dumbek store

        Doumbek Store & Instruction

        Buy a doumbek, learn to play & listen to some expert drummers

        The doumbek (also sometimes spelled dumbek, dumbec or doumbec) is a goblet shaped drum used extensively in middle eastern music; if you've heard bellydance music, you've heard a doumbek. For this reason it's generally assumed that the doumbek originated in the middle east, but since there are no pictures of goblet drums on the Pharonic walls of ancient Egypt (and they pictured everything!) this probably isn't true. The first doumbek shell artifacts were carbon dated back to 4,000 BC and were found in Bohemia. There was a Celtic tribe called the Boiis that didn't move west (to what is now France, Ireland and Scotland) but instead moved south. The origin of the doumbek probably lies there.

        The combination of deep bass tones ("doum") and high, crisp tones ("tek") give the doumbek its name. It's generally played by holding the drum in your lap under your left arm and striking it with the fingers of both hands. The heavy down beats in Middle Eastern rhythms are usually played on the right (dominant) hand and the other hand is used for fill beats and other accents.

        All doumbeks produce a low bass sound in the middle and high treble sound around the rim but the sound that comes out of your doumbek will depend on the shape, size and type of head on your drum. All other things being equal, larger drums produce lower tones, especially noticible on the doum stroke. A wide neck doumbek has shorter resonance than a narrow neck drum of the same size giving the doum stroke a higher tone; the flare on a narrow neck drum adds to the resonance resulting in a deeper "doum". Doumbeks are usually made of ceramic or metal, and occasionally wood, with drumheads made of acrylic, cow hide, goat, sheep or fish skin. Some have built in tambourine-like jangles. Ceramic doumbeks usually produce a warm and earthy sound. Heads made of natural materials can sound better in the hands of an experienced drummer but they're usually more difficult to play for a beginner and are higher-maintenance; they go out of tune more easily, changes in temperature and humidity alter their tone and they're more fragile than synthetic heads. Egyptian cast-aluminum doumbeks have a loud, crisp tek sound with a ringing, metallic tone that is easily heard over amplified instruments or the larger drums played in many drum circles. Turkish doumbeks, my current favorites, are made of cast aluminum and spun copper and produce a tone somewhere in between: warmer than aluminum Alexandria-style drums, brighter than ceramic. Mine is also tunable, as are many metal drums, which gives more control over the tone. (Though if you tune it down too low in hope of making it sound more like a djembe, all you'll get is a muddy sounding doumbek. This drum is designed for sharp, snappy tones so don't give your drum an identity crisis by playing with the tuning too much :-)

        Doumbeks for Sale

        Turkish Doumbek turkish doumbeks for sale

        This is the type of drum that I play. It has a full doum sound with great resonance. This one measures 11" x 17 1/2" and is made of cast aluminum and spun copper with an erzincan design. As each of these drums is hand etched the designs vary but they're all beautiful. The drum head is made of Fiberskyn, a sturdy and responsive synthetic. I'm vegetarian so I like the idea of a synthetic head; some people choose this type of head because it's virtually weatherproof. It's tunable and a tuning tool and nylon case are included.







        Alexandria Doumbek

        This popular drum is inexpensive and easy to play. Its bright staccato tone is loud enough to cut through most drum circles and in experienced hands it can sound like a rhythmic machine gun :-) It has very sharp teks and short doums and is one of the best drums for a beginner to get a good clear ka sound. It's made of aluminum with hot paint and measures 10 3/4" x 16 3/4". It's tunable and a tuning tool, nylon case and extra synthetic head are included.









        Egyptian Mother of Pearl Doumbek

        Beautiful and intricate inlay of real mother of pearl makes this drum a work of art. You can see pinwheels, snowflakes and stars. It's made of aluminum and measures 11" x 17". The clear synthetic head is tuned with 6 tuning bolts in the collar. Actual weight 9 pounds. Tuning tool, padded nylon case and extra synthetic head are included.








        Ceramic Doumbek

        Many professional doumbek players prefer ceramic drums with heads made of natural materials like fishskin for their all-round excellent sound and tonal range with full doums, sharp teks and easy ka tones. This drum is also lightweight and easy on the hands. Ceramic drums are more fragile than their metal counterparts and natural heads are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, so some extra care is required with a drum like this. But if you're looking for that "perfect" sound, this might be the drum for you. Measurements are 8" x 14" Apollo's Axes also sells ceramic doumbeks with goatskin heads and weatherproof synthetic heads for about $30 less.








