How to Play the Doumbek (Tonbak and Darbuka)
April 3, 2007
Useful Links and Info for Playing the Doumbek
The American name doumbek should be derived from the Persian name dombak that is the new form of its Pahlavi name, dombalak and brought to USA by Eastern emigrants. This name is used for all genres of goblet drums, particularly for those goblet drums that are used for Middle Eastern music and dance (called Arabic music and belly dance). Though goblet drums are similar in shape but they are not played so similarly and one need to be very careful about that.
The doumbek played in Arabic language countries such as Iraq (that is not Iran), Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and so on… is called darbuka and is somehow different from the Persian doumbek (tonbak).
The doumbek is called tabla (also tablah) in Arabic countries. This is not the Indian tabla that is a pair of small drums. Anyway, doumbek is called dumbelek in Turkey and the edge of the large opening of Turkish goblet drum is squared not round and this is why the finger snapping can be played on it easily similar to what we have for the tonbak very much. It is good to mention that the only goblet drum that I know it is played very similar to the tonbak is the Afghani goblet drum called zirbaghali (also zerbaghali).
The many names of doumbek are listed here:
Darabuke (Albania)
Darabuka, Darambuka, Tarambuke and Tarambuka (Bulgaria)
Darabukka, Derabucca, and Darbouka (Egypt)
Derbekki, Drbekki, and Drbakka (Lebanon and Syria)
Derbocka (Morocco and Algeria)
Derbouka (Derbuka) (?)
Dobouk (Hungry)
Donbak, Dombak, Tombak, Tonbak and Zarb (Persia)
Doumbek (USA)
Dumbelek, Darbuka and Deblek (Turkey)
Gedombak (Malaysia)
Khalouze (?)
Shuhai-Gata-Katamen-Taiko (Japan)
Tarambuka (Yugoslavia)
Tarija (Morocco)
Tarabuka (Macedonia)
Tablak (Tajikistan)
Thon, Thab and Thap (Thailand and Cambodia)
Toubeleki (Greece)
Tumbaknari (Kashmir of Indian)
Ghumat (Goa of India)
Jamuku (South India)
Zirbaghali (Afghanistan)
Goblet Drumming Group: A Forum for all Doumbek-s (Goblet Drums)
