A Reader on Clay Darbukas
Common questions about clay darbukas: fish skin vs goatskin for each drum size, keeping natural skins in tune, and reusing them.
In a clay darbuka, a leather skin (often goat or fish) is placed on top of the body and tied (with rope) around the top section of the darbuka body with an intricate series of knots. The below points are common questions I get asked specifically about clay darbukas.
Best natural leather skins #
The best natural leather skin to use is fish skin, as a good general rule of thumb. Fish skin is very thin, which means it creates the most powerful and clearest sound. Fish skin is also relatively more difficult to come by, which makes it more expensive. While fish skin itself isn’t that hard to find, you would need an unblemished and even piece of skin wide enough to fit over the darbuka head, which reduces the choice you have. However, most darbuka makers will have a supplier where they can acquire a nice piece of fish skin suitable for use on a darbuka. Fish skin is widely regarded as the best skin to use on a darbuka.
Another fantastic option to use on a darbuka is goatskin. Goatskin is strong but supple, allowing for a good resonant sound to be created. It’s also not too thick that its thickness interferes with getting a good amount of vibrations going through the darbuka. Goatskin is also much easier to find in a size large enough to fit a darbuka, and hence it makes it much cheaper than fish skin. On the whole, goatskin is a great all-round choice for skin to use on your darbuka.
Choosing between goat and fish skin #
Choosing between the two can sometimes be quite tricky. Should you go for goat, or should you go for fish? Well, there are a few good rules of thumb that we can follow here too, depending on the size darbuka you are playing:
Solo darbuka (20cm–22cm head diameter) #
If your darbuka is intended as a solo darbuka, i.e. it’s a smaller size darbuka with strong, high pitched Teks, fish skin is by far the better option. It will allow you to create a great sound and will work very nicely with your darbuka to create that solo sound you are aiming for. Goatskin will also work, but it will just be average, not amazing.
Bass Doholla (25cm+ head diameter) #
If your darbuka is intended as a background bass instrument, for example, a Bass Doholla, acquiring a fish skin might be quite tricky. A skin that big will cost a lot and will likely be a challenge to get hold of. Goatskin, on the other hand, would be relatively easy to acquire and not cost too much. Goatskin might also arguably create a better sound! The reason being that the increased thickness of the goatskin will create a deeper and more bassy sound. Fish skin might be a bit overkill!
Medium size darbuka (22cm–25cm head diameter) #
A standard medium size darbuka or Sombaty darbuka could work well with either fish or goatskin. It will again really come back to what kind of sound you want to create. If you want to create a sharper and more striking sound, you would be better placed with fish skin. However, if you want to create a more bassy and deeper sound (the difference will be noticeable but only slightly), go for a goatskin. In these situations, we would recommend just going with what you can acquire without spending too much time or money. Both skins would work well, and you probably won’t regret the fish skin if you go for goatskin.
How do I stop a natural leather skin from going out of tune? #
This is an issue which is more common in countries with cooler climates. When playing a natural skin darbuka, the skin may not be tight enough to produce an appropriately good sound if the humidity is too high. This is because when a natural leather darbuka skin is exposed to a humid environment, the leather increases in water content, sags and becomes loose. You can stop a natural leather darbuka skin from going out of tune by using a darbuka lighting tool. This is a light that is fitted to the inside of the darbuka body that creates heat, thereby drying up the natural leather skin and making it tight. This will assist in getting the best sound from your darbuka with natural leather skin. If you don’t have a lighting tool to hand, your best bet is to heat it over a gas cooker (or fireplace if you have one of those handy).
Are natural darbuka skins reusable? #
In most cases, yes, a natural leather darbuka skin would be reusable. Unless there is damage to it, they should be fine to be removed and refitted to another darbuka.