Let’s just analyse the above names in a little more depth. Inside Egypt, we use the words Tabla, Sombaty and Doholla primarily. Since Egypt is commonly agreed to be home to the best of Arabic music, and also the origin of Our Team, this is important to note.
Outside of Egypt, in most Arab and Western countries, we drop the word Tabla, and replace it with Darbuka or Doumbek:
For a more definitive answer on Darkbua vs Doumbek, read into our blog post covering that very question. Finally, within Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania etc.), it is unanimously agreed that the name Tarabana/Darabana is used.
Note: You should never refer to the Darbuka as a “Bongo drum” or “the Bongos”. Calling the Darbuka by one of these names is a cardinal sin in the Darbuka world.
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
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The Darbuka has been around for millennia. Some have estimated that its origins date back to as far as the Babylonian period. This estimate is likely because hand drums have been an integral part of many cultures and societies, likely since early human history. The Darbuka, a goblet-shaped hand drum, has manifested itself in its current form in the Middle East, North Africa, South-East Asia and Turkey. Other instruments such as the African Djembe, Iranian Tombak, and various other West African drums are likely to be different manifestations of the same original Babylonian drums.
A Djembe
In present times the Darbuka is deeply embedded into Middle Eastern and North African heritage. It is used in countries like Algeria and Syria as a core part of any wedding or celebration. Consequently, most children (male and female) grow up with some education on how to play the Darbuka. It's no surprise then that some of the greatest Darbuka masters alive today hail from such countries.
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
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Furthermore, we much prefer metal Darbukas to clay Darbukas to teach with, simply because of the ease of not having to tune or heat a clay Darbuka, and the fact that metal Darbukas are lighter and less prone to damage.
The Pearl Temple Artisan Sombaty
The specs of the Darbuka we use are below. Note that a model like this can be easily purchased from the Gawharet El Fan website:
Name: The Pearl Temple Artisan Sombaty
Type: Arabic Sombaty Darbuka
Manufacturer: Gawharet El Fan
Country of Manufacture: Egypt
Weight: 6.1kg
Head width: 23cm
Total width: 30cm
Height: 48cm
Inner shell material: Aluminium
Design Materials:
Head Type: Gawharet El Fan Standard Egyptian Plastic Head
Tuning Lugs: 6
We are 100% confident that this is one of the most fantastic sounding Darbukas available on the open market and would strongly recommend it. It also falls under our Export Grade range of products so you're getting the best quality money can buy.
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
Sit down on a chair with both of your feet flat on the floor in front of you. The Darbuka should sit on your non-dominant thigh with the open-ended side pointing behind you and the skin covered side pointing in front of you at a 45o angle.
You should then adjust your dominant leg so that the bottom part of the Darbuka rim is supported by the inner thigh of your dominant leg to hold the drum in place. You should be able to let the Darbuka rest without needing your hands to stop it from falling over. As such, your dominant foot might be slightly raised, whereas your non-dominant foot should be flat on the ground.
You should then lightly hug the body of the Darbuka with your non-dominant arm to keep it steady while playing. Your non-dominant elbow should keep the Darbuka tight against your side, and your non-dominant palm should rest on the top of the Darbuka rim, without touching the skin.
Remember that anything that touches the skin will affect the resultant sound. If your non-dominant hand is resting on the plastic skin itself, the sound won’t resonate properly.
Note: If unsure, your dominant hand is typically the hand you write with.
Holding the Darbuka sat on a chair (front)
Holding the Darbuka sat on a chair (side)
Sit down on the floor in a cross-legged position. The Darbuka should sit on your non-dominant thigh with the open-ended side pointing behind you and the skin covered side (the Darbuka’s head) pointing in front of you at a 45o angle.
You should then lightly hug the body of the Darbuka with your non-dominant elbow to keep it steady while playing. Your non-dominant palm should rest on the top of the Darbuka rim.
The Darbuka may fall inwards into the space between your crossed legs. This position is okay, as long as it doesn’t render the drum unplayable. If it is falling too far inwards, you might need to bring the Darbuka back a little, so that it resting closer to your non-dominant thigh.
Holding the Darbuka sat on the floor
The only exception we've seen from the above methods is a performance technique of playing the Darbuka while standing. Playing while standing is common if performing in an environment which requires you to move around, or perhaps if you were accompanying a dance or march. While it is possible to use a drum strap to secure the Darbuka to your shoulder while you play, we would not recommend doing this until you are at least an intermediate player with strong foundations. You will have to dynamically adapt your playing style with the drum’s movement, which will be tough for a beginner. My advice would be to learn and practice while sitting on a chair or the floor. This will allow you to build your foundations in a strong position and help you progress through your Darbuka studies. Once you’re confident and secured in your basics, grab a drum strap and give playing while standing a shot!
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
There are many types of Darbuka available on the market today. We have different materials, different sizes, and even different shapes (read our Darbuka Buying Guide if these differences are troubling your purchasing decisions). Let’s explore some of these and see what’s what.
Note that the type of Darbuka you buy can affect the type of skin you buy so make sure to look into our blog post covering Darbuka skins in detail!
These are rare to come by, and when you do find them, they tend to be quite terrible. We wouldn't recommend getting a wood Darbuka. They are often on the shelves of street sellers on the streets of Cairo, and these "instruments" are considered souvenirs at best.
Some may say that since Darbukas were traditionally made of clay, that these are the best kind of Darbuka. The reality is that Darbukas were also traditionally played in deserts, where it was always hot and dry. Nowadays, the Darbuka is played around the world where there are a multitude of different temperatures and humidities to consider. Herein lies the core problem of the clay Darbuka; the skin is tied to the body using rope, and the skin is usually a natural animal skin. This type of roped skin clay Darbuka may lose its tension should the humidity increase, which is a real problem in most parts of Europe and the US. It's also very fragile, which means if you hit it against something hard or drop it, it will likely crack and break beyond repair. If you're a beginner, this choice of Darbuka may be unwise.
That's not to say that clay Darbukas aren't a wonder to play. One of our experts, Ibraheem personally has a clay Doholla which he uses and plays all the time. However, it was hand-made, costly and is prone to damage. He, therefore, doesn't travel with this Doholla where possible. It also requires that an adjustable heat source is placed inside the Doholla (usually a light bulb) to keep the skin tight and playable in all climates. As such, you need a socket available to play this Doholla!
A Bass Doholla
The invention of the metal Darbuka in the 20th century was indeed a brilliant idea. You now no longer have to worry about a Darbuka going out of tune when it's needed most, nor do you have to worry about it dropping and breaking. Parts are easy to find and fit without any professional help, and they generally sound quite good too. We recommend a metal Darbuka to all beginners trying their hand at Darbuka for the first time. After all, many of us learnt on a metal Darbuka ourselves.
The Turkish Darbuka is an interesting spin on the classic round-headed design of the Arabic Darbuka. The Turkish Darbuka is characterised by its flat head with sharp edges and exposed tuning lugs. This flat head design makes finger snaps, and very advanced Turkish split-hand rolls more comfortable to play. They're also easier to make and so can be cheaper too. Unfortunately, they are not ideal for beginners and are optimised more for someone playing using the Turkish split-hand technique. This technique is quite an advanced style of playing that you should build up towards over some years. As such, a typical beginner would be better off with a standard Arabic Darbuka at the start of their journey.
A Turkish flat-head Darbuka
No matter what type of Darbuka you choose to buy, you're in good hands with us at Gawharet El Fan, read into our manufacturing process through our Innovation page. And if you're after the best of the best, indulge yourself with our Export Grade products.
