Darbukas & Doumbeks

Darbukas and doumbeks, the goblet-shaped hand drums of the Middle East and North Africa, from Groove Masters Percussion and MEINL.

The shape resembles a djembe, but the sound does not. A doumbek has a hard shell, usually metal or fibreglass, and a thin, tightly stretched head, which gives a sharp ringing crack rather than a warm bass. The two core strokes are the doum, a low note struck in the centre, and the tek, a bright edge stroke, and the name of the drum comes from those two syllables.

It is played resting across the lap or tucked under one arm, with the fingers rather than the palm, and it is the drum behind most Arabic, Turkish and Balkan dance rhythms.

The GMP fibreglass model comes in a choice of colours and is light enough to hold for a long session. MEINL darbukas are stocked in two sizes.