Darbuka is an ancient percussion tool that came to us from the Middle East and North Africa. The sound from it is removed by shock, click, shaking.
What it is?
Darbuka is a compact cone-shaped impact musical instrument, whose roots go to late Neolith. Its images and description were found in many sources of cultural heritage of Europe, Transcaucasia, Africa, the Middle East.
Each people have a miniature ethnic drum of conesoid form has its name: in Egypt - the table, in Iran - Infant, in Syria - Derbekki, in India - Tumbaknari. In some historic period, Europeans have lost interest to him, and for several millennia he fell out of our culture. Today we consider Darbuk to eastern exotic tools.
Initially, the drum was made from burned clay, as a membrane used skin of animals or fish. Today, modern materials are involved in the tool production, but traditional products are also available at the same time.
Eastern peoples have always been respectful, almost sacred attitude. The drum participated in ritual rituals, at weddings and funeral, on fighting rings. It could be heard in everyday life - in the bazaars and squares, since a small tool is easily transferred to the place of events.
As in the past, ethnic oriental dances are singing under Darubuk and today. Modern musicians of the European and American continent began to use it during the performance of jazz, rock, blues, Latin American music.
Structure
The cubic-shaped drum at the ends contains along the hole, one of them (wide) is covered with a membrane. It is fixed to the housing in different ways. The traditional clay option is most often connected to the leather ringer, woven in the form of a grid.
Ring with bolts holds a plastic membrane on a metal tool.
Outdoor compound is inherent in Turkish drums, Egyptian products contain hidden fasteners.
The height of the instrument in different nations is not the same and can be from 35 to 60 centimeters. The diameter of the membrane to some extent is associated with the height of the drum, its value varies from 22 to 32 cm.
The sound of the Darbuk affects the size, material and width of the neck - how it is already, the lower the recoverable sounds. The gripful deep bass is created due to the resonance of air, similar to the effect of the bottle of the bottle cavity with a narrow throat.
The variety of drum titles is connected not only with ethnicity, but also with a difference in sound. For example, the Egyptian tabla refers to the solo-drum, the dummy is a bass instrument, Sumbati occupies an intermediate position between them.
As for the material, in addition to traditional clay for the manufacture of the body, the following raw materials are used.
- Metal - aluminum, copper, brass. As a membrane, the drum uses synthetic material in the form of thin spring plastic. Products are good as everyday household instruments. They are resistant to cold and humid climates than the products from natural materials cannot boast. On metal drums for setting the sound, bolts are used, they are responsible for the level of stress membrane.
Similar models are not capricious, durable and durable.
- Wood Tree - Clane, Walnut, Birch, Apricot, Bubing (Red Tree) - Used for the housing in combination with a membrane made of pets of domestic animals. Wooden drums are used in the Arab ritual ceremonies and on ethnic holidays.
- Ceramics - has a firing of 1000 degrees , it becomes a swirling monolithic and very durable material. She is akin to ancient clay. Such tools are covered with skin and have amazing dense sound. They are used to reproduce rhythms from the scenes of large concert halls.
- Fiberglass - Drums contain a synthetic membrane from the Maylar and mechanical settings. These are light and durable products with quite decent sound. They are made in Canada and the United States, combining fiberglass with wood. The American company Ramo, trying to improve its products and bring the artificial membrane to the composition of genuine leather, learned to produce material with unusual sensitive fibers.
Depending on the material, the case of the Darbuki is decorated with icing, engraving, wood carvings, chasing.
It should be noted that the tools made from natural materials are sensitive to moisture.
Leather membrane in a humid environment (fog, cloudy evening) raw and stretched, loses his ringing rich sound. Skin leather is less prone to change, but it also requires drying. In the past, the drums dried at an open fire, today they are looking for other heat sources. Some manufacturers are placed in the housing light bulbs. Products with plastic membranes elasticity never lose.
Views
Darbuka is of great importance for many peoples of the Middle East, North-West Africa, some countries of Southern Europe, and every ethnic community sees this tool in its own way, introduces a part of its own culture into its image.
- Greeks your drum (tube) It is drawn up in the form of amphora, his ardor sound is distinguished by special softness.
