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Darbuka or Doumbek - the 'Goblet' drum or belly dancing drumThe doumbek has an illustrious history and cultural influence unparalleled by any other drum.
Immerse yourself and enrich your music with this valuable heritage, become part of the darbuka playing tribe.
These darbukas are inexpensive drums with a unique sound , whether is for your personal jamming session or your band or the drum circle or for your belly dance class, you will learn to feel new rhythms, from traditional to contemporary music.
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The doumbek has many sizes and weights. However, there is no definite
size that a beginner should use. You should pick one that would fit you, and
the same goes for the weight of the instrument. The different styles in which
the instrument is played, however, is what separates the professionals from
the beginners.
The Darbuka has such a strong and powerful sound that, if used efficiently, it
can be used to make great harmonious reverberations that can complement
almost any type of song or instrument. The Dumbek is known for its clear &
crisp high tones as well as soothing bass tones. It has distinct high and
low sounds that make it popular for belly dancing and drum circles. Its very
pleasing, aesthetic shape shows how much craftsmanship goes into making the
instrument; it can also be handled in different ways to help produce
different sounds.
The combination of deep bass tones ("doum") and high, crisp tones ("tek")
give the doumbek its name. A wide neck doumbek has shorter resonance than a
narrow neck drum of the same size giving the doum stroke a higher tone; the
flare on a narrow neck drum adds to the resonance resulting in a deeper
"doum". Many are also tunable, which gives more control over the tone, while
some are fixed. Doumbeks are usually made of ceramic or metal, and
occasionally wood, with drumheads made of acrylic, cow hide, goat, sheep or
fish skin.
Heads made of natural materials can sound better in the hands of
an experienced drummer but they're usually more difficult to play for a
beginner and are higher-maintenance; they go out of tune more easily, changes
in temperature and humidity alter their tone and they're more fragile than
synthetic heads.
There are two main types of doumbeks. The Egyptian style has rounded edges
around the head, whereas the Turkish style exposes the edge of the head. The
exposed edge allows closer access to the head so finger-snapping techniques
can be done, but the hard edge discourages the rapid rolls possible with the
Egyptian style. Darbukas also differ in the materials from which they are
made.
Ceramic doumbek usually produce a warm and earthy sound and
traditionally have heads made of fish or goat skin but synthetic heads also
are used. Mid East ones are popularly made from various metals, including
brass, copper, aluminum & nickel. Egyptian cast-aluminum darbukas don't break
easily and the mylar heads don't change tone with changes in temperature and
humidity.
Most players say that aluminum body is better 'resonating' and produce a
more metallic tone. African ones are commonly made from clay.
The rich and varied history should get anyone excited about buying a darbuka.
They are inexpensive, and make sounds that are unique and cannot be
replicated by other instruments. However, their use in popular culture has
been increasing as of late. Recently the doumbek has been incorporated into some
folk dance groups. Its use in more contemporary music is helping
the awareness of this drum and the rise in popularity of this great instrument.
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