Daf

Daf

 

Daf is one of the most popular percussion musical instruments in Asia. Daf is the Arabic term, and in the Borhan Ghateh dictionary term, Daf is considered the Arabic version of Dupp, which is the Sumerian term and means plate. The time and place of the invention of Daf are not precise. The most complicated and advanced techniques of playing Daf have developed in Iran, especially among Kurdish musicians.
By inventing Tombak, Daf lost its place in traditional music for almost one century (but still was famous for other parts of music). During the last 60 years, Daf has gotten special attention from Persian classical musicians. The structure of Daf consists of a ring made of wood with a width of about 5 to 7 cm and a diameter of 25 to 40 cm. Lamb or artificial skin is stretched on one of the surfaces, and inside its wooden wall, there are about 40 metal rings.