The "split-finger" or "split-hand" technique is a common
drumming technique (used mainly on Egyptian style
goblet drums and Indian drums like tabla and kanjira) which was made popular by the famous Turkish
drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...
,
Mısırlı Ahmet
Mısırlı Ahmet (born Ahmet Yıldırım, 1963 in Ankara, Turkey) is a Turkish virtuoso darbuka player.
Ahmet Yıldırım started his music life playing a Turkish-style darbuka in the Turkish style. He then travelled to France and then to Egyp ...
. Mısırlı Ahmet studied and practiced drumming in
Egypt, hence 'Mısırlı' (the Egyptian).
There are various ways of implementing the split finger technique, using one hand, or interlacing the hits using both hands.
The one hand split finger. This involves striking the rim of the
drum head (or a bit further down) with a downwards (or diagonal) movement of the
index finger of your ornament hand (that is the left hand for right-handed people, or the right hand for left-handed people) and from there, with no extra movement, bringing your
ring finger up with a slight twist to strike the rim (or close to the rim). When this is done correctly each hit should sound like a regular "ka" (which is a standard rim hit with the ornament hand).
The two hand split finger. This is a combination of right and left hand strikes. The table below shows the most common ways that it is done.
Note: A side-to-side motion with the hands is more ideal and efficient when doing the two hand split finger (for speed and comfort).
Also note: a "Tek" is a standard rim hit with the main
hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "h ...
(not ornament).
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1. Index finger, index finger, ring finger, ring finger
RIGHT HAND LEFT HAND RIGHT HAND LEFT HAND
----
2. Ring finger, index finger, index finger, ring finger
RIGHT HAND LEFT HAND RIGHT HAND LEFT HAND
----
3. Index finger, ring finger, index finger, ring finger
RIGHT HAND RIGHT HAND LEFT HAND LEFT HAND
----
4. Ring finger, index finger, index finger, ring finger
RIGHT HAND RIGHT HAND LEFT HAND LEFT HAND
----
5. Tek, index finger, Tek, ring finger
RIGHT HAND LEFT HAND RIGHT HAND LEFT HAND
----
6. Tek, Index finger, ring finger, index finger, Tek, ring finger, index finger, ring finger
RIGHT HAND LEFT HAND LEFT HAND LEFT HAND RIGHT HAND LEFT HAND LEFT HAND LEFT HAND
----
The result of each one of these combinations is that there are 4 rim hits for each beat making a very fast roll at anything over 200 beats per minute.
Note: the last combination (number 6) is over 2 beats, making for 4 strikes also per beat (not 8 strikes).
Note 2: There is a more efficient way of doing the split hand technique, which doesn't allow the fingers or
wrists to become sore, and doesn't involve as much wrist movement as the above-mentioned way. This is done by using a more "side to side" movement than an "up and down" movement with the wrists. This generally increases speed without hurting the wrists.
Links
Split-finger technique on the DumbekTurkish split-finger technique scroll down for detailed descriptions and comments
Egyptian split-finger technique scroll down for interesting details about various musicians and their own versions of it
Darbuka split-finger technique
The ''Tekronomicon"is a book believed to be the first instructional publication on the split-finger technique written in North America. {{Dead link, date=February 2020
Instruction on the Turkish split-finger technique by Raquy
Percussion performance techniques