Percussion instruments
Kudüm
Kudüm: A usul instrument made of two small hemispherical copper drums covered with skin and played with sticks called zahme. Together with the ney, rebab and halile it is one of the four basic instruments of Mevlevi music; it is related to the nakkare of the mehter and court music. It passed from the Mevlevi âyins into the fasıls of classical Turkish music and became the principal instrument for keeping the usul; its player is called a kudümzen.
In brief
- Family: Percussion; pair of drums made of two copper bowls with skin stretched over the opening
- Name: Of Arabic origin; the Mevlevis call it kudûm-i şerîf, the player is called kudümzen
- Dimensions: Opening about 28–30 cm across, height about half the diameter
- Skin: Camel skin preferred; thick skin (about 2 mm) on the düm bowl, thin on the tek bowl
- Playing: Struck with two rosewood zahmes, 25–30 cm long; the right bowl gives the düm, the left the tek
- Music: Mevlevi ayin and tekke music; today Turkish classical music ensembles
- Related instruments: Nakkare; in the 17th century Evliya Çelebi mentions the master kudümzens of his time
- 16th–17th centuries: One of the instruments listed by Evliya Çelebi; it appears as a small pair of kös played with sticks (zahme), said to be found in every dervish lodge[1, 2, 3]
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History
Together with the ney, rebab and halile it is one of the four basic instruments of Mevlevi music; it is related to the nakkare of the mehter and court music. It passed from the Mevlevi âyins into the fasıls of classical Turkish music and became the principal instrument for keeping the usul; its player is called a kudümzen.
Construction
Skin is stretched over the openings of two copper hemispheres, one larger and one smaller, and tightened with cords. The drums rest on a cushion; the larger gives the low düm and the smaller the high tek.
How it is played
It is placed in front of the player and struck with thin wooden sticks called zahme, one in each hand. The düm and tek strokes of the usul are divided between the two drums.
Its place in makam music
It plays no melody but carries the usul; in âyins and fasıls it keeps large usuls such as devr-i kebîr, zencîr and devr-i revân with slow, dignified strokes.
Getting started: types, sizes, tuning
Start with this instrument
Masters on recordings
Performers who play this instrument on recordings of works in the score archive (MusicBrainz).
Frequently asked questions about the Kudüm
What is the difference between the kudüm and the nakkare?
They are very similar in construction and share common roots: both consist of two kettle drums, one smaller than the other. While the nakkare is used in the mehter and secular music, the kudüm keeps the usul in Mevlevi âyins and the fasıls of classical Turkish music. The kudüm's strokes are slower and more solemn; its player is called a kudümzen, and the head kudümzen who leads the ensemble a kudümzenbaşı.
Why is the kudüm so important for keeping the usul?
In makam music, pieces are measured by usuls made up of düm and tek strokes; some usuls are very long. Because the kudüm's two drums clearly separate the low düm and the high tek sound, even long and complex usuls can be heard distinctly. The kudümzen is often the one who sets the ensemble's tempo.
Is the kudüm hard to learn?
Its technique is simple: the two drums are struck with sticks (zahme) held in both hands. The difficulty is knowing many usuls by heart and keeping a steady tempo in long usuls. Usuls are usually learned first by tapping the knees with the hands and speaking them as düm-tek, and then on the kudüm.
Can I hear the kudüm on the site?
Yes. The “Listen” section on this page has real kudüm strokes. You can choose the kudüm as the percussion instrument in the usul metronome under Tools and in the usul bar of the pieces in the sheet music archive; this way you can listen to the usul of a peşrev or an âyin with the sound of the kudüm.