Clay Darbuka

Darbuka or dümbelek, as we say in Turkey, is the essential percussion instrument in the Middle Eastern, North African, and Balkan traditional kinds of music. It mainly appears under two categories divided according to its material; clay or metal. Although aluminum or copper darbukas are extensively used because of their functionality, clay darbukas also gained their popularity due to their authenticity. Clay darbuka has been initially used in Arabic countries. Musical interactions led to the adoption of the clay darbuka in Turkey. It gained popularity in the Turkish music scene in the 1980s thanks to the performances and playing techniques of Misirli Ahmet, a very famous darbuka virtuoso. Since then, the clay darbuka has gained a prominent place together with the copper or aluminum darbuka with the rise of ethnic music. A wide range of clay darbukas with varying sizes and colors are available in our shop. Our clay darbukas are grouped under standard and special categories. These single-headed, goblet drums can also be classified in terms of their sizes; solo darbukas are the smallest, medium bass darbukas are middle-sized. There are also big size bass clay darbukas. Four basic elements of earth, water, fire, and air combine, and when they get together successfully, they form the best clay darbukas. In this kind of darbuka, natural skin is used for the head; it is tied tightly over the rim. Mostly goatskin is used on the heads of the clay darbukas in our shop. We have professional clay solo darbukas and professional clay medium bass darbukas available in our store. Our clay darbukas are produced by Emin Percussion or us, Sala Music. All clay darbukas in our store are manufactured by master luthiers, the best artisans of Turkey. The clay darbukas in our catalog are highly picked by musicians in Turkey and around the world who value good sound and the best quality in musical instruments. We care that all the clay darbukas in our store are of good quality and fit for the percussionists. Clay darbukas are tunable as well, although their tuning is very different from the tuning of metal darbukas. The tuning of clay darbukas is done with a tuning lamp or the sun. The skin of the head is sensitive to temperature changes and humidity. When you order your clay darbuka from our shop, most of the time, your order will arrive with a tuning lamp with dimmer. Clay darbuka is a very particular percussion instrument given its dry, warm sound and its delicate playing technique. All of our clay darbukas have an authentic sound. The artistry and the hand-workmanship on their making add value to these drums. You can make your choice among many models and colors of clay darbukas in our store. The colors and delicate ornaments on the darbukas are aesthetically pleasing as well. You can have these beautiful sounding drums for the best prices from our store. We believe the prices of our clay darbukas are affordable. We think you will find there the most convenient clay darbuka for you, and the opportunity to get this fantastic ethnic instrument for the best value.