Please forgive my naivete but I don't know what this style of drum is called:
It is the one I see played in Turkish music that has a metal rim (on usually a
steel, brass or copper body) that is flush with the head (to facilitate finger snapping styles)
I've heard it called Tabla in Egyptian music, Darbuka, Dumbec (mostly only in America)
but this style of drum is defintely different from traditional Arabic drums.
Is there a specific Turkish word for the style of drum that you can use finger snapping techniques on?
I"ve always wanted to know because it is so timbrally different from professional Tablas in Egypt/Lebanon
and I want to be accurate in referring to it in the future.
thanks for your expertise in advance.
Rick
It is the one I see played in Turkish music that has a metal rim (on usually a
steel, brass or copper body) that is flush with the head (to facilitate finger snapping styles)
I've heard it called Tabla in Egyptian music, Darbuka, Dumbec (mostly only in America)
but this style of drum is defintely different from traditional Arabic drums.
Is there a specific Turkish word for the style of drum that you can use finger snapping techniques on?
I"ve always wanted to know because it is so timbrally different from professional Tablas in Egypt/Lebanon
and I want to be accurate in referring to it in the future.
thanks for your expertise in advance.
Rick
posted by:
|
-
When I was in Turkey, everybody called it "darbuka." But, then again, they also called the Egyptian-style dumbeks "darbuka," too. When pressed, many would specify "Turkish darbuka" or "Arab darbuka." DARBUKA seemed to simply mean HAND DRUM to a lot of people there. Nobody had ANY idea what I was talking about when I used the term "dumbek" in conversation ... they would know "tabla" before they knew "dumbek."
I call it DARBUKA for that reason. It's a Turkish drum, and that's what the Turkish people call it, which is enough for me. Of course, I also use the term "dumbek" for the Egyptian style, rounded rim drums, but the Egyptians DON'T appear to use the term themselves, so I'm not exactly a model of consistency. I'm reluctant to use the term "tabla" 'cos, where I live, people will instantly think of the pair of Indian drums.
Argh. -
-
thanks, Geoff! I"ve had the same solution exactly but I"ve always felt insecure
and the drums are really different drums due to that 90% rim that allows for finger snapping
that is much more difficult on the Egyptian styled Tabla.
Are there any Turkish drummers who want to weigh in with an answer as well?
-
-
There is another term, used much in the Balkans, "Dumbelek" or "Dumbeleki" in Greek.
I have heard fit rom folks from Albania and Macedonia that Tarabuka means a clay drum, Dumbelek a metal Turkish style drum.
The metal drum probably came about at the start of the 20th century, as louder instruments became popular [ie. clarinet & accordion] There is no doubt ,in my opinion, that the Roma invented it, being famous as metal workers. -
-
Interesting point, Ismail, especially about the Rom inventing the metal drum.
My Macedonian friends call the Turkish darbuka a 'tarambuka', but they're always quick to point out that a 'real' (that is to say, Macedonian) tarambuka is made of WOOD. They also seem to prefer the between-the-knees style of play over the across-the-lap style. All so confusing. -
-
fascinating.................thanks for all the information.
I like Dumbelek and I had an amazing session with this master Shamisen player from Japan in the recording
studio with it. We also played a Macedonian folk song in that session that had a beautiful
7/8 11/8 7/8 form to it (although I played than on an ersatz Tupan (Davul)(Tabla Beledi) -
-
In Turkey it's called darbuka; the thick sided, rounded-wall types from the Middle East are known usually as çömlek darbuka. Çömlek actually means "pottery/crockery" but for some reason they also used the term to refer to the thick-walled cast drums. The thinner darbukas are made by putting a disc of thin aluminum or brass onto a sort of lathe, then using a blunt-edged lever, forming the spinning metal over a mould. They are simply known as "darbuka," or "alüminyüm darbuka" or "bakır darbuka" (copper darbuka).
-
-
-
