THE ROLE OF TURKISH PERCUSSION IN THE HISTORY AND ...

that was often doubled on the triangle. Prior to the bass drum’s entry into the orchestra, its
playing position often involved the placing of sling ropes over one’s head that allowed the
drum to rest comfortably over the abdomen. A wooden beater sounded the accented beats and
the ruthe sounded the unaccented beats on the other head, consistent with the original Turkish
playing technique. When parts were extant, this “stick and switch” method of play was
indicated through the use of down and up stems, corresponding respectively to the beater
(down stems) and switch (up stems). 3 Musical examples notating this performance practice
are included in Chapter 3.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the style of play required of the Turkish bass
drummer was unique. In addition to the traditional beater usually played by the right hand, he
would supplement this sound with the ruthe in his left hand. The beater and the ruthe were
customarily assigned to separate heads of the drum. The player could strike the ruthe directly
onto the drum’s head, or strike both the head and the rim of the drum simultaneously. The
latter style of play created a rim shot effect that produced a high pitched “tock” sound which
contrasted the low “boom” of the wooden beater. 4 The location on the bass drum struck by
the ruthe was determined by the timbre of sound desired. The ruthe was most likely made of
bound bundles of switches, birch branches, or strips of split bamboo, as determined by the
strength of sound desired. 5
3 Michael Bayard, “Timpani Clinic: The Neo-Janizaries,” Percussive Notes (1987): 37; Moore, “How Turkish
Janizary Band Music Started Our Modern Percussion Section,” 10; Nicholas Ormrod, “The Ruthe in Authentic
Performance,” Percussive Notes (1995): 65; The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2 nd ed., (2001),
s.v. “Bass Drum.”
4 Michael Rosen, “Terms Used in Percussion: Die Rute,” Percussive Notes (1979): 49.
5 Peinkofer and Tannigel, Handbook of Percussion Instruments, 138.
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