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The goblet drum (also chalice drum, darbuka,debuka, doumbek, dumbec, or tablah, Persian: دمبک‎, Arabic: دربوكة‎ / ALA-LC: darbūkah) is a hand drum with a goblet shape used mostly in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe.

Though it is not known exactly when these drums were first made, they are known to be of ancient origin. Some say they have been around for thousands of years, used in Mesopotamian and Ancient Egyptian cultures. There has also has been some debate that they actually originated in Europe and were brought to the Middle East by nomadic Celtic tribes.

Its thin, responsive drumhead and resonance help it produce a distinctively crisp sound. Traditionally, goblet drums may be made of clay, metal, or wood. Modern goblet drums are also sometimes made of synthetic materials, including fiberglass. Modern metal drums are commonly made of aluminum (either cast, spun, or formed from a sheet) or copper. Some aluminum drums may have a mother-of-pearl inlay, which is purely decorative. Traditional drum heads were animal skin, commonly goat and also fish. Modern drums commonly use synthetic materials for drum heads, including mylar and fiberglass.

The name is an approximation of the two basic sounds the drum makes: "Dum" (the bass tone) and "Bek" (the high-pitched crack from the edge of the drum). There is actually a great deal of variety available in the sound.

Origin [link]

Though it is not known exactly when these drums were first made, they are known to be of ancient origin. Some say they have been around for thousands of years, used in Mesopotamian and Ancient Egyptian cultures. There has also has been some debate that they actually originated in Europe and were brought to the Middle East by nomadic Celtic tribes.

The name originated of the two basic sounds the drum makes: "Dum" (the bass tone) and "Bek" (the high-pitched crack from the edge of the drum). There is actually a great deal of variety available in the sound.

Different types [link]

Afghanistan

Zirbaghali (also spelled Zerbaghali) is the Afghani clay goblet drum and played with a technique somewhat between Persian tonbak and Indian tabla (the double membrane instrument of Indian origin) with some darbouka techniques thrown in for seasoning. Indian tabla has influenced the Afghans, particularly Kabulis. It is interesting to say that there is a round black patch (siyahi) on the skin of Zirbaghali, which shows the influence of Indian tabla on Zirbaghali. Zirbaghali can be considered as an Indo-Persian musical instrument and it is believed that it is of Persian origin.

Albania

In Albania, the name is Darabuke.

Azerbaijan

In present-day Republic of Azerbaijan, the doumbek is used. However, the main percussion instruments are naghara (a cylindrical drum with two heads and same as Armenian dhol) and ghaval (a kind of frame drum).

Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, the names of doumbek are darabuka, darambuka, tarambuke and tarambuka. The tarambuka is of Eastern origin. Tarambuka is made from baked clay. It is similar to the Turkish-Arabic darabuka. It is always played together with other folk instruments. Its sound is soft and low. The tarambuka provides a background rhythm for songs.

Bulgarian tarambuka can be found only in the Southwest. It most often accompanies the tambura (a string instrument very similar to the Turkish saz). In the past these two instruments were played mainly by an ethnic minority called Pomachs, but in the 20th Century they are used in playing professional music based on folklore. Most researchers in the field think that these instruments have entered Bulgarian folklore through the Turkish music. The professional ensembles also use it nowadays (Ensemble "Pirin" and "Philip Koutev"). There are cases in which the tarambuka is played with a tupan (a kind of cylindrical drum). The latter is being used as a base rhythmic party, whereas the tarambuka for more virtuous rhythms. The most popular rhythm in Bulgarian folk music is 7/8 with the accent on the first beat.

Egypt and Arab Countries

Tabl is the Arabic general name for drums and is also the most common name for goblet drums in the Arabic language countries (not to be confused with the Indian tabla, which this name has been brought to India by Persian Muslims). All of them look like the Egyptian drums. The body is traditionally made of clay and the large opening is covered with fish skin.

The other names are:

Egypt -Darabukka, Derabucca, and Darbouka Lebanon and Syria - Derbekki, Drbekki, and Drbakka Morocco and Algeria - Derboka Tarija (Morocco): This is a small goblet drum used in Melhoun genre of Moroccan art music.

It's interesting to note that most of the above names have their root in the Arabic-Turkish word 'darab' that the meaning of the word is the sound made by beating a drum. (Compare with Dambel-e-Dimbo in Persian and Rub-a-Dub in English.)

Greece

In Greece there is a kind of goblet drum that is so similar to dumbelek of Turkey and its name is toubeleki. The both names should be originated in the Pahlavi name dombalak. Toubeleki is played in oriental Greece.

