September 19, 2007 | 6:34 pm

Banging Middle Eastern style

Posted by Dikla Kadosh

Follow JewishJournal.com on

There’s something very sexy about a man holding a darbuka in his lap and striking his fingers across the top of it in rapid rhythmic movements. The earthy, primitive sound, the quick-paced beats, the flurry of hand motions - it’s absolutely mesmerizing.

Jamie Papish can teach you how to be enchanting and entertaining while playing the darbuka, a vase shaped drum also known as the dumbek, derbekke or tablah that is extremely popular with Israelis, Persians and Arab cultures. Papish is a hand percussionist who specializes in Middle Eastern styles and in addition to performing regularly with the Yuval Ron Ensemble, the Nashuva Band and many other groups, he teaches drumming workshops for kids and adults.

Starting Sept. 27, Papish will be teaching a 10-session Middle Eastern rhythms class on the fourth Thursday of every month. He’ll teach basic technique on four main percussion instruments: the darbuka, the riqq (aka Arabic Tambourine) - a small frame drum with cymbals, the zills (aka finger cymbals or zagat) - small brass cymbals placed on the thumb and middle finger of both hands, and the duff (aka frame drum, tar or bendir) - a large drum that sits between your legs.

Papish will guide you through various combinations, teach you how to enhance the groove, add dynamics and throw in bright bits of color.

Before long, you’ll have mastered the darbuka, discovered a new passion, and developed a powerful sense of confidence. Now that’s sexy.

Check out this lively darbuka performance from youtube:

7-9 p.m. every Thursday starting Sept. 27. Remo Recreational Drum Center, 7308 Coldwater Canyon, North Hollywood. (310) 463-1956. www.jamiepapishmusic.com.

0 Comments — Leave your comment

Share this post: del.icio.us Digg Facebook Google Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati YahooMyWeb