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
It's essential to take your time reading the following information to make sure that you understand precisely what a drum tab is and how it's supposed to be read. This will make it much easier for you to read the rhythms that we'll cover later on.
An important part of understanding drum tabs is learning to count beats. If we were learning proper musical theory and reading from sheet music, we would start this section with an understanding of time signatures but we don’t need to with drum tabs. Instead, drum tabs simplify this for us by allowing us to use beat cycles to just count beats to help us determine the length of which we use rhythm. This is much less complicated and makes it easier to discern lengths of the rhythm.
A beat cycle is the repetition of a specified number of beats. For example, the number of beats in a 4-beat cycle is… 4! So, to count out a 4-beat cycle, we just say:
1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2… etc. Simple!
Let’s look at how this looks on a drum tab:
Let’s look at a few more examples:
There is another vital element of a drum tab, specific to Arabic Music. This is referred to as the Iqa', or rhythmic emphasis. We will refer to this as rhythmic emphasis in this article, however, note that the word Iqa’ will be commonly used by most experienced Darbuka players. Please carefully read this section, as it is critical to your Darbuka success.
Rhythmic emphasis is used in most forms of music; it helps us understand where the points of emphasis are in the rhythm and to understand the rhythm better. We will look at examples of where this is essential. However, there is a critical concept for Arabic Music that must be understood to read drumming tabs properly.
An Arabic rhythm is defined by its ruh’ (soul), not it’s notation.
This is especially the case in non-percussive rhythms, like Arabic Maqamat (scales), where there are noticeable tonal variations between what's written on the sheet and what's played in real life. In drum rhythms, the concept of ruh’ is used. However, it is used to define what notes of the rhythm constitute the “core rhythm”, to allow for good ornamentation, this link will take you to one of our previous blog posts which describes what Darbuka Ornamentation is:
What Exactly is Darbuka Ornamentation?
Let’s look at the below rhythm, the Heavy Sa’idi:
This rhythm is 4-beat rhythm, as we can see (there are only four beats in the second row).
However, there are 5 points of rhythmic emphasis in the rhythm (there are 4 Doum notes and 1 Tek note).
For this rhythm to be the Heavy Sa'idi in practice, these Doum and Tek notes need to hit exactly where they are supposed to hit; otherwise, the Ruh’ will be lost. If the Ruh’ is lost, we lose our rhythm. The location of these five beats is known as the rhythmic emphasis.
The only problem is, there seems to be space for four gaps underneath each beat! Take a look at the 1st beat of Heavy Sa’idi for example:
Within the first beat of this rhythm, we have space for four notes. At the moment, two of them are filled with Doum notes, and two of them are empty. Let’s look at how this works.
To help us notate what notes we are going to play within each beat, we can split every beat into several different notes. For the sake of simplicity, we have divided all of the beats we will cover into four notes. This means that within each beat, four possible notes can be played. We can count this as follows:
If counting just the 4-beat cycle, we can count as follows:
1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.
If counting the 4-beat cycle, including the four parts of each beat, we can count as follows:
1, e, &, a, 2, e, &, a, 3, e, &, a, 4, e, &, a, 1, e, &, a, 2, e, &, a, 3, e, &, a, 4, e, &, a, etc.
This will be difficult to get your head around initially. To understand this better, try saying the above count-cycle in time with a clock. At every second, you should be saying a number. Between each number, you should be saying “e & a”. Remember to repeat after every four counts! You can check out the Darbuka Mastery Program on the Gawharet El Fan website to see me demonstrating this in action.
If you're struggling with what rhythm to play, read our article on "How To Choose The Perfect Darbuka Rhythm To Play".
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
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 consider to be the leader of percussion instruments in the Middle East and North Africa. It is also played widely across South East Asia, namely in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Figure 1. a Darbuka
The Darbuka is known as a goblet drum because its shape narrows in the middle and widens at the base. This shape is similar to that of a goblet or chalice glass. Historically Darbukas were made of clay or wood with an animal skin stretched over the head; such materials would create high-quality sounds. However, we typically make contemporary darbukas out of aluminium, copper or synthetic fibres, which are ideal as they prevent damage to the Darbuka and don't break as easily as clay. They are also easier to work with and therefore make large-scale production easier.
Darbukas are commonly adorned with beautiful and fantastic designs, differentiating them from almost any other musical instrument. Many would say that a Darbuka isn't complete without a colourful design flaunting the incredible design and technical prowess of the Darbuka's craftsman. One may also note the different designs that the Darbuka can take dependant on its region of manufacture. Darbukas from Turkey use different designs to those from Egypt, which use different designs to those from Indonesia. The Darbuka may well be the best ornamented in the world that is in mass use. We can use various materials to create these fantastic designs, including paints, glosses, Mother of Pearl gemstones and coloured metals, plastics and stones.
To find out about the history of the Darbuka, read into our blog post covering its origins. While you're at it, why not read into Our History as well?
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 used. To make matters even more confusing, most people use various names interchangeably, which makes it harder to identify what someone is referring to. For simplicity, we consistently use the term “Darbuka” to refer to the drum in question. However, the below list should help you understand what other people mean when they use different names.
Let’s just analyse the above names in a little more depth. Inside Egypt, we use the words Tabla, Sombaty and Doholla primarily. Since Egypt is commonly agreed to be home to the best of Arabic music, and is also the origin of Our Team, this is important to note.
Outside of Egypt, in most Arab and Western countries, we drop the word Tabla, and replace it with Darbuka or Doumbek:
For a more definitive answer on Darkbua vs Doumbek, read into our blog post covering that very question. Finally, within Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, etc.), it is unanimously agreed that the name Tarabana/Darabana is used.
Note: You should never refer to the Darbuka as a “Bongo drum” or “the Bongos”. Calling the Darbuka by one of these names is a cardinal sin in the Darbuka world.
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
Without your palm landing, the fingers have no support. Fact. This will likely cause your fingers to hurt and/or bleed because of the lack of support. Furthermore, you won’t be able to produce a good, strong sound from your Doum. The palm is the key to playing the Doum correctly, as it allows you to strike with strength and power. This ensures that your palm lands firmly on the metal head of the Darbuka allowing you to produce the optimal sound.
A common mistake – playing too far in the middle of the skin. If you strike the skin of the Darbuka with your whole hand, including your palm (i.e. your palm lands on the skin), you might be setting yourself up to fail. While initially, this will create a slightly better sound than what you've been doing before, the reality is that the effect of the palm landing on the skin is that the Doum will not boom properly because the fleshy part of your palm has killed all of the sounds. Think about how the Doum is created; it relies on the vibration of the skin to create the sound waves that get sent through the hollow section inside the drum. If you land your palm on the skin, you will reduce how much the Darbuka skin is vibrating, and therefore reduce how strong your Doum sounds. To make sure that your Darbuka creates the proper sound you must create as many vibrations as possible, don’t hit too far into the middle of the Darbuka to do this. Ensure that your palm doesn't land flat on the skin to make certain that the optimal sounds are produced.
I’ve seen this often happen with people who aren’t using the correct hand position when making contact with the Darbuka. If you are only landing the tips of your fingers and not two whole phalanges, you won’t be able to create a powerful sound at all. The resultant effect will "strike" too much, creating a very hard sound that sounds like you're smacking the skin, rather than a deep and bassy Doum. Make sure that you land the correct parts of your fingers onto the Darbuka to create the proper sounding Doum.
