Percussion instruments
Tef (frame drum)
Tef (frame drum): A frame drum played by hand, which may have jingles on its frame. The jingled type of frame drum; it is used in folk music, at weddings and in old Ottoman fasıl ensembles.
In brief
- Family: Percussion; single-headed frame drum with jingles
- Origin: The name goes back from Sumerian dap through Akkadian to Arabic def
- Body and materials: Frame of ash, walnut, poplar or beech; fish or goat skin
- Jingles: Pairs of brass or bronze jingles in slots in the frame; usually five pairs in art music
- Dimensions: Diameter about 40–44 cm in religious music, 30–40 cm in art music, 27–28 cm in folk music
- Music: Dhikr and ilahis, keeping the usul in classical fasıl, weddings and henna nights
- Other names: Def; regionally delbek, germe, kabran
- 16th–17th centuries: Appears as the def in Revani's İşaretname and in Evliya Çelebi; some old defs seem to have been four- or eight-sided[1, 2]
Listen
History
The jingled type of frame drum; it is used in folk music, at weddings and in old Ottoman fasıl ensembles.
Construction
Skin is stretched over one side of a wooden hoop; pairs of brass jingles are fitted into slots in the hoop.
How it is played
It is struck with the fingers and palm and shaken to ring the jingles; the strokes and the jingles together form the rhythm.
Its place in makam music
It accompanies the usuls with both strokes and jingles; in some Sufi lodges it has also accompanied hymns and zikr. The tef can be selected in the site's percussion accompaniment.
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 Tef (frame drum)
What is the difference between the tef and the daire?
Both are frame drums with jingles, and their names are often used interchangeably. Generally the tef is smaller and deeper, with its jingles fitted in pairs into slots in the frame; the daire is wider and thinner, with its jingles or rings on the inner side of the frame. The riq of Arabic music is also a close relative of the tef.
What music is the tef played in?
It is used in folk music, at weddings and festivities, in early Ottoman fasıls and in some tekkes in ilahis and dhikr. Because it gives both a drum stroke and a jingle sound, it can provide a complete usul accompaniment on its own. It is played under different names across a wide area stretching from the Balkans to the Middle East.
Is the tef hard to learn?
The basic strokes and ringing the jingles are learned quickly, which makes it a good percussion instrument for beginners. The difficulty is keeping the düm and tek sounds clearly distinct while the jingles ring, and playing fast ornaments cleanly. A common method is to first speak the usuls, then play them slowly with a metronome.
Can I hear the tef on the site?
Yes. The “Listen” section on this page has real tef strokes. You can also choose the tef 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 düm and tek pattern of the usuls with the sound of the tef.