Round single-headed frame drum (see Drum, §I, 2(vi)) found in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, the Central Asian republics, the Caucasus, south-eastern Europe and parts of India. The term, derived from Arabic (da'ira: ‘circle’), has many variant spellings and transliterations. In many areas there is some overlap with the term Daff.
The dāira consists of a hoop of wood, 5 to 8 cm deep, with a diameter of 20 to 50 cm, over which is stretched and glued a thin membrane of skin (commonly goatskin). Metal jingles are usually attached: pellet bells, rings or coins fitted inside the frame, or small pairs of cymbals inserted into it. The drum is tuned by heating the skin to make it taut, or wetting it to lower the tone.
Many playing styles exist, varying according to regions and social groups. The drum is usually held in one hand, leaving the other free to strike different parts of the skin with the fingers and thumb, and (sometimes) also the palm and heel of the hand. Additional sharp finger-flicks are produced by the hand holding the frame. The player's elbow, shoulder or knee may be used against the drum, which may also be thrown upwards or sideways in a regular beat, for jingling effects. A delicate tremolo is obtained by shaking the instrument; rubbing the skin creates another sound effect.
In some styles the drum is supported in both hands, the fingers beating the outer edge of the skin. Sometimes a string is attached to the drum for support. The drum may also be placed on or between the legs, leaving both hands free to beat with equal force.
The drum is variously played solo or in groups of two or more, sometimes with polyrhythmic effects (in the Ferghana Valley of Uzbekistan popular groups contain up to 14 drums). It is used to accompany singing, dancing, instrumental ensembles and ritual wedding processions. In Iran (dāire), Afghanistan (dāire/dāira), Turkey (dayre or def) and Azerbaijan (daire or daf/def) it is associated with folk music, often the province of amateur women performing in a domestic setting. In Afghanistan and Uzbekistan professional female musicians specializing in entertainment music at weddings used the drum and were formerly known as dāira-dast (‘drum-in-hand’).
The dayra/doira is particularly important in Central Asia, a compulsory instrument in classical and folk musics. A considerable repertory of named solo drum pieces exists, and in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan drumming is taught in art music academies. Musicians memorize drum patterns with syllables denoting low or high pitches, e.g. ‘bum-ba-ka’ (low-high-high), playing in a very forceful style. In Central Asia it is also used in male virtuosic displays involving juggling. In northern Tajikistan baxshy shamans (female and male) use it in therapeutic rituals, where it may be alternatively termed childerma.
In Caucasian areas (dahira, daira) it comes in various sizes, sometimes made with fish-skin; the frame may be inlaid with mother-of-pearl. There it is used for solo performance accompanying song or dance. Common in south-west Bulgaria, it accompanies solo or group singing and instrumental playing (especially the tambura) but rarely dance. In Serbia, south-west Montenegro and Macedonia it is generally used by Gypsy women to accompany dance, and in calgije ensembles. In Romania (dairea, dara) it was formerly used by Gypsy showmen to accompany bear-dances; now it has a place in masked New Year processions, representing the bear's costume. It is used in urban instrumental ensembles in Albania (daire) and, in eastern Albania, in conjunction with the gajde (bagpipe).
J. During: ‘Daf/dāyera’, Encyclopaedia Iranica, ed. E. Yarshater (Costa Mesa, 1993)
T. Levin: The Hundred Thousand Fools of God (Bloomington, IN, 1996) [chap. 6]
V. Doubleday: ‘The Frame Drum in the Middle East: Women, Musical Instruments and Power’, EthM xliii (1999), 101–34
VERGILIJ ATANASSOV/VERONICA DOUBLEDAY