Two issues can occur here with the bounce of the Doum:
One of our experts, Ibraheem, shares experience: "I'll be honest; I didn't notice this as an issue until relatively late in my studies. I was with one of my very close friends, and we were about to perform at an event. It was a small event with some friends, and the room we were in was furnished with Moroccan sofas, which are sofas which sit only a few inches from the floor, so you when you sit down you end up sitting cross-legged on the floor almost. Anyways, the event started, and the Doums on our Darbukas just weren't booming, and we couldn't work out why! My friend said it was because there were Jinn (evil spirits) in the room, and it became a running joke that every time we performed at that particular venue, our Darbukas didn't work because of the Jinn. It was only when I gained some more experience that I realised that it was just because I was sitting on a sofa and the cushioning on the sofa was blocking the sound! It turns out the venue wasn't haunted after all…"
Instead, the issue is to do with blocking the sound coming from the Darbuka.
When you choose where you will sit to play, practice or perform, you should consider how much space there is behind your Darbuka. You need space behind your drum to allow the sound to travel, and you need to ensure that there aren't any thick cloths or materials absorbing your Darbuka's sound. Assess your surroundings:
All of these scenarios will kill any bass coming out of the back of your Darbuka and will make your playing sound flat. This is a common problem that beginners face when practising. The location they have chosen to practice doesn't facilitate sound to travel, and as such, their Darbuka will sound bad even if they're using the correct technique!
If in doubt, go to a location where you are confident there are optimal conditions for good sound to be created. A medium-sized room with wooden/tiled floors and mostly hard surfaces is ideal. Typically, in an ordinary house, most people find the best sound in their kitchen (if it's big enough!). Outside the house, a sports hall, performance hall or the like would be fantastic. If you're not sure how good your Darbuka is supposed to sound, find a good room and try it out! You might be surprised how different this space will sound compared to your bedroom!
This issue is less common on the Doum than on other strokes of the Darbuka, but if your tuning is terrible on your Darbuka, or your Darbuka is of very low quality, your Doum might not boom properly. Ibraheem Malik from Our Team recalls: "Some of the first Darbukas I ever owned were from Fez, in Morocco, and the skins were so tight that they didn't boom properly. I only realised this later on in my journey when I played one that I bought from the internet and realised the apparent difference in quality."
For guidance on tuning your Darbuka, read our guide on How To Tune a Darbuka. If your Darbuka needs a skin change, read our Complete Guide to Darbuka Skins.
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
Note that this article refers to tuning a metal Darbuka, not a ceramic Darbuka. A ceramic or clay Darbuka is tuned via an intricate roping system which usually requires an expert to do. A metal Darbuka, on the other hand, can easily be tuned by anyone. If you're interested in learning about the various types of Darbuka, read into our blog post covering a few.
The Darbuka tuning process
Top Tips
In order to tune a standard Egyptian Darbuka (like a Gawharet El Fan Darbuka), you will need a 5mm diameter Allen Key.
Before you start tuning, you will need an idea of what exactly needs doing. There are typically three problems that someone might have that would require them to tune their Darbuka:
Problem: The Darbuka sounds sharp or high pitched. The Tek strokes have lost their ring because they are being "choked" by the tight tuning on the Darbuka. The Doum strokes are sounding flat because the skin is so tight that it can't vibrate properly.
Solution: To fix this problem, we have to tune the Darbuka to a lower pitch, by loosening the tuning bolts.
Problem: The Tek is not ringing correctly because the skin is too loose. The Tek's pitch will resemble more of a church bell, and may even sound bassy (note that the Tek should never be producing bass sounds!). The Doum shares similar problems; it will sound very boomy and bassy, overly so. The skin is so loose that the skin will vibrate way too much when a Doum is played.
Solution: To fix this problem, we have to tune the Darbuka to a higher pitch, by tightening the tuning bolts.
Problem: Instability occurs very regularly with cheap drums from Arab markets and the like. It can also happen when someone who doesn't know what they are doing has tried to tune a Darbuka. In this scenario, the Darbuka sound is unstable. The Tek is not ringing properly because the head is uneven. The Tek is also changing pitches as it rings (it should typically ring in one clear tone). The Doum may have a little bit of an unhealthy bounce to it, as the head is uneven (but this may not always be the case). It is usually much easier to spot any instability from the Tek (or Ka).
Solution: In order to fix this problem, you will first need to identify the cause of the problem:
1. Your Darbuka's head might be fitted unevenly. You can assess this yourself by looking at the distance between the head and the Body of the Darbuka.
If the gap is uneven, for example, it is larger on one side of the Darbuka than the other side, then your head has been fitted unevenly, and your first point of action is to stabilise the Darbuka skin by tightening or loosening the tuning bolts until this gap is entirely even around the entire circumference of the Darbuka.
2. If this gap is even, and your Darbuka still sounds unstable, you will have to replace the Darbuka skin. This is because the plastic molecules in the skin have set unevenly, such as because of excessive heat exposure. You can purchase a replacement skin from Amazon, a local drum store, or our website. If you need advice about Darbuka skins, look no further than our Complete Guide to Darbuka Skins.
Once you have identified what needs to be done, you have three tuning actions you can take. You either need to tighten, loosen, or stabilise the Darbuka skin.
And there you have it, by following these steps, your Darbuka should be nicely in tune!
Here's a top tip when it comes to tuning a Darbuka. In our opinion, the Ka is by far the best stroke to tune to when tuning the Darbuka. The reasons for this are below:
When tuning to the Ka, you hold the drum on your non-dominant leg, as if you were about to play. You then hit the Ka repeatedly to see what it sounds like. If it sounds too low, you start tightening the screws by a quarter turn around the drum until you fall into tune. If it sounds too high, you loosen. You use your dominant hand for the tuning.
It is crucial to find a sound profile you like, and you are comfortable with. It is also important to remember there is more than one way to tune a Darbuka, and that each Darbuka will have a slightly different sound profile based on its size, it's quality, it's build material, it's skin type, etc.
For example, a Sombaty Darbuka is bigger than a Standard Darbuka, so it will have more powerful Doums, and may also have more powerful Teks depending on it's tuning. If you try to get a standard Darbuka's Doum to sound as powerful as a Sombaty Darbuka, you will have to tune the Doum quite low, which will jeopardise the Tek and Ka. This is an excellent example of a reason it's essential to tune to the Ka, as mentioned above.
Typically, people have different sounds that they like. Some people prefer a slightly lower sound with a bit more of a bell to the Tek. Some people prefer a tighter tuning with more of a crispness to the Tek. If you tune slightly lower, your Tek will have a slight bell to the sound, but your Doum will be very powerful. If you tune slightly higher, your Tek will sound crisp and strong, but your Doum may suffer a little.
You should ask yourself whether you prefer a slightly higher or lower tuning, then tune your Ka to that pitch. Listening to someone else's Darbuka which is in tune will help with this.
The best of both worlds is possible when the perfect size Darbuka is created using high-quality materials by an expert craftsman. We take pride in saying that all of our Sombaty Darbuka models meet this standard as some of the best Darbukas available on the market. The Standard models, while also fantastic drums, are just slightly too small to maintain a strong Tek as well as Doum. Our Sombaty Darbuka models, on the other hand, are perfect. Check out our Sombaty collection here. To read more about our expert manufacturing process, click here.
It is particularly important when tuning a Darbuka to avoid extremes, such as tuning too low or tuning too high. It will very clearly sound out of tune and may damage your Darbuka skin.
For example, if you tune a Darbuka way too tight, you will not be able to loosen those bolts very easily, as the molecules in the plastic skin have been stretched too far and have "set" in that position. As such, we wouldn't recommend tuning too tightly.
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
If you're still looking for guidance on getting started with playing Darbukas, read our article on how to start learning to play.
