What is Darbuka?

An open-back, long anchor, made of baked clay or an aluminum and similar metal, used as a method of tapping in Turkish music.

Darbuka is a percussion instrument that is encountered frequently in Anatolian lands, and creates a Middle Eastern breeze in Turkish music. It is at the base of very high level of entertaining music, and with the rhythm it creates, it ensures that people cannot stay in place.

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Darbuka, which is usually played in folks, is frequently used in weddings and special entertainment in Anatolia. Since ancient times, similar to darbuka, many instruments of various shapes and sizes have been used in Anatolian, Central Asian and Mesopotamian civilizations. It has changed greatly until today and has also appeared in these geographies.

Darbuka, which has an important place in the entertainment culture in wide and deep-seated geographies, generally has the appearance of a wide pipe on one side and a narrow side, it is stretched on a leather hoop and its unique tone is adjusted. In the production of darbuka, where terracotta was used when it was first produced, materials such as porcelain, plaster, copper, aluminum, wood, glass fiber were used in time.

Darbuka, which is also frequently used in the Balkan geography, does not promise a lot of sound and tone diversity. There are only two sounds in darbuka, which are known as "dum" and "tek". The sound that provides the basis of the rhythm and strikes in the middle of the rickshaw is called "dum", and the sound used for impromptu richness and rhythmic mobility is called "tek".

Because it has limited tones, darbuka is not generally preferred for use alone, it contributes to harmony in an orchestra formed by several instruments and adds a very nice color to the melody.

How to Play Darbuka? 

It is necessary to be sitting at a high point from the ground in order to play the coup, which is an indispensable position in weddings and entertainments and add color to Turkish music as a percussion instrument. Because it is the most important point to sit firmly on the knee in order to play the crackling properly. After placing the knock-on on the knee securely, the job is now in the magic of the fingers. Every sound that comes out of the darbuka played by fingertips is the sounds that have the potential to effect painfully into the listeners.

It is necessary to have a very basic feeling to play darbuka. This feeling is rhythm feeling and it is definitely a priority to develop rhythm feeling to start playing darbuka. As in every instrument, it is very important to practice constantly in darbuka and to improve muscle memory by working on basic rhythms many times. After mastering the basic rhythms, you can specialize in various rhythms (Turkish flaps, heavy limps, sofyan etc.).

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The using of hands while playing darbuka also has an important role in the quality of the melody. The "dum" sound, which constitutes the basis of the two voices of the coup, which we mentioned earlier, is provided with the left hand. The sound from this beat, made by the fingers of the fingers other than the thumb being in an adjacent row, is a very strong sound.

The entire interior of the fingers creates contact with the darbuka during this stroke. Another sound, "single" sound, is made using the right hand in the form of a slap hit. This sound is intended to decorate melody and is generally less powerful than the rudder, but the effect of music and rhythm is quite large.

Darbuka, which has a place in the cultural folks of many geographies, is an instrument that can be learned quite easily with a disciplined and enthusiastic working method.

Darbuka vs Dumbek 

Darbuka has been used for many, many years in many different cultures with different characteristics. In fact, darbuka, which has a cultural background that goes back to the years before Christ, has been known with many different names over time.

The name "dumbek" is one of them. Usually used in the same sense as the darbuka, the dumbek is actually a percussion instrument with features that differ from the darbuka, albeit with minor differences.

Dumbek is very similar to darbuka, but at much cheaper costs. Darbuka is made of tin material, while pottery is used for making dumbek. Dumbek is lighter instrument than darbuka. Despite all these minor differences, the images formed in mind of society are generally the same.

We are happy to provide you with the opportunity to meet the models of this rich cultural infrastructure, which is made from the highest quality materials and reflects the culture in which it is located.