The Som'ma Ensemble throughout the years has produced some
of the most progressive Persian music ever heard. The music
has been anywhere from strictly classical to avant-garde
ideas and concepts..
The tonbak is a chalice-shaped drum carved from solid mulberry
wood. It is covered at the wide end by a membrane of lamb or
goat skin. The technique of this instrument uses both hands
and consists of rolling and snapping the fingers in various
ways. The rich variety of tones and textures on this instrument
allows the player to punctuate and ornament the melodic phrases
as well as create rhythmical patterns. `Tom' and `bak' are onomatopoeias
for two basic strokes, one low (tom) in the center, and one
high (bak) on the side of the membrane. The Tonbak is often
also reffered to as Tombak, Dombak, Donbak & Zarb.
