Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Into the Esoteric: Unveiling the World of Oriental Percussion

16/02/2020

[This guest blog post comes to us from EarthMoments.]

To journey into the realm of Middle Eastern music is to unveil a tradition that is inextricably linked to religion-a uniting factor that brought together people of several different countries, languages and cultures.

The prevalence of Islam enabled the Arabic influence to spread across areas including Morocco, Iran, Egypt, Turkey and North Africa from the 7th century onward-a cultural influence that also permeated the region's musical framework. There are various elements that give Arabic music its distinctly otherworldly quality-the music often features quarter tones between notes, the Arabic scale is based on various maqamat or modes, and complex rhythmic patterns play an essential role in the tradition.

In order to connect producers to this region's exotic spectrum of instruments and rich sonic diversity, EarthMoments has released a bundle that grants them exclusive access to an otherwise elusive musical tradition.

EarthMoments' Hamsa Vol. 02 Arabic Percussion showcases several percussion instruments from the Middle East, North Africa, and Arabic musical traditions.

Forming the mainstay of the percussive practice are a variety of hand drums, instruments like the dumbek-a classic goblet-shaped drum traditionally made of ceramic clay and with a deeply resonant sound; the darbuka also goblet' shaped, and said to be a modern variation of the dumbek; and the riq-a frame drum with 5 sets of cymbals, usually skinned with goat or fish skin all of which are included in the bundle.

These traditions are heavily steeped in rhythmic patterns that perhaps at first listen are unusual to the Western-trained ear-complex time signatures that evoke a sense of the mystical realm from which these sounds emerged. In creating the bundle, the EarthMoments team made it a point to go beyond a surface level depiction of the exotic Orient'-and chose instead to showcase both traditional commonly heard rhythms, as well as less conventional, rare folk rhythms that stray far from the mainstream.

Included are rhythms like the Malfuf-a fast pattern that originates in Egypt and Lebanon and is often played as an intro for classical orchestral compositions, specially created for a belly dancer's entrance and exit;

the Baladi an urban folk rhythmic style, a derivative of which is the Maqsoum rhythm (the most common rhythm in Arabic belly dance music);

the Shiftateli a hypnotic rhythm often used for the sensuous movements of the belly dancer such as undulations of the torso, floor work, or when the dancer moves with snake like arms;

and the Karachi a fast rhythm that originated in Pakistan but is commonly found in modern Egyptian and North African music.

In unlocking this enigmatic world of sound, new doorways open up for the curious producer looking for unusual creative leads and herein lies great potential to create truly unique, offbeat compositions.

Hamsa Vol. 02 Arabic Percussion Bundle
LINK: https://blog.presonus.com/index.php/2020/02/16/esoteric-unveiling-worl...
See more stories from presonus

North America Stories

27/03/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 9: Chicago Cubs' Chris Simonson - Flying the W at Wrigley Field

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

27/03/2026

Comcast Business Powers 2026 THE PLAYERS Championship Network and Broadcast Infrastructure

Comcast Business deployed network infrastructure for the 2026 PLAYERS Championsh...

27/03/2026

CS live Equips New OB Van With Riedel MediorNet, hi Control System, and Artist Intercom

Czech production company CS live has equipped its newest outside broadcast van w...

27/03/2026

Edith Cowan University Installs Lawo VSM, HOME, and mc36 in New Broadcast Facility

Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Western Australia has developed new broad...

27/03/2026

Deltatre Appoints Marc Watson as CEO; Andrea Marini Transitions to Deputy Chairman

Deltatre has announced that CEO Andrea Marini will step down after five years in...

27/03/2026

DAZN to Launch Inflight and Onboard Live Sports Service in 2027

DAZN has announced plans to launch DAZN Inflight, a live sports service for airline and maritime passengers, slated for 2027. Aviv Giladi, President of DAZN Par...

27/03/2026

Grass Valley and NVP Deploy Camera Systems for LALIGA Broadcast Production

Grass Valley has announced the completion of a live production deployment with NVP, a European media company specializing in live sports production, for LALIGA ...

