The Middle‑Eastern Drum Set

The drum set was born to fit a whole group of percussionists into one player. Nadav’s method takes that idea back to its roots, bringing the rhythms, techniques and oral teaching of Middle Eastern and North African percussion to the modern kit.

It rests on three building blocks that return again and again in new forms. The Numbers, an oral tradition Nadav learned from percussion master Yshai Afterman, divide every number from two to eight over a single beat, so odd groupings and time signatures become second nature. Middle Eastern rhythms set the dum and tak of the darbuka on bass drum and snare. Independence turns four limbs into an advantage, ending with grooves that fold whole percussion ensembles into one set.

In lessons the same building blocks are explored on the darbuka, frame drum and riq as well as the kit, and they meet in a setup that joins hand percussion with the drum set: a modern sound with the depth of the tradition behind it, at home in a Middle Eastern ensemble, a jazz band or a pop stage.