A frame drum fitted with jingles, the târ gives the rhythm its relief and plays, within the orchestra, the role of leader.
The târ is in every respect similar to the tambourine of the countries of Europe. It is a strip of beechwood, about seven centimetres wide, bent into a circle twenty to twenty-five centimetres in diameter.
Around its rim, five slits are cut, each holding a pair of brass jingles, round and slightly convex. A goatskin, raw and carefully scraped like parchment, is stretched over the frame.
The musician holds the instrument in the left hand, the thumb passed inside the circle. With a movement of the wrist, he makes the târ oscillate: the jingles clash together and give castanet-like sounds — a tremolo that forms a kind of continuous bass.
It is the right hand that produces the strong beats, called tum (near the middle of the skin), and the weak beats, called tak (on the rim). These points figure the strong and weak beats of the rhythm.
The târ plays a leading role, much like that of the conductor's baton in European orchestras. It is entrusted only to an accomplished musician, seasoned by long experience.
