Darbuka Lesson: Doum, Tek, and Ka (Beginning)

This beginning darbuka lesson shows how to get good basic sounds out of your drum and offers some pointers for avoiding common mistakes. It also teaches the common rhythm Beledi.

You might be surprised how much the tone of your drum depends on how you do your basic hits. It's important to spend a lot of time mastering the doum, tek, and ka, before moving on to more complex techniques on your doumbek.

There are other good video tutorials on YouTube in which players show how they do these techniques, and some are different than what I show. My approach to the darbuka has always been to learn from as many teachers as I possibly could--in person, on YouTube, on DVDs--and to synthesize what worked best for me. I encourage you to do the same.

If you enjoy this lesson, please check out my other videos.