Addicted to the Darbuka Sound

The Darbuka Rhyme

The rhyme of a darbuka drum that sets the mood in a gypsy or belly dance is growing in popularity in the western countries too. A traditional musical instrument of the Middle East nations, darbuka drums are also referred to as “belly dance drum”. Known throughout the world by different names, a darbuka is a goblet shape hand drum that was traditionally made from animal skin and clay. But in modern age, you will find darbuka in various materials such as aluminum and ceramic with plastic heads.

Playing a darbuka drum

For a beginner who wants to try playing darbuka, knowing the basic tips and techniques of the musical instrument is very essential. ‘Turkish split finger technique’ is the most popular drumming method that has gained steady popularity lately because of the dazzling rhythmic sound that is produced when played on a ceramic darbuka drum.

Addicted to the darbuka sound - Dum, Ka, Tuk

Playing a darbuka drum is no doubt a pleasure to those who share passion for music. The exotic and mysterious rhythmic sound produced in a darbuka drum is sure to enthrall any music lover. For a beginner, maintaining certain tips and techniques of playing darbuka drumsare needed. A darbuka drum is played in various techniques in different parts of the world but some common tips are given below:

• The first thing to know about playing a darbuka is to know the right posture of holding it. The drum should be placed across the player’s left leg so that the head of the drum hits the right leg of the drummer. In this position, the drummer gets to comfortably place his left arm on the drum with the fingers hanging over the edge.
• The most essential thing to know about playing darbuka drum is that there are four major rhythms that are used in almost all forms of music. These tones of darbuka are Dum, Ka, Tuk and Slap. The ‘Dum’ is the bass sound where as ‘Tuk’ and ‘Ka’ are the high note tones that are played with right hand and left hand respectively. ‘Slap’ is the tone produced by playing in the center of the drum like the ‘Dum’ tone.
• Darbuka drums should be practiced to play with one hand so that the rhythm do not gets disturbed.