- Egyptian tabla It has bevelled edges, which allows smooth lines to emphasize the harmony and integrity of the tool.
- Current circle of Turkish drum Strengthened by steel hoops and bolts make the appearance of the product sharp, dynamic, it seems that such a tool is able to knock out endless rhythmic fractions.
- Moroccans for the membrane of their targeting are chosen by snake skin. To the tool sound more diverse, set a special string into the inside of the drum.
- In Iraq, Kshshba has an elongated shape and reminds the pipe Made of wood. The membrane of a small diameter is made of fish skin.
- Afghan Zirbakhali Release with an additional element on the membrane that allows sound to vibrate.
Of all the abundance of cubic-shaped drums belonging to different peoples, two large groups - Egyptian and Turkish can be distinguished. Let us dwell on them.
Turkish
Turkish Darbuka for everyday use is performed from metal, more often from copper. As a membrane, synthetic leather is used. Sharp edges are framed by steel rings with bolts involved in the membrane tension. The tool is convenient because it is easy to lend to configuration.
The top diameter of the Turkish products varies from 20 to 29 cm. The drum during the game is kept at hand or rest in foot, for the game you use click hardware. With the help of palms and fingers from the tool, you can remove up to 50 different sounds, but at the same time the range of metal products is still narrow.
Another thing is durable ceramic darbuki with a leather membrane. For their manufacture, the highest quality clay is mined in the ancient city of Izmir. Under the influence of Egypt, clay Turkish drums began to be produced with sloping edges. They are easily distinguished in size, which significantly exceed the African counterparts.
To get rid of moisture, the heating lamp is installed inside the drum.
The sound of ceramic Turkish tools is diverse and sophisticated Egyptian options. They are used to perform exquisite chamber music in concert halls.
Egyptian
This version of the cone drum contains rounded edges, it does not have outdoor screw settings, so the model looks like solid, with soft smooth lines. The Egyptians share their Darbuki for three types of size and sound: the largest is called Dohol, the average - Sumbati and the model of small size - the table.
As a material for the case, ceramics and wood are used, and for the membrane - goat or calf leather. Wide distribution among Egyptian and Syrian musicians received factory metal products. They are performed by an aluminum foundry. The thickness of the tool is accurately calculated, it is thinned to 1 cm in the right places.
The housing is decorated with appliqués, pearl mosaic or fragments of mahogany. Then coated with several layers of varnish for strength and gloss.
Egyptian drums are indispensable when accompanied by oriental dances. The beveled edges facilitate the rolls of fingers, accelerate the rhythm, but they make it softer, without brightly pronounced linked movements, which are produced using Turkish Darbuch.
Subtleties of the game
In Russia, there are schools training in the Arab drum, in which novice musicians can touch with their own hands to a wonderful oriental tool, knock out beautiful rhythms, feel exotic charming sounds.
Position
Darbuka refers to compact drums. Its weight allows not only with ease to carry the product, but also to hold it during the game in different positions.
- Sitting: The tool is located on the knees, holding it with one hand. You can also sit at position to install the drum between the knees and hold it hard.
- In the standing position, the Darbuk is pressed to the body side. At this point, the safety belt is transferred to the musician over the shoulder.
- With a drum, licked on the shoulder, it is possible to play standing or moving around the stage.
On Darbuka played by two hands, where the right is dominant and knocks out the main rhythm, and the left leads the background melody. It is allowed to play with the help and wand çubuk. This method of extracting sounds from the drum can often be found in the Gypsy of the Middle East.
Techniques
In the Arabic drum, two tones are considered basic:
- low reproducible during shocks to the central part of the instrument;
- High received from edge shocks by membrane.
But the professionalism of musicians allows many rhythmic sounds from a miniature drum. They can be in the form of a ring and long hum or a multiple trembling tremolo. Playing slides his hands over the surface, publishes sounds with ringing fingers or deaf slaps of palms. In addition, it hits the body or uses cotton in your hands.
Some Darbuch models inside the case contain removable metal sagates, enriching the sound of silver tip.
Rhythmic, fascinating sounds made conical drums incredibly popular. But few today remember that this musical instrument came to us actually from the Bronze Age and became an integral part of the culture of many nations.
