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Dumb questions from a newbie drummer...

topic posted Mon, August 24, 2009 - 10:03 AM by  offlineCarla 		Share/Save/Bookmark
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Hello... I just bought a used doumbek and have a few questions:

First of all I'm not sure the tuning is quite right, the doum sounds really flat and has almost no ring to it. I may not be hitting it quite right but I've tried different spots a tried changing how my hand hits the drum but it's still sounding really flat. I've also tried tightening and loosening the bolts but then the teks don't sound right (and they sounded fine to me before). Or maybe I just need more practice or to use it more? The guy I bought it from says he didn't use it much as he lost interest in drumming. Any advice on getting a richer sound would be appreciated.

Second, how do I know what brand of drum I have, it has no name that I can see on the drum its self, but the drum head that is on it now says Luxor and the spare drum head says Alexandria, so I don't know which the drum is. There are also some roman numerals written on the inside of the drum and I don't know what that means either. I was thinking maybe I need a new drum head to fix the sound but I don't really know what I should be looking for since I don't know what brand it is. Or maybe are drum heads for doumbeks are universal so it dosn't matter?

Again, any advice is appreciated.
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Carla
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  • Charles
    Charles
    offline 4

    Re: Dumb questions from a newbie drummer...

    Mon, August 24, 2009 - 2:17 PM
    Here is my advice on tuning a doumbek from my blog.

    threewinds.wordpress.com/2009/...umbek/

    Again, I am an amateur as well, but this has worked for me.

    Also, that is for the "Egyptian" style doumbek, with internal bolts and a mylar/plastic head. This is not meant as instructions for an external bolt darbuka, or a natural skin djimbe.
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    • Dave
      Dave
      offline 42

      Re: Dumb questions from a newbie drummer...

      Tue, August 25, 2009 - 11:18 PM
      Thanks, Charles! The web needs a good reference on tuning a doumbek.

      I'd like to suggest some additions.

      1) You talk about buzzing, and ringing, and other sound qualities, but not what causes those and how to adjust them.

      2) What if the tek at each bolt isn't the same? You might talk about checking the tek by each bolt, and to loosen the ones that are too high, or tighten the ones that are too low, until all are the same.

      3) What if you tighten all the way and it's not as high as you want? I've heard about putting an old rim or a piece of string over the rim of the plastic head between the head and the top rim. What about when the bearing edge goes higher than the rim? Or too low?

      4) How do you know when the head is past its useful life? How do find the right size replacement? How do you replace it with another type, like a SkynDeep?

      I'd love to see your tuning guide become a one-stop place for all the common questions about tuning and maintaining doumbeks. Thanks again!

      Dave
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      • Charles
        Charles
        offline 4

        Re: Dumb questions from a newbie drummer...

        Wed, August 26, 2009 - 7:11 AM
        Great suggestions.

        I will be adding to/editing that essay, and probably converting it into a page on the blog, with a permanent link on the front page.

        I do appreciate the feedback, and would be grateful for any other advice and tips I might miss or simply not know yet.

        Thanks again.
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        • fungus
          fungus
          offline 9

          Re: Dumb questions from a newbie drummer...

          Thu, August 27, 2009 - 8:59 AM
          I'll add my $0.02

          1) Smooth the top of the inner rim with fine emery paper - the top should be rounded, not square. Running your finger around it will easily reveal the bits that need smoothing. A rounded rim allows the head to slide over it much more smoothly as you tighten the head.

          2) Put a tiny bit of grease on the thread of the bolts before you put them back - makes tuning MUCH easier.

          3) When you start to tighten the head, roll the drum along your leg and watch the gap between rim/body. Make sure the gap is the same all the way around. If it isn't you'll have a much harder time tuning it (if you can tune it at all).

          A guy in my class broke his drum last week by removing the rim without marking it then putting it back wrong and forcibly tightening the bolts.
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          • Charles
            Charles
            offline 4

            Re: Dumb questions from a newbie drummer...

            Thu, August 27, 2009 - 11:32 AM
            I agree with all these points, but...

            1) I thought that smoothing the sharp bits was something I could encourage, but expecting most people to be able to round the top of the inner rim evenly seems a bit much to expect from the newer drummers the post is geared towards. I really worry that they would cause more harm than good by creating gaps with uneven sanding/filing and so on.

            2) Grease... hmm. Axle grease yes, but getting clean axle grease is a bit of a project by itself. I should mention it though, when mentioning the sandpaper.

            3) I try to address this with the tape trick I mention. I should explain that if a bolt just won't tighten anymore to stop. If it is seated all the way you might strip it. If it is still sticking out of the bolt hole then you are off line and should reset and try again.

            Thanks for the suggestions.
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            • fungus
              fungus
              offline 9

              Re: Dumb questions from a newbie drummer...

              Fri, August 28, 2009 - 5:49 AM
              You don't have to get it completely rounded and perfect ... just take the worst of the edges off. Running your finger around the rim makes it pretty obvious where they are.

              If you don't have proper grease, use vaseline or something (bacon fat?)
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      • fungus
        fungus
        offline 9

        Re: Dumb questions from a newbie drummer...

        Thu, August 27, 2009 - 9:07 AM
        > You talk about buzzing, and ringing, and other sound qualities, but not what causes those and how to adjust them.

        I once had a buzz which was caused by the top of the inner rim not being very smooth. It completely vanished when I worked the rim over with fine emery paper. nb. The rim was flat by the "put it upside down on a piece of glass and see if you can slide a piece of paper under it" test, it was because the top edge of the rim was square, not round.

        Another nice thing to do with the mother of pearl drums is to smooth out the bolt holes on the rim. They usually drill right through the MOP and leave sharp edges. Apart from feeling nasty this can lead the them snagging and breaking off. Use fine sandpaper to smooth them out then paint with several coats of clear nail varnish.to hold everything together. Clear nail polish can be used to retouch the finish on other parts of the drum as well.
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