Afghan Rubb: The Lion of Instruments

A Smithsonian Global Sound Lesson

Designed by: Nancy S. Beitler
Pennsylvania State University
Summary:
The Afghan Rubb is revered as Afghanistans national instrument. Despite censorship during
the Taliban rule, the rubb has regained its prominence in the Afghan culture. Skillful performers
Ustd Mohammad Omar and Homayun Sakhi continue to perform on the solo instrument leaving
their creative imprint on the regions musical legacy. There can be no doubt that authentic
traditional music remains forever contemporary. (Sakhi, 2005)
Suggested Grade Level: K-2 3-5 6-8 9-12
Musical Culture(s): Afghanistan Kabuli musicians of Kharabat
Musical Knowledge/Skills:
Listening: Instruments (Rubb and Tabla)
Analyzing: Form
Playing: Rhythmic and melodic patterns
Improvising: Yeman mode
Anatomy and performance practices of rubb
General Knowledge/Skills:
Geography of Central Asia
Political Climate of Central Asia past and present
Censorship of music
Materials from Smithsonian Global Sound:
Emen/Tintal by Ustd Mohammad Omar from Ustd Mohammah Omar: Virtuoso
from Afghanistan, (SFW CD 40439)
http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/containerdetail.aspx?itemid=2810

Keliwali by Ustd Mohammad Omar from Ustad Mohammah Omar: Virtuoso from
Afghanistan
http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/containerdetail.aspx?itemid=2810

Raga Yaman by Homayun Sakhi from Homayun Sakhi: The art of the afghan rubb
http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/containerdetail.aspx?itemid=3117

DVD of Rubb by Homayun Sakhi for Homayun Sakhi: The art of the afghan rubb,
(with purchase of the CD)
http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/containerdetail.aspx?itemid=3117

Liner notes to Ustd Mohammah Omar: Virtuoso from Afghanistan

http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/containerdetail.aspx?itemid=2810

Liner notes to Homayun Sakhi: The art of the afghan rubb

http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/containerdetail.aspx?itemid=3117

Other Resources:
Information about censorship of music: http://www.freemuse.org/
Baily, John (2001). Can you stop the birds singing?: The censorship of music in
Afganistan from http://www.freemuse.org/
Information about the Rubb: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robab
Information about the Tabla: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabla
Instruments: Guitar & Hand Drum
Other: Maps of Central Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan, India)
National Standards: (2) (3) (6) (9)
2) Performing on Instruments
3) Improvising
6) Listening, Analyzing, Describing
9) Understanding Relation to History and Culture

Experiences:
Keliwali by Ustd Mohammad Omar
o Listen to recording
As you keep a steady beat with your feet, identify rhythm patterns used by
the Rubb and the Tabla
Play one of these patterns softly on a hand drum
o See the liner notes from Ustd Mohammah Omar: Virtuoso from Afghanistan
(pgs. 8 9) and Homayun Sakhi: The art of the afghan rubb (pgs. 15 & 27) for a
description of Rubb and the Tabla and DVD of Homayun Sakhi: The art of the
afghan rubb Interactive Glossary
Discuss the anatomy of the instruments
List materials used to construct the instruments
o View the DVD Homayun Sakhi: The art of the afghan rubb Art of the Afghan
Rubb starting at 20:40
Discuss performance practices for both instruments
Emen/Tintal by Ustd Mohammad Omar
o Listen to recording (this is a long piece you may want to only use sections of it)
This Afghan classical piece uses the melodic mode of Emen (Yeman) and
rhythmic mode of Tintal (16 beats)
o It starts with an improvisatory introduction called a shakal
o Followed by the naghma four sections
- astir principle melody
- antara melody on ni
- bog new short melody repeated in several different
rhythmic settings
- sanchai another short melody
o Play the melodic mode Yemen C D E F# G A B C on the guitar
The Yemen mode is represented by the Indian solfege syllables
Sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni (analogous to do,re,me,fa,sol,la,ti).
The yemen mode uses a raised fourth degree.
o Play the Yemen melody as transcribed below. See Emen/Tintal by Ustd
Mohammad Omar (pg. 11)
o Improvise a short melody on the guitar using the pitches from the Yemen mode
Reflect on the performances of the improvised pieces
o Use of the correct pitches of the mode
o Ability to imitate the style
o Use of similar rhythms
Censorship in Afghanistan - Worldwide
o Liner notes from Ustd Mohammah Omar: Virtuoso from Afghanistan (pgs. 2 - 3)
and Homayun Sakhi: The art of the afghan rubb (pg. 10) for information on
censorship

o Baily, John (2001). Can you stop the birds singing?: The censorship of music in
Afghanistan from http://www.freemuse.org/
Define censorship
Discuss censorship of Afghan music by Taliban See materials above
Discuss censorship in the US Worldwide
Raga Yaman by Homayun Sakhi
o Listen to recording
Discuss similarities and differences between Homayun Sakhis Yaman
(Yeman) and Ustd Mohammad Omars Yeman (Yaman)
Define Ustd-shagird (master-apprentice) relationship see liner notes from
Ustd Mohammah Omar: Virtuoso from Afghanistan (pgs. 4-5) and
Homayun Sakhi: The art of the afghan rubb (pg. 12-13)
Trace the musical lineage of Homayun Sakhi
o Homayun Sakhi from his father Ghulam Sakhi
- from Ustd Modammah Omar
- from Ustd Ibrahim
- from family lines of the classically trained musicians of
North India brought to Kubal by Amir Sher Ali Khan
(1860s)
Trace the geographical locations of Homayun Sakhis musical lineage on a
world map
o Homayun Sakhi Fremont, California (present home)
- from Khalil House in Peshawar, Pakistan
- from Kucheh Kharabat area in Kabul, Afghanistan
- from Northern India
Identify some possible influences on Homayun Sakhis music from the
Ustd-shagrid experience and geographic re-locations
Transcription of the melody melodic mode of Emen by Ustd Mohammad Omar
C D E F# G A B C
sa re ga ma pa dha ni sa

Indian solfege syllables

do re mi fe sol la ti do
1
G

2
G

3 4 5 6
G F#E G G

1 2 3 4 5
B B B BB C

6
C

7
G

8 9 10
GF# A A

7
G

8
G

9
E

11 12 13
A F#G E

14 15 16
E BC DE

10 11 12 13 14
E BC DE B B

15
C

16
C