27/03/2026

The Masters, Prime Video Will Debut Inside Amen Corner' Stat-Enhanced Viewing Experience

The Masters and Prime Video will debut Inside Amen Corner, a dedicated feed that...

27/03/2026

ESPN and World Series of Poker Reach Multi-Year Agreement

ESPN and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) have reached a multi-year agreement to bring the WSOP Main Event back to ESPN platforms. Coverage will include a three...

27/03/2026

USSI Global Opens Media Transport Solutions Lab Ahead of C-Band Transition

USSI Global has opened its Media Transport Solutions Lab on its Melbourne campus. The engineering center provides a platform-agnostic environment for testing al...

27/03/2026

UFL Names Sportable Official Connected Ball and Player Tracking Partner

The United Football League (UFL) has named Sportable its Official Connected Ball and Player Tracking Partner. Sportable's connected football and wearable pl...

27/03/2026

Atlanta Braves and Fubo Reach Multiyear Distribution Agreement for BravesVision

The Atlanta Braves and FuboTV have announced a multiyear distribution agreement to carry BravesVision on Fubo's live TV streaming platform beginning Opening...

27/03/2026

As UFL Structure Evolves, League Boosts Broadcast Infrastructure at New Home Stadiums

Besides restructuring for Season 3, the league worked with FOX and ESPN over the...

27/03/2026

Atlanta Braves and DIRECTV Reach Multiyear Distribution Agreement for BravesVision

The Atlanta Braves open their 2026 MLB season tonight against the Kansas City Ro...

27/03/2026

New Venues, New Tech: How FOX Sports, ESPN Are Reinventing Their UFL Broadcasts for Year 3

With new teams and new venues to adapt to, the spring-football league's part...

27/03/2026

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Grace Glowicki, the Filmmaker Behind Dead Lover

By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...

27/03/2026

FCC Opposes Emergency Motion to Stay Nexstar/Tegna Merger

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

NAB Pans Netflix's Coverage of MLB Opening Day

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: Netgear

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

Marshall Electronics Showcases New Feature-Rich CV320 and CV520 IP and 3G-SDI POV Cameras at NAB 2026

Marshall Electronics Showcases New Feature-Rich CV320 and CV520 IP and 3G-SDI PO...

27/03/2026

Sony Electronics Inc. Elevates Professional Video Workflows with Powerful Updates to Monitor & Control and Catalyst Tools

Sony Electronics Inc. Elevates Professional Video Workflows with Powerful Update...

27/03/2026

GatesAir Extends AirWatch365 Managed Service with Edge Gateway Site Appliance

GatesAir Extends AirWatch365 Managed Service with Edge Gateway Site Appliance Brie Clayton March 27, 2026 0 Comments NAB marks global launch of servic...

27/03/2026

GatesAir Expands AirWatch365 Managed Service

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

Dejero, Eutelsat, Others to Offer 'Field to Air' Demo at NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

Global NextGen TV Takes Center Stage at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

USSI Global Opens Media Transport Solutions Lab

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

Net Insight Elevates Nimbra Edge to Govern Live Media Sys...

At NAB Show 2026, Net Insight will showcase the next evolution of Nimbra Edge, its orchestration and control layer designed to manage live media services across...

27/03/2026

Harmonic Delivers Winning Live Sports Streaming Innovatio...

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced powerful new innovations that further elevate the company's sports streaming solution. The advanced capabilities enh...

27/03/2026

Bitmovin s Player Web X Expands with Performance First Ad...

Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced significant new capabilities for Player Web X, its next-generation web video player...

27/03/2026

CS live Builds Future Ready OB Van With Riedel MediorNet...

Riedel Communications today announced that Czech-based production company CS live has equipped its newest outside broadcast (OB) van with an integrated Riedel i...

27/03/2026

MPTS 2026 Unveils First Wave of Speakers Featuring BBC Sk...

