Drag rhythmic values into up to 4 beat blocks per line to build a drum groove, or click a tile then click a block to place it — handy on a trackpad.
Arabic rhythms (iqa'at) are written as patterns of two main strokes on a goblet drum like the darbuka: the deep doum in the middle of the head and the sharp tak at the rim, with light ka strokes filling the spaces. Each rhythm has a name and a character, and a player decorates the skeleton freely.
Maqsum is the most common 4/4 rhythm in Arabic pop and belly dance; saidi, from Upper Egypt, doubles the doum for a heavier feel; baladi is the earthy folk version of maqsum; malfuf is a quick 2/4 used for entrances; and ayoub is a trance-like 2/4 used in zar ceremonies. These play on the Middle Eastern kit: doum on the kick, tak on the snare, riq on the rimshot.
Want to play along, or build a song from these? Open them in Drum Loops → Each beat becomes a loop you can edit, with fills, a count-in and a song.