If there are other percussionists present, you could have one of two roles in the mix:
You could act as the rhythm controller. It would be your job to keep the rhythm together and hold the basic beat to allow the other percussionists to experiment with their rhythms with fancy ornamentation. They can do this because they know that you are holding together the core beat, so they don’t have to worry about it. For example, if you were playing with a Riq player, you could hold just a basic Maqsum on your Darbuka, while the Riq player would be free to experiment with fancy ornamentation techniques and really bring the rhythm alive.
Alternatively, you could swap these roles, and you could be responsible for ornamenting while the other percussionists hold the basic beats. For example, if you were playing with a Daff player, very often the Daff player would just a play a basic beat on the Daff, allowing you, as a Darbuka player, to explore new and exciting ornamentation techniques!
What do you do when you are the only percussionist playing? How are you supposed to choose from the many, many unique and different rhythms out there?
We have some general guidelines that can be followed to help you choose the perfect rhythm to play in any circumstance.
Staying in time is one of the most crucial parts of playing with a group and your ability to judge and recognise time signatures is what makes up a large part of this. Let’s say you were going to join a group of musicians, and they were playing in 4/4 at approximately 100 BPM, most Darbuka players would immediately think Maqsum, and just jump into the rhythm. However, you can only do this if you know that they are playing in 4/4 and at 100 BPM. This is where an understanding of time signatures and your own internal rhythm comes into play; You have to be able to acknowledge the time signatures and be able to respond and use them. In another example, if you were trying to join musicians who were playing in 3/4, you definitely wouldn’t be able to enter with the Maqsum rhythm because you would require a 3/4 rhythm, like Vals. In another example, if they were playing in 10/8, you’d need a 10/8 rhythm!
Iqa’ is an important concept in Arabic Music, and nearly all competent practitioners would agree that it definitely deserves its own mention. Iqa’ is the basic (or skeletal) rhythm. The Iqa’ is where the points of emphasis are in the rhythm. For example, if you were to review any of the drum tabs in our Darbuka courses (like the one mentioned at the bottom of this article), you would find certain notes highlighted, mostly Doum and Tek notes. It’s very important to match the Iqa’ of whatever is being played by other musicians or performers with the rhythm that you will play. If their rhythm has a completely different Iqa’, you will change the shape of the music when you enter the rhythm, and this could be completely detrimental to the group’s music as a whole. Let’s say for example that the Zaffa was being played, a rhythm with a very clear Iqa’, and you try to enter that rhythm with a Maqsum. You’d destroy the Iqa’ of the existing rhythm and this would be problematic.
Certain rhythms are more much more appropriate than others for certain occasions. Some rhythms are purposed for set scenarios, and by not playing that rhythm in that scenario you may be stepping on someone’s toes; it’d be the incorrect thing to do. Let’s say you were doing a wedding gig, and when the bride entered you didn’t play the traditional wedding beat, the Zaffa. This would be a very poor choice and people would wonder why you didn’t play the obvious rhythm at the correct time. There are set rhythms to use at set times.
Another example of this might be if you were playing at a Zikr (a religious chant) with whirling dervishes present. If there are dervishes and it’s a Zikr, you should definitely be playing Ayub somewhere. It’s the right rhythm to play at that specific time! If you start with a completely different rhythm when the more appropriate Ayub could possibly have been played, the dervishes might be a little upset.
Furthermore, you can choose a rhythm by location. For example, if playing with Turkish or Greek musicians, they tend to favour rhythms like Karachi and Cifte Telli more than a standard Maqsum, whereas Arabic musicians would definitely expect a Maqsum in there somewhere because it’s such an important and critical part of their genre. As such, assess the situation and choose a rhythm which will make all of the other musicians more comfortable.
Another handy trick when choosing a rhythm is looking at the strum pattern of any guitarists present. For example, many guitarists play a lot of songs using a strum pattern that consists of various up and down strokes. Some of the down-strums are usually accented also. Take a look at the below guitar strumming pattern:
There are 2 different down-strums, and one up-strum. On the first beat and the fourth beat, there are strong down-strums. At these points, you can play a Doum. During the light down-strums, you can play a Tek, and in the up-strums, you can play a Ka. This particular guitar strumming pattern can be written as a drum tab, to look like this:
You can then add ornaments to this as you please, enabling you to play along effectively with the guitarist(s). Remember to keep the mood the same as the rest of the musicians, and don’t ornament so much that the mood is lost. If you’d like to learn more about ornamentation and try your hand at some fun an interesting drum tabs, check out the Darbuka Mastery Program!
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
According to Wikipedia:
Arabs primarily inhabit the 22 Arab states within the Arab League:
It's interesting to note that these countries span across 13 million square kilometres, a massive area! When it comes to defining an Arab, it includes a lot more than simple geography.
For example, if someone was to ask what an American is, you would define American by someone who is from America. The determining factor is strongly, and pretty much exclusively, geographical.
In the context of Arabs though, oftentimes they are defined by a number of factors:
In summary, Arab countries encompass a number of different regions and to be an Arab you can fit into a very broad range of categories.
With this in mind, it is important to understand what we mean by "Arabic Music". Are we referring to the music of all 22 countries in the Arab League as shown above? Or are we talking about something different?
We can think of Arabic Music as strongly defined by the instruments it is played with, and the language it is performed in. In our personal opinion, Arabic Music is anything played on an Arabic instrument, or performed in Arabic, or written in a clear distinct Arabic manner, for example by embodying a certain Arabic Maqam (scale).
With this in mind, we can define Arabic Music as a very broad genre that potentially encompasses a number of regions and disciplines, it thus makes sense to split Arabic Music into some more specific denominations:
Taking a step back to look at how the Arab world developed, it was primarily through the conquests of Islam, which took Islam to places beyond the areas which are considered "Arab" today. This meant that musical disciplines that existed in parts of the Islamic world were spread throughout other parts of the Islamic world with ease.
As such, we can see that there is crossover and influence from neighbouring musical regions, primarily:
A clear example of this is Turkey. Turkish Music and Arabic Music are similar in so many ways (although they keep their distinctions). Take the main instruments used in their music, the Oud and the Qanun. Both Turkish and Arabic disciplines use both the Oud and the Qanun, however, both the Turkish Oud and Qanun are slightly shorter than their Arabic counterparts.
So while the disciplines are very similar, they are also different in many ways. In the case of Arabic and Turkish music, one important differentiation is language - Turks don't speak Arabic.
We think it's safe to say that this article wouldn't be complete without at least one mention of the Golden Age of Arabic Music. We are referring of course to the period which started from around the end of World War 1 and lasted for almost 50 years.
A detailed explanation of the Golden Age of Arabic Music would require a whole essay in itself.
A simplified version would be that the Arabic world extracted itself from any Ottoman Turkish influence at the end of WW1 after the Ottoman empire fell.
This, coupled with the great Western influence over Egypt and surrounding regions in this period resulted in massive cultural reforms in Egypt, especially in music.
The result was the Golden Age of Arabic Music, led by Cairo, where Arabic Music came into its own as a rich and beautiful musical genre. Because of this period, when most people refer to Arabic Music, they are thinking of the Golden Age, and by extension associate Arabic Music very closely to Egyptian Music.
That pretty much sums up what Arabic Music is. To recap:
You can also read our post about where the famous instrument, the Darbuka, comes from in our blog post on its origins.
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
Herein lies the problem. The box explicitly states 270 degrees, but there is an understanding by the person cooking the lasagne that the instructions need to be tailored to their specific circumstance to produce the desired outcome, a delicious meal. In simple terms, if you were to follow the instructions explicitly, you would end up with a burnt dinner.
