Hi ladies, how do you tell if the rhythm is malfouf or maqsum? I distinguish a rhythm by the sound dom, like if I hear D_DD, I know it's saidi, but to me malfouf and maqsum both sound like 2 doms.
they are quite different actually. Malfouf is in 2/4 and Maqsum is 4/4.
Malfouf is the fast, high energy rhythm in the beginning of many oriental dance pieces (Magency style, Oriental routine-pieces). It sounds like Dum tek tek, Dum tek tek, Dum tek tek, Dum tek tek....
Maqsoum is longer and "groovier", "Dum tek tek-ka tek, dum tek-ka-tek"
The problem for you with hearing the dums might be that you are not distinguishing where the rhythm ends. One "round" of malfouf is "Dum-tek-tek". One round of Maqsoum is Dum-tek-tek-ka-tek-Dum-tek-ka-tek"
So you'll need to remember that malfouf is only half the length of a maqsoum and that the second dum you are hearing, actually belongs to the next round of malfouf.
Thanks gisela
If you play malfouf slower, isn't that gonna sound like maqsoum? Can I just distinguish them by fast or slow?