20" diameter x 4 3/4" depth - $180
14" diameter x 4 1/2" depth - $150
All drums
are a combination of the classic elements earth, air, fire and water,
but only the Tar seems to have these elements so accessible and so perfectly
in balance. The center stroke, doom (water), the palm slap, ka (earth),
the edge stroke, tac (fire), and the brush, cha (air) all seem to have
an intimate relationship to one another as one listens to the Tar being
played. For centuries throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa,
the Tar and its cousin with snares, the Bendir, have been in the thick
of it wherever music and dancing were happening. Size and appearance of
the Tar vary from place to place, but it almost always has a thumb hole
in the frame so that the player is free to use the fingers of both hands.
"This Tar is wonderfully responsive and capable of a wide range of
tonal subtleties. The overtones are resonant and bell-like in their clarity."