Quick Answer: What Is a Dap Frame Drum?
The dap (达甫, dáfǔ) is a round, single-headed frame drum used in Uyghur music in Xinjiang. Fingers or the hand strike the hide. On examples fitted with metal rings, the rings move inside the wooden frame and add a rattle to the drum sound.[1][2][5]
- Build: A shallow wooden rim holds one stretched head.[1][2]
- Sound: A hand stroke produces the drum note. Rings add a metallic sound.[1][2]
- Use: Dap players mark rhythmic cycles in Muqam and accompany dance in some settings.[3][4]
The size and sound depend on the drum and the ensemble.[1][2][3]
A dap can sound like a short thump followed by a metallic shake. Those sounds come from different parts of the same instrument. Looking from the back makes it easier to see where the ring sound starts.[1][2]
One Head and a Ring of Metal Jingles
The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a late twentieth-century example from western China. It is 41.3 centimeters across and 5.7 centimeters deep. The wooden frame carries one hide head, triangular inlay at the edge and metal rings on the inside. The measurements give a clear idea of the form. The frame is much wider across the face than it is deep.[1]
The Shanghai Conservatory’s museum describes frames made of mulberry and heads made of several kinds of hide. It records small iron rings set around the inside of the rim. A strike can vibrate the head and set these rings moving. Compared with the small central playing area of a bangu drum, a frame drum gives the hand a broad exposed area of hide.[1][2][5]
What the Dap Does in Uyghur Muqam
UNESCO describes Uyghur Muqam as a range of musical practices across Xinjiang that can include singing, instrumental music and dance. A Smithsonian Folkways glossary identifies a smaller dap used in the Twelve Muqam to mark recurring rhythmic cycles. In an ensemble, you can listen for the pattern that returns beneath a longer vocal line.[3][4]
The same notes describe plucked strings such as the dutar in Uyghur music. A listener can distinguish the short drum attack from a plucked string’s melodic contour. At an accent, the two sounds may coincide. Between accents, the changing notes can still be followed as a separate string line.[3]
How to Hear the Drum in a Dance Setting
The Folkways account also documents a larger dap used to accompany dancing at meshrep gatherings. In a dance passage, follow the recurring accent first. Then listen for the smaller taps and ring sounds between accents. This gives you two ways to hear the same rhythm.[3]
When the drum is visible, compare what you hear with the movement of the rim and fingers. A sustained metallic texture comes from a different part of the instrument than the short impact on the head.[1][2]
FAQs About the Dap Frame Drum
Are a dap and a doira the same name?
Dap is the Uyghur name used here. Doira is used for related frame drums in Uzbek and Tajik traditions. The names and exact forms depend on the setting.[3]
Where are the metal rings attached?
On the Met and Shanghai museum examples, the rings are on the inside of the wooden frame.[1][2]
Sources
[1] The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Uyghur Frame Drum, Object 1986.467.87
[2] Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Museum of Oriental Musical Instruments. Dap Frame Drum
[3] Smithsonian Folkways. Uyghur Music Recording Notes and Instrument Glossary
[4] UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang
[5] Southwest University. Uyghur Musical Traditions