection of small bells
which are sometimes called khishkhash. They are strung
on threads and tied to a sash. The dancer of the mikwara
genre drapes the sash around his waist so that the required
rhythmic sound is produced when he moves. Unlike the
mangur, the dancer of the mikwara genre moves in different
steps. Some are slow and others are fast in order to
change the rhythm that is produced by his body's movement.
The khirkhasha which
is used in Oman consists of a round metal body that
has a wooden or metal handle. Inside this body there
are many small dry grains, stones or beads that produce
a rhythmic sound when they are shaken and hit the wall
of the khirkhasha.
The form of the khirkhasha is an imitation of a pumpkin
fruit which was used in the past as a rhythmic instrument
after drying and filling it with some dry grains. The
khirkhasha is used in the mikwara genre.
In the raqs az-zinug genre some men use a type of
khirkhash (rattle) made of wood and worn around their
ankles to embellish the rhythm. Shaking is produced
by the movement of the legs.
lubus or habus
This is a group of small bells that are tied on a
rope and look like a necklace. Women wear it on their
legs. The rhythmic sound is produced by moving and
shaking the legs as in the khalakhil.
Women use the adad
to give rhythmic impulse to their dance formation
in wiliyat an-nisa in Manah. Al'adad is originally
a woman's jewellery: a round bangle made of silver.
It is filled with some dry grains or stones to produce
the rhythmic sound when shaken.
B. Percussion instruments without
The rhythmic sound in this group is produced entirely
by beating but in different ways.
Percussion instruments without skin include:
3. rabub / mahhar
This is also called tasa, sinug or ring and consists
of a pair of cymbals made from copper and round in
shape. The player holds each cymbal in one hand and
produces the sound by beating both cymbals together.
The sihal is used in many Omani genres such as funun
al-bahr, the aiyala and the wailiya. The sihal not
only embellishes the rhythm but also has a special
role in some genres like the midema.
tanak is an Arabicised form of the English word, 'tank'.
The term is used to describe an empty tin that has been
squeezed in the middle. The sound is produced when it
is beaten with two sticks. Sometimes it is called 'pato'
- a name of African origin. The tanak is an essential
element in some genres such as the lewa, at-tanbura,
riwa and the mikwara.
3. Rabub / mahhar
name rabub is given to small spiral sea shells which
are found on the Sultanate's beaches. As long as the
two shells are stuck together with the animal still
inside them they are called ad-dok. After separating
the two shells from each other and removing the animal,
it takes the name mahhar. Children use the mahhar in
celebrations for the 15th of Ramadhan. However, depending
on the region it can be called different names. In coastal
areas, the instrument is often called qaranqashu or
toq-toq; in the Dhahirah region, away from the sea,
it is called talmis.
The children use the
mahhar to emphasize the rhythm of their singing. The
sound is produced by hitting the two shells together.
In the villages and cities of the interior, the children
use two stones rather than shells in their festivities.
C. Wind instruments.
Some people may be surprised to find wind instruments
classified as elements of the rhythmic instruments'
group. However, if the functions of the instruments
are looked at more closely, the reason behind this
inclusion becomes clear. These instruments are not
used as melodic instruments because they cannot produce
different tones to form a melody. They contain only
one hole that produces one tone. This tone is interrupted
by vibrations of the tongue while blowing so that
a rhythmic sound effect results. The sound produced
by blowing is only to emphasize the rhythm, aiming
mainly to embellish it or stress some of its parts.
Rhythmic instruments by breathing include:
gim sometimes pronounced 'yim' is a sea shell that is
prepared for blowing into, either through cutting its
upper part or by making a hole in it. The gim produces
one tone which is rhythmically used as described above.
It adds additional colour to other single-skinned rhythmic
The gim is used in many funun that include genres
in connection with traditional healing ceremonies
such as the maidan and funun al-bahr (sea genres)
like the midema and ash-shubani as well as entertainment
genres like the lewa and others.
burgham is made from the horn of a big animal such as
oryx, ibex or buffalo. The player blows into one hole
that is adjacent to the closed and pointed edge, producing
one tone which the player uses in a rhythmic manner
according to the rhythm of the genre. Even if the player
extends the tone of the burgham, its general rhythmic
function always becomes very clear. The burgham is used
in saber genres like the razha and the azi.