Let's look at what this means further in the context of music.
When we talk about musical theory, we are usually referring to a range of notated tablatures, texts, and scales. For example, a scale is a clear example of musical theory. When you have a scale, you are telling the reader that the following are the core notes that underpin the music you are about to play. The reader is then aware that whenever they are playing a piece of music, that note should be played in that particular way.
When we talk about musical theory, we are usually referring to a range of notated tablatures, texts, and scales.
We can look at this as having both advantages and disadvantages. Broadly, we could say that the advantage of musical theory is that it makes the whole discipline cleaner. By this, we mean that if there is a clear structure to follow, it reduces the room for error, and allows mistakes to be visible.
An advantage of Musical Theory is that it makes the whole discipline cleaner.
For example, for those musicians amongst you, if you heard someone play an F Sharp note in a C Minor piece, you'd know something was wrong! Why? Because F Sharp doesn't exist within the C Minor scale. If everyone knew that, you could easily say, "Stop that, it's not part of the scale!".
The disadvantage of this is that it makes the whole discipline more rigid. In a field such as music, where self-expression is key, you don't want to be bound by the confines of rigidity, you want to be free to fly wherever the music takes you.
A disadvantage of Musical Theory is that it makes the discipline more rigid.
In the same example of a scale, if for some reason an F Sharp actually worked really nicely in whatever song you were playing, it should be appropriate to play it, even though the scale is C Minor.
When we talk about Musical Practice, we believe we are talking about the spark of the musician, the spirit that brings the music alive, the soul of the music. In Arabic Music, we refer to this as the Ruh' (the soul) of the music.
The spark of the musician brings music alive allowing the music to create it's own Ruh' (soul)
In the example of Arabic Music, we use various Maqamat (scales) to help understand the direction of the music. Now, in the 20th Century, there was a lot of influence from the Western world to "standardise" these Maqamat into structures that people would typically call scales, however, this poses a problem for the classical Arabic Music practitioner.
In typical circumstances, we use Maqamat (scales) to standardise music.
Since the Arabic Music practitioner defines a scale by it's Ruh', it's soul, a simple written notation is not sufficient to bring out the true beauty and colour of the music, and create Tarab (musical pleasure). Tarab is the way that the music moves the audience, how it makes us feel. If someone plays Maqam Ajam (what we'd refer to a happy or major scale in Western Music), and it doesn't feel like a happy song, the Ruh' is missing, and Tarab will not be created. The music makes sense on paper, but in reality, it doesn't sound like it's supposed to.
In the Arabic Music practitioners pursuit of Tarab (musical pleasure), he/she will transcend the boundaries of any scale or poetic meter.
Note: A Maqam is a scale. Maqamat is the plural of Maqam, and therefore means scales.
The problem is that in Arabic Music, we define something by it's Ruh', it's soul, the way it makes us feel, the way its inner beauty is brought out. A Maqam cannot just be watered down into a simple musical scale, it is in fact a whole way of being.
Arabic Maqamat facilitate this creation of Tarab by defining Maqamat by their Ruh', not just by simple notes.
It is exactly this issue that creates difficulty for the classical Arabic Music practitioner when they are too reliant on explicit notation, they may lose the Ruh', the soul of the music, while they are trying to make sense of it on paper.
As such, the Arabic Music practitioner cannot rely on notated scales too much, else they risk losing the Ruh' of their Maqam, and hence jeapordising Tarab.
Here we come to the true underlying issue of this matter:
Now the answer is not straight forward, which makes the issue that much harder. Take the following examples (although they are a little outside the topic of Arabic Music)
What's going on here? We believe it comes back to the openness and vastness of the musical field. There are multiple paths to musical success and musical mastery.
There are multiple paths to musical success and musical mastery. E.g. Bach's technical mastery vs Jimmy Hendrix's practical mastery.
So which is better? The answer is not clear, and in some ways, it isn't important. In extreme circumstances, it might work out to specialise in one field in particular, but the case of most people, most casual musicians, a combination between the two is needed.
In most cases, a combination between explicit theory and implicit practice is needed.
Most musical schools around the world are now using a combination of theory and practice to teach music. On a broad level, we can think that learning theory is to use books, sheet music and other written structures to improve theoretical competency, and we can think that using teachers and mentors is to improve practical competency.
Most music schools nowadays use a combination of the two. Books and sheet music for Thoery and teachers for Practice.
Books and sheet music are now more important than ever. With the Western musical world exerting a lot of pressure and influence on other musical disciplines, more and more traditional pieces are being transcribed into the Western way of writing music.
Books and sheet music are now more important than ever.
Furthermore, due to globalisation, more Eastern instruments, and Eastern musicians by extension, are now entering the world of Western music. For example, the Darbuka is often used in French music, due to the sheer number of Algerians living in France. It is natural that there is some overlap between the two disciplines, and sheet music is needed to allow all musicians to play together.
Due to the modern day overlap between disciplines, sheet music is needed to allow musicians to play and perform together.
Teachers and mentors are the keys to unlock true musical success. Music is a way to truly express yourself, and sometimes it's not possible to condense a musical masterpiece into a piece of paper. True musical genius lies in the hand of the master, who defies all laws and standards to create a mesmerising piece of music which creates Tarab (musical pleasure).
Teachers and mentors are the keys to unlock true musical success.
And on a broad level, think about it this way: new pieces of music require the creativity, the genius of the musician to be created. So really we are always innovating beyond written music anyway.
In order to actually create a new piece of music, the genius of the musician is a necessity.
To conclude, we think it's fairly safe to say that both theory and practice are an important part of music, but we should always remember that they have their own places. Musical theory is important to allow us to standardise, to keep harmony amongst musicians. Musical Practice, on the other hand, that's where the magic is. And without magic, what is music?
We have some articles on musical theory that you may find interesting such as the following:
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
When learning to play Darbuka, it’s important to get the basics spot on. In reality, the basics are almost 2/3 of all theory you need to learn when playing Darbuka. Read on to find out the fundamentals you should cover in your journey to becoming a Darbuka master!
]]>If you would like to submit a Darbuka question that you would like answered, send us a message!
When learning to play Darbuka, it’s important to get the basics spot on. In reality, the basics are almost 2/3 of all theory you need to learn when playing Darbuka. Ensuring that your Doum stroke is landing in good form, for example, will be incredibly useful for you when you start learning more complex rhythms and start playing faster. If you're having difficulties mastering your Doum stroke, find out why here.
The basics can be learnt from many YouTube guides, eBooks that can be purchased from Amazon, local music lessons, and many more. A YouTube search or Google search is sure to find you a way to get a strong grounding in the Darbuka. One such course might be the Gawharet El Fan Darbuka Mastery Program.
You can also find answers to various questions in our blog posts. For example, here's one on how you should hold your Darbuka while playing.
Once you’ve mastered the basics, that’s where it gets interesting and the responsibility starts to fall on you to improve. You’ve got to practice, practice and practice some more. Make sure you nail the basic rhythms and then work on making those rhythms sound better, learn different ways to ornament and improve them, watch other Darbuka players play those rhythms and steal ideas from them, play with other musicians and force yourself to adapt your rhythms to different genres. All of these things will massively improve your Darbuka playing skills, and from then onwards, the sky’s the limit!
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
First things first, let’s get a dictionary definition for the word ornamentation to give us some structure:
Ornamentation is the action of adding decorations to something to enhance it’s appearance or make it more elaborate.
