The Gawharet El Fan Arabic Music Blog

What Names can the Darbuka Take?

The Darbuka can be referred to by many names. The name used can vary by the size of the Darbuka in question, or the region in which the name is use...

Where Does the Darbuka Come From?

The Darbuka has been around for millennia. Some have estimated that its origins date back to as far as the Babylonian period. Read on to find out a...

What Darbuka Is Used in the Darbuka Mastery Course?

Many may wonder what Darbuka is used in the Darbuka Mastery Program. In this article we explore the reasons for the Darbuka of choice, whether we r...

How should I hold the Darbuka while playing?

There are two common sitting positions when playing the Darbuka. Depending on how you will sit when playing, there will be a slightly different tec...

What Materials Can the Darbuka be Made of?

There are many types of Darbuka available on the market today. We have different materials with their own maintenance requirements, different sizes...

What Exactly are Drum Tabs?

Drum tabs are simplified ways for drummers and other percussionists to read and notate different rhythms. They replace traditional sheet music for ...

What Exactly is a Darbuka?

The Darbuka is a drum that we typically class in the World Percussion category of musical instruments. It is a goblet-shaped drum that many people ...

Why Doesn't My Doum Boom?

When you first begin playing a there are several mistakes that could cause your instrument to not produce that deep, resonating ‘boom’ that we expe...

How To Tune a Darbuka

Caring for and maintaining your instrument is an essential part of being a musician. When your instrument is in tune, it will sound significantly b...

How to Choose the Perfect Darbuka Rhythm to Play

Choosing the best Darbuka rhythm to play is something that many people early on in their journey might struggle with. For some it will come very ea...

What Does "Arabic Music" Refer To?

The term "Arabic Music" is used often, but what does it actually mean? In fact, the Arab world, in general, refers to a vast collection of countrie...

Explicit Musical Theory vs Implicit Musical Practice

A world without sheet music might well sound like a logistical nightmare, just like a world based solely on sheet music sounds incredibly boring! R...