130 Industry Experts Confirmed as Show Celebrates its 10th Anniversary MPTS, the UK's largest and most influential event for the media, production and tech...

27/03/2026

Grass Valley and NVP Elevate LALIGA Broadcast Production...

Grass Valley today announced the successful completion of a major live production deployment with NVP, a leading European media company specializing in live spo...

27/03/2026

Appear Business Momentum Drives Leadership in Live Produc...

Showcases resilient solutions for satellite-to-IP migration, REMI and hybrid live production Appear ASA (Appear, OSE:APR), a global leader in live production t...

27/03/2026

Lightware MX2 delivers rock-solid 4K60 HDMI 10-bit signal...

San Francisco, California, March 2026 - Microsoft Ignite, a major annual conference hosted by Microsoft for developers, IT professionals, partners and business ...

27/03/2026

Clear-Coms EQUIP Wireless System Keeps Youth With A Missi...

Clear-Com is proud to highlight its support for worship teams through professional communication solutions, with the deployment of its EQUIP wireless system a...

27/03/2026

Orban Collaborates with Sage on Virtualized EAS Technology Demo

Orban Collaborates with Sage on Virtualized EAS Technology Demo Brie Clayton March 26, 2026 0 Comments Sage Alerting Systems (SAS), in cooperation wit...

27/03/2026

Berklee Alums Bring GIANT to Broadway

Berklee Alums Bring GIANT to Broadway Brian and Dayna Lee BM '13 met and fell in love at Berklee, and now their production companys first Broadway debut i...

26/03/2026

Audio-Technica and Extron Announce Microsoft Teams-Certified Enterprise Solutions

Extron and Audio-Technica have announced that their Design Solutions devices, Ce...

26/03/2026

SPORTEL Asia Returns to Singapore with 370 Participants from 35 Countries

SPORTEL Asia took place March 24-25 at the Orchard Hotel Singapore, drawing 370 participants representing more than 220 companies from 35 countries. Approximate...

26/03/2026

NAB 2026: LTN to Showcase Satellite-to-IP Migration Solutions

LTN will demonstrate satellite-to-IP migration solutions for broadcasters, cable networks, MVPDs, and station groups at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2100). The C-Ban...

26/03/2026

Seattle Mariners Upgrade Center Field Video Display at T-Mobile Park with Daktronics

The Seattle Mariners have partnered with Daktronics to install an upgraded outfi...

26/03/2026

Esports Nations Cup 2026 Names National Team Partners Across 100+ Countries

The Esports Foundation (EF) has awarded National Team Partner status to organizations and individuals across more than 100 countries and territories for the Esp...

26/03/2026

NAB 2026: Telestream Expands Vantage Integration with Adobe Premiere, Media Encoder, and Frame.io

Telestream has announced expanded integration between its Vantage workflow platf...

26/03/2026

NAB 2026: FOR-A Brings Nippon TV's viztrick AiDi AI Production Tool to Market with NVIDIA

FOR-A Corporation has announced a partnership with Nippon TV and NVIDIA to distr...

26/03/2026

CBS Sports Reaches New Long-Term Multiplatform Rights Agreement with the WNBA

CBS Sports and the WNBA have expanded their partnership through a new long-term, multiplatform rights agreement. CBS Sports will feature up to 20 regular-season...

26/03/2026

Zac Brown Band to Perform Sunday Night Baseball Open on NBC and Peacock

Zac Brown Band will star in the Sunday Night Baseball show open on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports announced. The open was filmed at American Family Field, home of ...

26/03/2026

2026 MLB Season Opens With Full Slate of National Games

Major League Baseball opens the 2026 season with nationally televised games across multiple media partners. Fans can visit MLB.com/Watch for a complete schedule...

26/03/2026

DIRECTV Adds Nine MLB Team Channels for 2026 Season

DIRECTV has announced an agreement to carry nine new MLB-operated team channels, covering the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers (Detroit SportsNet), Kansas City R...