So ornamentation, in simple terms, is taking something simple and adding to it to make it prettier. The way we see it, that translates to one of two things when put in the context of the Darbuka:
Let’s explore these two kinds of ornamentations and look at some examples of different types of ornaments used in practice.
The first kind of ornamentation would be adding ornaments to the Darbuka itself, or in other words, making the Darbuka prettier. Darbuka craftsmen work very hard to make sure that the Darbuka instrument itself looks stunning. There are few instruments out there today that look as good a Darbuka, and that’s a fact. The stunning Mother of Pearl designs used on Darbukas are not found anywhere else in the world of musical instruments. Read how Mother of Pearl designs have been used in our Lotfy Process here. You can purchase our Mother of Pearl Sombaty Darbukas here (or our Blue Mother of Pearl Sombaty Darbukas here).
One of the reasons that ornamentation is such a keyword in the Darbuka world is because the Darbuka, by its very nature, wants to be elaborate. The Darbuka is not intrinsically a simple instrument. As such, the instrument itself is something that craftsmen work very hard to ensure is a beautiful instrument to look at. So now it is the responsibility of us, as players, to ensure that the rhythms themselves are made more elaborate to match the beautiful Darbuka bodies.
This kind of ornamentation is apparent, although not overt. It is clear that the Darbuka’s aluminium shells are ornamented with incredible designs, however typically when we refer to Darbuka ornamentation we are referring to the second kind of ornamentation:
This is really what most people are referring to when they talk about Darbuka ornamentation, making a rhythm prettier. This topic is quite vast and makes up a large part of all learning that one will do in the Darbuka world. However, in short, we are talking about adding flavour to a basic Darbuka rhythm.
Ornamenting a Darbuka rhythm means adding your own individual flavour to the rhythm. Typically, there will be a core rhythm that will provide the basis for you to start ornamenting from. This core rhythm’s only purpose is to give you a direction, a general route to follow. This is handy in many ways, as it helps set the time signature, and it helps define where the band or group want the main notes to be in the drum rhythm. After this, though, it’s up to you as a drummer to make the rhythm fit the song or whatever piece of music or dance you are playing. A fancy elaborate rhythm played when the rest of the musicians are playing a simple beat will seem out of place, a slow, basic rhythm when the music is reaching a climactic point will spoil the mood of the song. As such, it’s essential to take the bare bones of any rhythm and build them into something fit for purpose. Just as a chef adds seasoning based on the dish he is preparing, you too should add ornaments to your strokes based on what piece of music is being made.
Ornamentations on the Darbuka can come in many forms, here are some examples:
This is the crucial final point when it comes to ornamentation. Beginner and intermediate Darbuka players have a strong tendency to add too much when they start their ornamentation journey. This causes the rhythm to become overcooked and makes it feel congested. While it is great to begin using ornaments in your rhythms, always keep in mind that the reason you are adding ornaments is that you want to highlight how amazing your Darbuka skills are. If you want heads to turn when you play; you need to do something extra-ordinary. If your whole rhythm is highly and elaborately ornamented, people will actually start getting bored of the rhythm.
Conversely, if your rhythm is simple, relevant and enjoyable, and then you add an extra-ordinary few bars of ornamentation, you’ll get heads turning, and people will think “Wow. That’s some fantastic Darbuka playing. That’s the goal, never forget it.
If you're still learning about rhythms, make sure to check out our article about Drum Tabs.
So there we have it, Darbuka ornamentation. We hope this has inspired you to start thinking more about how you can personalise your rhythms and make them your own. By all means, steal from other people all you like, but start developing your own unique repertoire, your own unique sound, and you will begin to create a fantastic legacy for yourself as a Darbuka player!
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
If you would like to submit a Darbuka question that you would like answered, send us a message!
You may have noticed that we gave two names for the Darbuka in our post about what names the Darbuka can take; here we will tackle this question.
Darbuka and Doumbek both mean and refer to the same musical instrument. They are two different names for effectively the same item. For the sake of simplicity, we like to refer to everything here at Gawharet El Fan as "Darbuka", however the word Doumbek could also be used in its place.
To provide a little bit of context on the matter:
As such, the definitive answer to the difference between a Darbuka and a Doumbek is that there is no difference, they are exactly the same.
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
This is an active post which is updated every time a question comes in on this topic which isn't addressed below. If you have any Darbuka skin questions that aren’t covered in this post, leave a comment at the bottom or send us a message!
1. What is the difference between a Darbuka skin and a Darbuka head?
2. Do I need a natural leather or a plastic Darbuka skin?
3. What size Darbuka skin do I need?
4. Why would I need to change my Darbuka’s skin?
5. How do I stop a natural leather skin from going out of tune?
6. Which Darbuka skin sounds the best?
7. Are Darbuka skins reusable?
8. My Darbuka skin tore when I fitted it to my Darbuka
9. How do you change a Darbuka skin?
This question catches many people out! These terms are often (incorrectly) used interchangeably; however, they are two completely different things.
The skin is what the Darbuka player will hit to make a sound. A metal Darbuka typically has a plastic skin, and a clay Darbuka usually has a natural leather skin.
It has between 4 and 8 holes for bolts to be screwed in to affix it to the Darbuka body. A Darbuka head is only found on a metal Darbuka, not a clay Darbuka. Simply because a clay Darbuka does not use screws to secure the head to the body, but instead uses rope. On the other hand, a metal Darbuka requires a head to fit the Darbuka skin to the Darbuka body securely. Typically, if referring to the Darbuka head of a clay drum, we are talking about the clay part directly underneath the leather skin.
Put simply, if you hit a Darbuka skin (which is fitted to a Darbuka), it will make a loud noise. If you hit a Darbuka head, you will just hurt your hand. The skin is made of leather or plastic, so will vibrate and resonate, whereas the head is made of clay or metal, so will not vibrate or make any loud sound. Simple.
A Darbuka skin can take different forms based on whether it is fitted to a clay Darbuka or a metal Darbuka. To read about the different types of Darbukas, read our post "What Materials Can The Darbuka Be Made Of?".
In a clay Darbuka, a leather skin (often goat or fish) is placed on top of the body and tied (with rope) around the top section of the Darbuka body with an intricate series of knots.
In a metal Darbuka, the Darbuka skin is a plastic membrane that is enclosed by a crimped metal hoop (see Figure A above). It is attached to the top of the Darbuka by unscrewing the bolts on the Darbuka head (see Figure B above), placing the skin on the main section of the Darbuka (the Darbuka body) and then screwing the bolts back onto the Darbuka, thereby securing the plastic skin to the Darbuka.
A question we are often asked is can you fit a natural leather skin to a metal Darbuka. The answer is yes, it is definitely possible to fit a natural leather skin to a metal Darbuka body. You can do so by removing any current skin fitted to the metal Darbuka, and then using a rope to tie down the natural leather skin to the metal body. It is advisable you get an expert to help you with this, as if the knots are not tied correctly, it could lead to the head being imbalanced and creating an uneven sound! It is also important to note that while a natural leather skin can be fitted to a metal Darbuka, a plastic skin cannot be fitted to a clay Darbuka – for obvious reasons (you can’t screw bolts into clay or it will crack)!
The size of the Darbuka skin you need depends on the diameter of your Darbuka’s head. You must first measure the diameter of the Darbuka head and then fit a skin that is the same size as the Darbuka head.
To measure a Darbuka head, you must measure the diameter between the insides of the Darbuka head. Like this:
If your Darbuka skin is a different size to your Darbuka head, you may have a problem.
In a clay Darbuka, it’s not too bad and as long as they are roughly the same, you will still be able to fit the Darbuka skin to the head with an appropriate knot pattern.
