Ancient Voices of Frame Drums
Ceremonial scenes of frame drummers in ancient Mesopotamia, Greek vases with women drumming and dancing,
and angels playing tambourines in Italian Renaissance paintings are a few of the visual representations of ancient
frame drums. Art works featuring these instruments can be found from the earliest urban civilization to modern
times.
"My study of the frame drum performance styles sparked an interest in finding out about the history of this type of
drum. This research led me to rich pictorial traditions, including many types of paintings and sculpture which
depicted frame drums in ritual and musical contexts in the ancient world," says Velez.
The history of the frame drum begins in the ancient Middle East. The instrument was popular through-out the
Mediterranean world including Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece. Velez also found several Biblical references to the
frame drum, known as the tof in ancient Hebrew.
"Miriam played the tof when celebrating the parting of the Red Sea and Jepthah's
daughter played the tof when welcoming her father back from battle."
For Velez, studying the ancient materials and applying them to the context of modern day settings in an on-going
process of discovery. Working with the visual images has inspired him to explore facets of frame drumming like
holding positions for some of the instruments and the incorporation of movement with sound.
Researching frame drums in the ancient world also led Velez to consider the role of women in drumming. "In the
majority of cases, women were the frame drum players in ancient times. This is very different from our era when
men are most often the drummers. I feel the re-emergence of frame drumming is connected with a re-emergence of
an aspect of women's nature and their power as drummers," explains Velez.
"There is no modern tradition for what I am doing - but I feel that I come from the ancient tradition of frame drum
playing that dates back 3,000 to 4,000 years. By connecting with the ancient instruments, I feel I am part of a
tradition."
Dancing hands and singing drums
For many listeners the tambourine conjures up images of Bob Dylan singing, "Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a
song for me." And yet, there are rich and varied traditions of this versatile instrument and music throughout the
world. The tambourine is one member of the frame drum family of portable, hand-held drums. The depth of the
frames are shallow and the diameters of the heads range from six to thirty inches. Some instruments have bells or
jingles attached; others do not. Most frame drums are round, but they can be square or triangle-shaped.
Although some frame drums are played with a stick-such as in the shamanic traditions of Native Americans and
Central Asians-Glen Velez and his Handance ensemble usually play with their hands. In creating his own style to
explore the sonic and expressive potential of these drums, Velez draws on an eclectic mix of instruments and
traditions. They include the South Indian kanjira (a small lizard skin instrument with a single set of jingles), the riq
or duff (frame drums from the Middle East with loud jingles and a wide dynamic range), the gaval (a frame drum
from Central Asia played with an unusual finger snapping technique), the pandeiro (the lively instrument from
Brazil with rows of jingles), and the tamburello (an instrument used in healing rituals in southern Italy). Velez and
Handance often use the North African tar ( agood ensemble instrumentin prolonged playing situations because of it's
light weight). Each drum creates melodic as well as rhythmic material and provides a different tone color.
While Velez has seriously studied all of these traditions, his music is clearly his own. "The source material from
studying with traditional musicians was a foundation and a springboard for what I do-pan-drumming or a composite
style," explains Velez. Over the years he has created his own frame drum style which in the same sense as an Indian
gharana (literally extended family) or school, he is passing on to his students. The creation of tradition in a modern
setting is at the heart of the dancing hands and singing drums of Velez and company.