        Instructional Video & DVD

        Dumbek Fever: Dumbek Instructional Kit by Raquy Danziger
        World-renowned master drummer Raquy Danziger's instructional kit includes a DVD, CD and book to help you learn traditional middle eastern techniques and rhythms to create your own dumbek solos or to accompany bellydancers. Raquy is a brilliant musician and composer who is also an excellent teacher with an inspiring high-energy attitude. She starts with basic dum/tek/ka strokes and works up to combinations that will inspire even advanced drummers. Her finger roll techniques and exercises for strengthening the fingers ~ especially on the left (non-dominant) hand ~ were especially helpful to me. If you're not lucky enough to be able to study with her personally, these step-by-step instructions and practice drills are almost as good as sitting across from her in class. Also recommended are the performance CDs she's made with her group, Raquy and the Cavemen: Jordan and Dust.

        The Heartbeat of Bellydance for drummers AND dancers!
        Rhythms and dance combinations for drum solos with Raquy and Jenna
        In the rhythm workshop section, Raquy breaks apart eight popular bellydance rhythms: baladi, saiidi, maksoum, masmoudi, ciftetelli, malfouf, ayub, & semai, explaining how to recognize and play each rhythm. Then dancer/instructor/choreographer Jenna demonstrates effective dance combinations for each of the eight rhythms. Accompanied by Raquy and Carmine, Jenna then demonstrates the unique art of drum solo improvisation with all 8 rhythms. There's also an excellent choreography workshop section for dancers. Belly dancers and middle eastern drummers will love this DVD and if you're a dancer AND drummer, you've gotta have it! It's one of my favorites.

        Doumbek Technique and Rhythms for Arabic Percussion, Bellydance, and Drum Circles with Amir Naoum
        Learn to play doumbek (dumbek, darbuka) with New York's most beloved Arabic percussionist, master instructor Amir Naoum. If you are a beginning drummer, this DVD will serve as a very accessible, friendly and solid introduction to the art of Middle Eastern percussion. This program is a beginner-level doumbek instructional course with a lot of beyond-the-basics information and spectacular demonstrations of Middle Eastern drumming and dance rhythms, so it's great for bellydancers too. Syllabic notation is displayed onscreen, progressively changing in real time as the instructor plays the rhythms and exercises. There are extensive chapter selection menus with individual access to each rhythm, exercise, type of sound, etc. Rhythms covered include Malfouf, Ayoub, Maksoum, Baladi, Saiidi, Soumbati, Masmoudi and Ciftitelli including many variations of each rhythm, some using fills, slaps and pops.

        Voices of the Doumbek by Robin Anders
        Robin starts you off with hand, body & breathing warm-up exercises, teaches a variety of doumbeks tones from basic to advanced including ayub, baladi and cheffte telli, then demonstrates how to combine and vary the rhythms. The video ends with an impressive performance... something to shoot for :-)

        The Doumbek Video by Jonathan Kessler
        Beginning through advanced techniques in Arabic drumming style with opportunities to play along with an actual middle eastern band in between lessons. Learn beledi, maqsum, chiftetelli, malfuf, khaligi, ayyub & karsilamas plus how to switch rhythms & play for bellydancers.

        The Quick Guide to Playing Doumbek by Todd Roach
        Clear, accessible introduction to playing doumbek from how to hold it to how to strike it to get the best possible Doum, Tek & Ka sounds. Todd also teaches an interesting slap technique, gives tips on how to gradually build up speed and ends the DVD performing with a Middle Eastern flute player. Rhythms covered include baladi, maksoum, 6/8 and malfouf.

        Instructional CDs

        learn to play dumbek doumbek practice cd Jalilah Raks Sharki series
        Rhythms of the Nile by Hossam Ramzy
        Listening to this 2-CD set is a lot like receiving personal doumbek lessons from one of the world's best percussionists which makes sense because it's based on one of Hossam Ramzy's teaching workshops. The tracks are introduced by Ramzy himself and named after some of the most important Middle Eastern dance rhythms: Masmoudi, Maqsoum, Saaidi, Fallahi, Zaar, Karachi, Elzaffa, Three four time, Samaai and Abu el Khamsa, an original creation. The first CD is faster (great for bellydance practice); the second presents the rhythms a little slower with more explanation for the drummer. The accompanying booklet lists the transcript of Hossam's vocal introductions and provides a glossary of terms.