However, if you try to fit an incorrect sized plastic Darbuka skin to a metal Darbuka, you will not be able to screw the head back onto the body, because the crimped metal hoop will get in the way of the bolts that will screw through the Darbuka (see Figure H). If the head is too small for the Darbuka, it will simply not fit inside the internal tuning mechanism. It is therefore essential that you get the correct size plastic Darbuka skin. The good news is, as long as you measure your head properly, you should easily be able to purchase the right size Darbuka skin!
There are a number of reasons you might need to change a Darbuka skin. A list of the common reasons are below:
Oftentimes if a Darbuka goes out of tune, it’s because of the Darbuka skin. Now if it is a plastic Darbuka, you may not need to change the Darbuka skin, you may well be able to retune the Darbuka by tightening (or loosening) the bolts at the top of the Darbuka. It is recommended to always try this before going out and purchasing a new skin.
You can retune the Darbuka by going in a clockwise direction and tightening each bolt with an allen key by a quarter turn. Keep tightening by a quarter turn on each bolt until the Darbuka reaches a sound profile you are comfortable with.
If this does not work, you'd need a new skin!
If it is a clay Darbuka that goes out of tune, you can get the roping redone to resolve the problem. However unless there is an actual problem with the leather skin on the clay Darbuka, you will not need to purchase a new skin. If re-tuning a plastic skin on a metal Darbuka does not put the Darbuka back in tune, you will need to purchase a new Darbuka head.
As an extension to the Darbuka skin going out of tune, it might warp due to bad storage conditions. Note that this only typically applies to plastic skins. The most common case of this we see is leaving the Darbuka exposed to direct sunlight, which causes the plastic in the middle of the Darbuka skin to loosen, while the plastic that is around the sides remains tight. There is no coming back from this, and the skin will need to be changed. Another thing that people can overlook is leaving their Darbuka in the boot of their car when it’s hot. The boot of a normal car can typically get quite hot, and sometimes if its 35 degrees plus you can have some melting of the plastic Darbuka skin which again, will require it to be changed.
If you stick a knife through your Darbuka skin, you will need to change it. 100%. In fact, if you stick any sharp object through your Darbuka skin, you will need to change it. There is no coming back from a tear or a hole in the Darbuka’s skin. We advise keeping your Darbuka safe so that you are not in a position where the skin needs to be changed. It’s best to transport the Darbuka using a case at all times, and ensure that when you play, you are not wearing any rings etc. And don’t stick a knife through it, you monster.
A Darbuka skin should easily last for a number of years. However, if it’s been over say 5 years, it might need to be changed. You can assess it by seeing if the Darbuka sounds out of tune or not. If it does, and it’s been a long time, change the skin. As an aside, if your metal Darbuka has been sitting out of tune for a long time, it will be harder for you to retune it as the molecules in the plastic skin will have set in an uneven position – it will probably just need to be changed.
This is an issue which is more common in countries with cooler climates. When playing a natural skin Darbuka, the skin may not be tight enough to produce an appropriately good sound if the temperature is too low. This is because when a natural leather Darbuka skin is cold, it sags and becomes loose. You can stop a natural leather Darbuka skin from going out of tune by using a Darbuka lighting tool (see Figure J). This is a light that is fitted to the inside of the Darbuka body that creates heat, thereby warming up the natural leather skin and making it tight. This will assist in getting the best sound from your Darbuka with a natural leather skin. If you don’t have a lighting tool to hand, your best bet is to heat it over a gas cooker (or fireplace if you have one of those handy). Note: it’s not advisable to use a lighter to heat a Darbuka skin. Just don’t.
There are many kinds of Darbuka skin out there, however the best kind for you will typically depend on your own circumstances. Nevertheless, there are some rough guidelines you can follow.
The best natural leather skin to use is fish skin, as a good general rule of thumb. Fish skin is very thin, which means it creates the most powerful and clearest sound. Fish skin is also relatively more difficult to come by, which makes it more expensive. While fish skin itself isn’t that hard to find, you would need an unblemished and even piece of skin wide enough to fit over the Darbuka head, which reduces the choice you have. However, most Darbuka makers will have a supplier where they can acquire a nice piece of fish skin suitable for use on a Darbuka, so get in touch with someone if you need help sourcing some. Fish skin is widely regarded as the best skin to use on a Darbuka.
Another fantastic option to use on a Darbuka is goat skin. Goat skin is strong but supple, allowing for a good resonant sound to be created. It’s also not too thick that it’s thickness interferes with getting a good amount of vibrations going through the Darbuka. Goat skin is also much easier to find in a size large enough to fit a Darbuka, and hence it makes it much cheaper than fish skin. On the whole, goat skin is a great all-round choice for skin to use on your Darbuka.
Choosing between the two can sometimes be quite difficult. Should you go for goat, or should you go for fish? Well, there are a few good rules of thumb that we can follow here too, depending on the size Darbuka you are playing:
Solo Darbuka (20cm – 22cm head diameter)
If your Darbuka is intended as a solo Darbuka, i.e. it’s a smaller size Darbuka with strong, high pitched Teks, fish skin is by far the better option. It will allow you to create a great sound and will work very nicely with your Darbuka to create that solo sound you are aiming for. Goat skin will also work, but it will just be average, not amazing.
Bass Doholla (25cm+ head diameter)
If your Darbuka is intended as a background bass instrument, for example a Bass Doholla, acquiring a fish skin might be quite difficult. A skin that big will cost a lot and will likely be a challenge to get hold of. Goat skin on the other hand, would be relatively easy to acquire and not cost too much. Goat skin might also arguably create a better sound! The reason being that the increased thickness of the goat skin will create a deeper and more bassy sound. Fish skin might be a bit overkill!
Medium size Darbuka (22cm-25cm head diameter)
A standard medium size Darbuka or Sombaty Darbuka could work well with either fish or goat skin. It will again really come back to what kind of sound you want to create. If you want to create a sharper and more striking sound, you would be better placed with a fish skin. However if you want to create a more bassy and deeper sound (the difference will be noticeable but only slightly), go for a goat skin. In these situations, we would recommend just going with what you can acquire without spending too much time or money. Both skins would work well and you probably won’t regret the fish skin if you go for goat skin.
The Darbuka has the ability to create fantastically deep Doum sounds, and impossibly high Tek sounds. A plastic skin will create higher Teks than most natural leather skins, which can be terrific fun to play with. However, not all skins are created equal, and it becomes important to choose one that will really bring out the best in your Darbuka. A number of factors should be considered, let’s take a look at them:
Build quality
This is a big one, so much so that it can be split into 2 parts:
Plastic quality
If the quality of the plastic used is low, for example, it has lots of scratches on it, it won’t sound as good. Think about this, sound comes from sound waves, which are effectively vibrations. You want your Darbuka skin to vibrate as evenly and clearly as possible to create the most resonant and best quality sound.
Metal crimped hoop
The metal crimped hoop of the Darbuka skin is the metal piece around the plastic skin that allows the skin to be fitted to the Darbuka. The metal hoop fits snugly inside the internal tuning mechanism which allows the skin to be stretched across the Darbuka head. Consequently, this also needs to be of good quality. If the metal hoop is of low quality, it will not fit evenly inside the internal tuning mechanism. Say, for example, one part of the metal hoop was thicker than another part. It would result in the sound being imbalanced, which might create a problem when playing.
Let’s take a look at the different Darbuka skins there are available:
You're in the right place if you're after the best possible build quality, see our Innovation page for our manufacturing and our Export Grade page describing our world-renown craftsmanship.