Hungary

dobouk

India

In India there are various goblet drums. One of them is played in Kashmir and its name is tumbaknari. Tumbaknari is used for every singing occasion in Kashmir. The word Tumbaknari is of two parts: Tumbak and Nari. Nari in Kashmiri means earthen pot.

The other goblet drums of India are Ghumat (Goa) and Jamuku (South India).

Japan

There is a kind of goblet drum in Japan. Taiko is the general name for drums in Japan. The name of this instrument is Shuhai-Gata-Katamen-Taiko. It should be mentioned here that Shuhai, Gata and Katamen respectively mean goblet, shape and one-faced. The other drums of Japan are Oke-do-Taiko, Naga-do-Taiko and Shime-Taiko.

Malaysia

The gedombak is a goblet shaped double-headed drum found in Malay folk music. The frame is made from one type of hard wood, usually jackfruit tree wood or angsana. The wider end is covered by goatskin, which functions as a sound producer tensioned using woven rattan strings. The other end is left open.

In the performance context, the gedombak is played in pairs, called Gendang Ibu (Mother) and Gendang Anak (Child). Gedombak Ibu is able to produce a lower pitch than the Gedombak Anak, but both have the same frame size. The drumheads are struck with one hand, while the other is used to stabilize the mnemonic sounds like "doh", "phat", and "ting". Two players, accompanying traditional theatre such as Wayang Kulit and Menora, usually play them.

Macedonia

There is a kind of goblet drum in Macedonia that its name is tarabuka. The body is made of pottery decorated with ethnic designs. The tarabuka is used mostly for playing as part of folk ensembles, usually at weddings and other festive occasions.

Persia

There are three kinds of goblet drums to be played in Persia (Iran). One is the tonbak, to be used in Persian art and folk music. The other is the zarb-e-zourkhaneh (the large sized clay tonbak to be played in zourkhaneh, the Persian ancient gymnasium) and the last one is the tempo similar to the Arabic-Turkish darbouka.

Here is a description of the structure of the tonbak: Skin: Skin of tonbak is glued on the head of tonbak. Goatskin is the most popular. Body: Body of tonbak is wooden. This is in fact the sound box of tonbak. Sometimes many furrows are carved on its wood. Throat: Throat is almost cylindrical and it is connected from top to the body and from the bottom to the small opening. Small Opening: Tonbak is in the form of goblet, which is open from the top and bottom. Small opening is in the bottom and is similar to the mouth of trumpet. The throat and the small opening together are in the form of a trumpet. Large Opening: Large opening is in the top and the skin is covered on it.

Other names for this drum are donbak, tombak, dombak, tompak and zarb. The word zarb is Arabic and probably derived from the word darab that means the sound made by beating a drum. In Indian music zarab that literally means to strike is the arrangement of the segments that their combination make a tala (Indian rhythm).

There are two views for the origin of the name tonbak:

Some believe that the name tonbak is originated in the sound to be produced by the two main strokes played on the tonbak known as 'ton' and 'bak', respectively for the bass tone played in the center of the skin and the treble tone played on the rim and combination of them give us the word tonbak. According to this view tonbak is an onomatopoeic name, while the other believe that the word tonbak is diminutive of the word tonb, witch literally means belly. This view is not so strange because the body of tonbak is convex (belly-shaped).

Tempo is noted as an Arabic instrument and sometimes it is used for accompanying Persian banal songs.

Tajikistan

Tajikistani goblet drum is called Tablak that is diminutive of the word tabl. Like the other goblet drums it is open on both sides. Across one of the mouths is stretched a piece of skin which is beaten with the fingers. The opposite end is manipulated with the other hand to give various tonal effects.

Thailand

The Thai goblet drum is called thon (the other names are thab and thap) that is often played simultaneously with Thai frame drum called ramana. The instruments are known together as thon-ramana. The Thon lies on the player's lap and is played with the right hand, while the ramana is held in the left hand. The shape of thon is so similar to gedombak (Malaysian goblet drum).

Turkey

The most common name of the Turkish goblet drum is dumbelek. Other names are darbouka and deblek (same as Tajikistani Tablak). The word dumbelek should be originated in the Pahlavi name dombalak. The Turkish goblet drums are mainly made of metals.

Yugoslavia

The Yugoslavian goblet drum is called darbuk.

Technique [link]

Man playing a doumbek

Derbekkeh from Jerusalem, 1859. From Thomson, p. 580.

Goblet drums are played with a much lighter touch and quite different strokes (sometimes including rolls or quick rhythms articulated with the fingertips) than hand drums such as the djembe, found in West Africa.