        Arabic Rhythms by Nourhan Sharif
        Nouran is a dancer and presents the CD, the players are Arabic drummers. Each of 8 rhythms is introduced with name and time signature and a brief doumbek demonstration. Then the rhythm is played 3/4 times on Def, Doholla, Tabla and Zills at increasing tempo with regular fills and doumbek solo phrases are introduced and repeated without too much variation; excellent practice for the intermediate to advanced player. Rhythms include Malfouf, Maksoum, Ayoub, Saidi, Fallahi, Masmoudi, Khaleggi and Chiftitelli. Sleeve notes give information on each rhythm.

        Raks Sharki Vol. 3-Journey of the Gypsy Dancer
        by Jalilah with drumming by Ramadan Mansour
        Not exactly an instructional CD, but an excellent Middle Eastern rhythm identifier and practice tool for both drummers and bellydancers. First each of 23 rhythms is played for about 30 seconds then a snippet of a song using the rhythm is played for about 45 seconds allowing you to hear it in context in an authentic musical arrangement. Then each rhythm returns for about one and a half minutes with fills. The accompanying booklet gives some information about each rhythm and cross-references the rhythm to songs on Jalilah's other CDs that use it.

        Masters of the Doumbek on CD

        Hossam Ramzy
        dumbek drum doumbek instructional CD last temptation of christ soundtrack loreena mckennitt book of secrets AfroCelts
        Hossam Ramzy has created some of my favorite instrumental albums and has contributed to many more. Sabla Tolo is a classic fountain of inspiration with many rhythm and tempo changes and beautiful phrasing. Sabla Tolo is not a play-along CD for the beginner... these rhythms are dizzyingly FAST!... but it's pure pleasure for listening no matter what your skill level. The steadier, more consistent rhythms of Baladi Plus are easier to keep up with; this CD was put together as a follow-up to the teaching set, Rhythms of the Nile and it expands beautifully on many of the rhythms introduced on that CD set. Hossom has also played brilliantly on Passion, Peter Gabriel's soundtrack for The Last Temptation of Christ, Loreena McKennitt's Celtic/Middle Eastern fusion album, The Book of Secrets and the worldbeat classic Further in Time by the Afro Celt Sound System.

        Other extraordinary drummers include Suhail Kaspar who can be heard on Ali Jihad Racy's Mystical Legacies, Arto Tuncboyaciyan who plays on Richard A. Hagopian & Omar Faruk Tekbilek's Gypsy Fire, and the percussionists that make up the fusion band Harem. Some of their best work can be found on Rhythm Color and Time of Rhythm. Robin Adnan Anders's heartfelt Blue Buddha is a unique and inspiring blend of Sufi, Middle East and Asian music. Greg Ellis's work with singer extraordinaire Azam Ali on their VAS collaborations Sunyata, In the Garden of Souls and Feast of Silence is a heady brew of middle eastern, Indian and North African sounds. Also recommended are the middle eastern compilation albums Drum Circle and Magical Fingers: Middle Eastern Tabla. Details about these recordings and more recommendations coming soon.

        Maqam Music specializes in Middle Eastern music, especially hard-to-get CDs. Their catalog includes musicians from all over the world; one of my favorite "Middle Eastern bands" is from California! Founded by Jeremiah M. Soto, Solace has been known to fans of tribal bellydance and drumming for years. . Rhythm of the Dance is great for doumbek drummers to play along to; the tracks are even named after classic Middle Eastern rhythms (Beledi, ChifteTelli, Masmoudi, Saidi, etc). Sha'waza, The Gathering Season and Ahsas add inspiring oud, saz and other melodic instruments to the mix. Maqam also carries doumbek teacher Mary Ellen Donald's "Gems of the Middle East" series and CDs by Hossam Ramzy, George Abdo, and bellydancers Jalilah & Nourhan Sharif. (Yes, this music is also perfect for inspiring aspiring bellydancers :-) And most of the album pages include streaming audio so you can hear samples before you buy.


        My own collection of handcrafted earrings & necklaces inspired by the natural healing properties of the stones and the magic of dance, music & rhythm... they're made to move with you :-)


        please visit the rest of our site...


        learn to bellydance video