The short answer is, no – we would not recommend re-using a plastic Darbuka skin. It is possible, but not recommended. Firstly, to clarify what we mean by reusability. If you fit a Darbuka skin to a Darbuka, and then you remove the skin from the Darbuka after it has been tuned, you will struggle to re-use that same skin.
The reason for this is simple – a plastic skin stretches when it is fitted to a Darbuka and then tuned. Normally the skin has to be stretched quite tightly in order to get it tight enough to play properly. When it is stretched to this degree, it will not return to its original looseness when it is unscrewed, it will still be quite tight. As such, in order to tighten it onto a new Darbuka will be quite difficult. Think of it this way:
In most cases, yes a natural leather darbuka skin would be reusable. Unless there is damage to it, they should be fine to be removed and refitted to another Darbuka.
This is a common occurrence with badly made Darbukas (although it can occasionally happen on a good quality Darbuka too). Let’s take a step back and look at the reason this happens.
When a plastic skin is fitted to a Darbuka, it should perfectly fit on the opening at the top of the Darbuka (if it doesn’t, the skin is the wrong size). The head should then be placed on the skin and screwed into the Darbuka body. As it’s screwed in, the skin will become tighter and tighter. While the skin is tightening, it is in direct contact with the internal tuning mechanism at the top of the Darbuka. If the skin gets trapped inside the mechanism, for example it catches on a protruding bit of metal, it will tear. This is the most likely reason for the skin to tear, with the only other common reason being the skin itself is faulty.
Now, provided you have a good quality Darbuka and a good quality Darbuka skin, you should be able to fit your skin to your Darbuka without any major issues. For example, all of our Gawharet El Fan Darbukas should not have any problem when being re-fitted with a new skin.
The major issue that causes this problem is badly finished internal tuning mechanisms, and this really comes back to the quality of the Darbuka that you purchased. The reality is that the internal tuning mechanism is not outwardly visible and so some lesser Darbuka manufacturers would not ensure a high level of quality on the inside of this mechanism. As such, we often find that the internal mechanism is in very bad condition if the Darbuka has not been made well. If this is the case with your Darbuka, be extra careful when attempting to fit a Darbuka skin to the Darbuka, and ensure that you tune it very slowly to avoid it catching on something and ripping. To make it easier, there are a few techniques that you can use in order to soften the plastic on the Darbuka skin so that it doesn’t tear as easily if you are worried!
It is possible to loosen the plastic molecules of the Darbuka skin using the heat from a hairdryer. All you have to do is put the hairdryer on the lowest heat setting (but make sure it is heating and not cooling), and heat the Darbuka skin for between 5 and 10 seconds when you feel that the skin is becoming difficult to tighten. The heat from the hairdryer will loosen the molecules and allow them to be tightened more easily. It is essential not to heat the skin too much, or you will cause irreparable damage to the plastic head.
When we told Ibraheem, our Darbuka specialist, about this technique he laughed and said
“ When I first started teaching Darbuka, I bought 8 Darbukas to use with my students. They were badly made and very sharp around the head. Getting the skin on the Darbuka without tearing it was looking very difficult, so I heated the skin with an iron. I managed to get the Darbuka skins on without tearing them, but a few days later I realised that all 8 of the Darbukas were sounding terrible. I realised I’d heated the skins too much and ruined them! Make sure you’re very very careful when using this technique!”
Check out the following video for a detailed tutorial of how to change a Darbuka skin:
So there we have it, our Complete Guide to Darbuka Skins! Remember that this is an evolving document which are constantly updating as more questions come in regarding Darbuka skins. As such - if you have any questions on Darbuka skins at all that aren't answered in this guide, make sure you send us a message, so we can firstly answer your question and also update this guide!
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!
Let’s take a step back and look at how pearls are created. They are formed inside the shells of pearl oysters and freshwater pearl mussels (both sea creatures). Now, a pearl is produced inside the shell of both of these animals, but the inner lining of that shell also shines a beautiful iridescent white. This is known as Mother of Pearl (Nacre).
Take a look at the below picture. It shows a pearl oyster shell, with a perfectly formed pearl oyster inside it. Now look at the inner lining of the shell itself and see the beautiful white iridescent lining. This is Mother of Pearl.
You will also notice when looking at Darbuka designs that there are different types of Mother of Pearl colours. For example, our Emerald Pearl collection uses Mother of Pearl pieces which are dark green in colour. Blue Mother of Pearl, like White Mother of Pearl, is formed in an animal shell. While White Mother of Pearl is formed in pearl oyster or freshwater pearl mussel shells, Blue Mother of Pearl is formed in abalone shells. An abalone inner shell looks like this:
The difference is purely aesthetic, but it’s important to know that White Mother of Pearl is fairly easy to get hold of, and is available in large quantities. Blue Mother of Pearl on the other hand is relatively quite rare, which is why it’s harder to get Blue Mother of Pearl pieces, and why they are more expensive. At the end of the day, Blue Mother of Pearl comes in shades of blue, purple and green so there are more possibilities of what can be done with it.
The benefits of Mother of Pearl are 2 fold.
Firstly, we have acoustic resonance. Mother of Pearl is a very acoustically resonant material. Let’s take a normal Pearl for example, which shares very similar acoustic characteristics to Mother of Pearl. If you tap a normal pearl with your nail, it will ring. This ring is accentuated if a larger quantity of Pearl is used.
Conversely, if you were to tap a normal stone, or a piece of aluminium, it would not ring as much as a Pearl would, and you would find that actually increasing the size of the stone/metal would reduce the ring rather than increase it. This is accentuated on the Darbuka with the way that about 1.5kg of Mother of Pearl is used on each Darbuka.
This use of Mother of Pearl creates a beautiful ring on each high pitch stroke that is played, making the Darbuka’s tone even more beautiful. Furthermore, if the head is tuned well (ensuring that an even vibration is sent through the Darbuka), and the Mother of Pearl has been applied evenly and correctly (ensuring vibrations pass through the body more smoothly), the Darbuka’s Tek and Ka strokes will be greatly enhanced by the use of Mother of Pearl in the Darbuka shell.
It is important to note that if the Mother of Pearl pieces are not applied well, say by using cheap glue, or they aren’t applied evenly, or pieces of different thicknesses are used, the sound will not resonate properly and may sound uneven. In a worst-case scenario, incorrect use of Mother of Pearl can actually make a standard aluminium Darbuka sound worse! You can save yourself a lot of headache by ensuring whatever Darbuka you purchase is well made and expertly finished!
Secondly, Mother of Pearl is beautiful, and that just makes it that much better! Imagine you needed to put some foul brown paste on your Darbuka to make it sound better, that would be a calamity! Instead, we can adorn a Darbuka with a stunning Mother of Pearl design to create a Darbuka which sounds amazing and looks like an artistic masterpiece. If that isn’t a win-win situation, I don’t know what is!
And that’s it! The long and short of the story is, Mother of Pearl is better. And trust us, when you rock up for a lesson, gig, performance etc. with an awesome Mother of Pearl Darbuka, your life will change for the better. Just try it and see!
We pride ourselves in offering everything you could possibly need in diving into the world of Arabic music, be it instruments or knowledge. Look no further than our store for a diverse assortment of Arab instruments! Or if it's expertise you seek... check out our Darbuka Mastery Program!
We would be honoured for you to share our passion. Read into Our History, or perhaps discover how our products are made through our Innovation page. Once you've sated your appetite, invite others to join the family too through our social media buttons below! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with all of the latest goings-on here at Gawharet El Fan!