The American name doumbek should be derived from the Persian name dombak that is the new form of its Pahlavi name, dombalak
and brought to USA by Eastern emigrants. This name is used for all genres of goblet drums, particularly for those goblet drums
that are used for Middle Eastern music and dance (called Arabic music and belly dance). Though goblet drums are similar in
shape but they are not played so similarly and one need to be very careful about that.
The doumbek played in Arabic language countries such as Iraq (that is not Iran), Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and so on... is
called darbuka and is somehow different from the Persian doumbek (tonbak).
Doumbelek
The doumbek is called tabla (also tablah) in Arabic countries. This is not the Indian tabla that is a pair of small drums.
Anyway, doumbek is called dumbelek in Turkey and the edge of the large opening of Turkish goblet drum is squared not round
and this is why the finger snapping can be played on it easily similar to what we have for the tonbak very much. It is good
to mention that the only goblet drum that I know it is played very similar to the tonbak is the Afghani goblet drum called
zirbaghali (also zerbaghali).
The many names of doumbek are listed here:
Darabuke (Albania)
Darabuka, Darambuka, Tarambuke and Tarambuka (Bulgaria)
Darabukka, Derabucca, and Darbouka (Egypt)
Derbekki, Drbekki, and Drbakka (Lebanon and Syria)
Greetings! This group is for all those percussionists interested in the goblet
shaped drums of Asia, North Africa, and Eastern Europe.
They are known by many names listed here: Darabuke (Albania) Darabuka, Darambuka,
Tarambuke and Tarambuka (Bulgaria) Darabukka, Derabucca, and Darbouka (Egypt) Derbekki, Drbekki, and Drbakka (Lebanon and
Syria) Derbocka (Morocco and Algeria) Dobouk (Hungry) Donbak, Dombak, Tombak, Tonbak and Zarb (Persia) Doumbek (USA) Dumbelek,
Darbuka and Deblek (Turkey) Gedombak (Malaysia) Khalouze Shuhai-Gata-Katamen-Taiko (Japan) Tarambuka (Yugoslavia) Tarija (Morocco)
Tarabuka (Macedonia) Tablak (Tajikistan) Thon, Thab and Thap (Thailand and Cambodia) Toubeleki (Greece) Tumbaknari (Kashmir
of Indian) Ghumat (Goa of India)) and Jamuku (South India) Zirbaghali (Afghanistan)
We welcome your participation. Please introduce yourself, and remember to
put your goblet drum related website URLs in the links section. The calendar too, is available to all. Please keep all posts
related to drumming, focusing on the use of goblet shaped drums around the world. Mentioning other instruments and music in
context is fine. However, political posts, flames, and those posts considered hostile or offensive to list members are off
topic, and repeated off topic posts are grounds for removal.