There are two main types of goblet drums. The Egyptian style has rounded edges around the head, whereas the Turkish style exposes the edge of the head. The exposed edge allows closer access to the head so finger-snapping techniques can be done, but the hard edge discourages the rapid rolls possible with the Egyptian style.

The goblet drum may be played while held under one arm (usually the non-dominant arm) or by placing it sideways upon the lap (with the head towards the player's knees) while seated. Some drums are also made with strap mounts so the drum may be slung over the shoulder, to facilitate playing while standing or dancing. It produces a resonant, low-sustain sound while played lightly with the fingertips and palm. Some players move their fists in and out of the bell to alter the tone. There are a variety of rhythms (see dumbek rhythms) that form the basis of the folkloric and modern music and dance styles of the Middle East.

There are two main sounds produced by the goblet drum. The first is called the 'doum'. It is the deeper bass sound produced by striking the head near the center with the length of the fingers and palm. The second is called the 'tek' and is the higher-pitched sound produced by hitting near the edge of the head with the fingertips. A 'tek' struck with the secondary hand is also known as a 'ka'. Additionally, there are more complex techniques including snaps, slaps, pops and rolls that are used to ornament the basic rhythm. Hand clapping and hitting the sides of the drum can be used in addition to drumhead sounds.

Another technique commonly used in Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey and Egypt is to tap with the fingers of one hand and with a thin stick in the other. In Turkey the stick is called the çubuk, which means wand, or stick. The Romani of most of the countries associated with the goblet drum use this technique.

What are they made from [link]

The body of the Dumbek is made of nickel, ceramic, or compressed aluminum. The head may be fish-skin, goat-skin or plastic. The model many professionals use, is compressed aluminum with a plastic head, and can be tuned. The Dumbek is typically about 18" high (approx 46cm) with a head of 10" (approx 25cm) in diameter.

Use in Western classical music [link]

The first known Western classical composition to feature a goblet drum is the opera Les Troyens (1856–1858) by the French composer Hector Berlioz, which calls for a tarbuka in the Dance of the Nubian Slaves in Act IV.

The first compositions for goblet drum and orchestra were composed by Halim El-Dabh in the 1950s; his Fantasia-Tahmeel for goblet drum and strings was premiered in New York City in 1958, with a string orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski.

In 2007, Kalevi Aho composed his 14th Symphony, which includes darabukas and djembes.

See also [link]

• Tonbak
• Ashiko
• Djembe

References [link]

https://yellowbellmusic.com/instruments/percussion/dumbek.php https://www.rhythmweb.com/doumbek/names.htm

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v t e Iranian musical instruments Stringed (Sāzhāy-e Zehī) Bowed Ghazhak Kamāncheh Sorāhi Plucked Barbat Chang Dotār Qānūn Robāb Sallāneh Sāz Setār Tanbūr Tār Ūd Shurangiz Shahrud Rud Mugni Struck Santur Woodwind (Sāzhāy-e Bādī) Exposed Sornā Zurna Karnay Shehnai Narmeh-ney Dozaleh Ney anban End-blown Haft Band Nāy (Ney) Sheypur Zurna Pisha Percussion (Sāzhāy-e Kūbeheyī/Zarbī) Auxiliary Darāy Daf Dohol Dāvūl Dāyereh Zangī Naqāreh Tonbak (Dombak) Kūs Sanj Dammam Zarbang Udu Persian traditional music

v t e Turkish musical instruments String instruments: █  Bowed instruments:    Karadeniz kemençe  • Classical kemençe  • Yaylı tanbur  • Rebab/Kabak kemane  • Sine kemanı █  Plucked instruments:    Kanun  • Çeng  • Tanbur (Turkish)  • Ud  • Cümbüş  • Ahenk  • Saz  • Cura (instrument)  • Baglama  • Komuz  • Shahrud  • Rud  • Lavta  • Mugni█  Struck instruments:    Santur Woodwind instruments █  Exposed:    Zurna  • Tulum  • Karkm  • Dankiyo  • Gaida  • Düdük  • Çifte █  End-blown:    Ney  • Ney (Turkish)  • Kaval  • Sipsi  • Dilli Kaval  • Dilli ney  • Mey  • Taragot  • Dilli düdük  • Kargı Düdük Percussion instruments █  Auxiliary Percussion:    Bendir  • Daf  • Davul  • Darbuka  • Naqareh  • Kus  • Kudüm  • Nagara  • Turkish crescent  • Zill  • Castanet  • Spoon See also Turkish musical instruments  • Turkish folk music  • Ottoman classical music  • Ottoman military band  • Music of Turkey