Tonbak

Tonbak

 

Tonbak (Tombak) or Zarb is an old percussion instrument, and its first evidence goes back to the Sumer civilization remnant. The history of Tonbak in Iran is unclear, and based on the remaining manuscripts, the term Tonbak was mentioned from 500 BC till the 17th century without any information about its structure, how it played, and how its status was among the musicians.
Since 17 to 19th centuries, some manuscripts from historians, European travelogues, and Iranian writers have described some properties of Tonbak and its playing style. The first recorded sound of playing the Tonbak goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, and the development of the technique of playing the Tonbak during the last century is remarkable. Because of the simplicity of techniques, during the two centuries (18-19th), Tonbak and Tonbak players had discounted social and musical status.
With the revelation of playing Tonbak during the last century, especially by Hosein Tehrani, it has got many complicated and variant techniques and became the main percussion instrument of Persian classic music. Tonbak is goblet-shaped which a wider side covered by skin. It plays with all fingers of both hands and needs much patience to learn complicated techniques (it is the most challenging drum to learn in the world).