Choosing a Doumbek

Are you new to doumbeks?

A doumbek, called a darbuka by some or in some areas, is a goblet drum. Goblet drums have a body with a bowl shape on top of a sound tube. And the sound tube is functional. In more intimate settings, some players stuff paper or other filler in the tube to mute the sound for accompaniment. The doumbek is ideal for accompanying belly dancing or other Egyptian, Turkish, or Middle Eastern styles of dance.

While the doumbek is played with the hands, as opposed to a stick or beater, but it's really more of a finger drum. The palms of the hands are typically not used. As such, the average drum head is smaller than on "whole hand" drums. Even with relatively small drum head, two quite distinct sounds can be produced by striking different parts of the drum, namely the center and the edge. Both are crisp and how low resonance. The deeper, bass sound is termed "doum." The higher sound, created by striking the head near it's edge, is termed "tek." "Ka" is a secondary high sound, usually played in about the same position as the tek, but with the non-dominant hand. Of course, variations are many. The best doumbek players have a great sense of timing and can not only play with great variety, but great speed. If you are just starting to play the doumbek, pay close attention to the basics: consistent placement of your hands and steady beat. Rushing your attempt to master complicated counts and syncopations can lead to frustration, dissatisfaction, and, dare we say, embarrassment.

Below, you can view a video of Carlos Roberto demonstrating a small ceramic doumbek.

Okay, so let's be honest. There are a lot of doumbeks to choose from. So, then, where do you start?

Here are the things to consider when choosing a doumbek:

Type:

Many of our doumbeks are Egyptian style, in which the body of the drum covers the edge of the head. Turkish-style doumbeks have the edge exposed. A portion of these Turkish doumbeks have jingles inside for additional creative possibilities

Egyptian Style Doumbek	Turkish Style Doumbek	Turkish Doumbek with Jingles

Size:

Doumbeks have a large size range, ranging from 8" tall to 21.5". Playing style naturally varies at the extremes of the size ramge.

8 inches tall	14 inches tall	17 1/2 inches tall	21 1/2 inches tall

Head:

For the beginner, the type of drum head may not be terribly important. For example, the sound differences between head types is much different that between sizes of drum. Natural skins tend to have a richer tone, but are more likely to stretch and require tuning to restore the expected sound. Fishskin heads is particularly favored for recording. Synthetic skins, including Remo's Fiberskyn^® mimic natural skins quite closely and require almost maintenance. Of course, with much use, any drum head will eventually require replacement.

Tuning:

Some drumheads are tunable with bolts. Some are fixed and not intended to be tuned. Partly because of the smaller drumheads and partly because the pitch is higher than other instruments (moreso than other types of drums), tuning is usually not required. It may not be a large factor in choosing a doumbek.

Body Material:

This is where it gets fun. That's because there are so many choices. The point is, if you're really into mastering the doumbek, you can get a very specific drum to match your personality.

Ceramic	Brass	Aluminum
Fiberglass	Copper	Wood

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