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The ''mirwās'' or ''marwas'' (), plural ''marāwīs'' () is a small double-sided, high-pitched

hand drum A hand drum is any type of drum that is typically played with the bare hand rather than a stick, mallet, hammer, or other type of beater. Types The following descriptions allude to traditional versions of the drums. Modern synthetic versions ar ...

originally from the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. It is a popular instrument in the

Arab States of the Persian Gulf The Arab states of the Persian Gulf, also known as the Gulf Arab states (), refers to a group of Arab states bordering the Persian Gulf. There are seven member states of the Arab League in the region: Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi ...

, used in '' sawt'' and ''

fijiri ''Fijiri'' (Arabic: الفجيري; sometimes spelled ''fijri'', ''fidjeri'', or ''fjiri'') is the specific repertoire of vocal music sung by the pearl divers of Eastern Arabia's coastal Gulf states, especially Bahrain and Kuwait. A lead sing ...

'' music. It is also common in

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

and

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. Hadhrami migrants from

took the instrument to

Muslim Southeast Asia Muslim Southeast Asia refers to the areas of Southeast Asia that have significant populations of Muslims. It includes: * Most parts of Indonesia including most of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara, Maluku Islands and Sulawesi (Java and ...

(especially

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

), where it is used in ''

Zapin ''Zapin'' ( Jawi: زافين) is one of the most popular dance and musical forms in traditional Malay performing arts. Dance movements are choreographed to melodies, which are performed using musical instruments such as the gambus (short-necke ...

'' and '' Gambus'' musical genres. A similar drum of this area is the ''

Gendang A ''kendang'' or ''gendang'' (, , , Tausug/Bajau/ Maranao: ''gandang'', Bugis: ''gendrang'' and Makassar: ''gandrang'' or ''ganrang'') is a two-headed drum used by people from the Indonesian Archipelago. The kendang is one of the primary ins ...

''. The Marwas drums used to accompany '' Gambus'' music in

Lampung Lampung, officially the Province of Lampung (; ), is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. It has a short border with the province of Bengkulu to the northwest, and a longer border with the provi ...

often consist of four sizes with two skins of a diameter between 12-20 centimetres. The skins are commonly made from goatskin and formerly black monkey skin and are laced with leather or plastic to a jackfruit-wood cylindrical body of around 8 to 10 centimetres in height.

References

Double-skinned (double-headed) drums
- Oman Centre for Traditional Music

- The British-Yemeni Society * Charles Capwell,
Contemporary Manifestations of Yemeni-Derived Song and Dance in Indonesia
, ''

Yearbook for Traditional Music A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually. A yearbook often ...

'', Vol. 27, (1995), pp. 76–89
Marwas - Musical instruments of Malaysia

External links

Youtube video - mirwas played
{{Traditional musical instruments of Malaysia Hand drums Arabic musical instruments Music of Kuwait Omani musical instruments Yemeni musical instruments Bruneian musical instruments Indonesian musical instruments Malaysian musical instruments Bahraini musical instruments

See also

References

External links