What Makes a Good Darbuka

Ideal size #

This is a question that needs some careful consideration. There are several sizes available, and they range from around 13.5cm (5.3") to around 28cm (11"). Note that when we look at sizes, we are referring to the diameter of the skin – the plastic section at the top of the darbuka. Here are a few general good rules of thumb:

Anything below 20cm is too small #

The logic behind this is that you need space on the darbuka head for both your hands to fit and move around the drum and you need the darbuka to be big enough to sit comfortably on your lap. Also, if it’s too small, it won’t create good sounding notes! Do it properly and get yourself a bigger drum than this.

22cm–23cm is the most popular and ideal range #

22cm is by far the most popular size of darbuka, and it’s a delight to play for everyone from a 10-year-old child to a large adult. The bass and high notes are also good enough that a competent player would be comfortable performing professionally with a decent 22cm model.

The 23cm darbukas are a little bigger and about 2kg heavier. This is, in my opinion, a perfect size for a darbuka and it gives a significantly better sound. I much prefer a 23cm to a 22cm darbuka as my go-to instrument. Another point to note here is that a 23cm darbuka, as previously mentioned, is known as a Sombaty darbuka.

Darbukas bigger than 24cm are called Dohollas #

You need to know what you’re doing before venturing into the Doholla world! A Doholla is a large darbuka, and they can be loads of fun to play. However, if you pick up a bad one, this big darbuka will burn a big hole in your pocket!

The reality is, Dohollas can be expensive, they can be challenging for beginners to manage, and changing parts can be a nightmare. On the flip side, a well-made Doholla can be a dream to play and produce amazing sounds. However, for a beginner, my recommendation would be to keep to the 22–23cm range!

Ideal material (and weight) #

Most darbukas available on the market are made of aluminium. Aluminium is chosen because it is light and easy to work with. Aluminium is the material of choice for most darbuka makers, and as such, it is commonly used throughout workshops in the Middle East, North Africa and South-East Asia.

There are a few points to note:

1. Some manufacturers use copper to make their darbukas. This can come out nicely, and craftsmen in Turkey do use copper a lot in the construction of their instruments. However, copper tends to be more expensive than aluminium, and as such craftsmen might skimp on weight to save money on costs. As we will discuss in the second point, weight is significant!
2. The weight of a darbuka directly affects its sound. There is a fine line between being too light and being too heavy. If a darbuka is too light, the Doum is over-pronounced and overly bassy, while the Tek sounds very muted because the metal is so thin. If a darbuka is too heavy (relative to its size), the Doum may have some bass issues, but the Tek won’t ring as well as it should. For this reason, best practice is a double-layered aluminium shell, an outer layer and an inner layer. Both layers are finished and smooth (so the sound isn’t affected by imperfections), and the drum weighs at least 3.5–4kg for a standard drum. In my opinion, a 22cm standard darbuka that weighs less than 3.5–4kg isn’t a proper darbuka. I’ve seen some Turkish darbukas that come in around 3kg; it’s simply too light. The Sombaty darbuka is the perfect weight in my opinion, weighing in at around 6kg.

Mother of pearl #

Let’s take a step back and look at how pearls are created. They are formed inside the shells of pearl oysters and freshwater pearl mussels (both sea creatures). Now, a pearl is produced inside the shell of both of these animals, but the inner lining of that shell also shines a beautiful iridescent white. This is known as Mother of Pearl (Nacre).

Take a look at the below picture. It shows a pearl oyster shell, with a perfectly formed pearl oyster inside it. Now look at the inner lining of the shell itself and see the beautiful white iridescent lining. This is Mother of Pearl.

White Mother of Pearl vs Blue Mother of Pearl #

You will also notice when looking at darbuka designs that there are different types of Mother of Pearl colours. They usually come in shades of white, green, blue and purple. While they are all known as Mother of Pearl, we typically make some distinctions in the darbuka world depending on where we get the shells from:

Blue Mother of Pearl, like White Mother of Pearl, is formed in an animal shell. While White Mother of Pearl is formed in pearl oyster or freshwater pearl mussel shells, Blue Mother of Pearl is formed in abalone shells. An inner abalone shell looks like this:

The difference is purely aesthetic, but it’s important to know that White Mother of Pearl is fairly easy to get hold of and is available in large quantities. Blue Mother of Pearl, on the other hand, is relatively quite rare, which is why it’s harder to get Blue Mother of Pearl pieces, and why they are more expensive. Blue Mother of Pearl comes in shades of blue, purple and green, so there are more possibilities of what can be done with it.

How are the fantastic Mother of Pearl darbuka designs created? #

The Mother of Pearl pieces then have to be applied to the aluminium shells of the darbuka. This is how the finest mother-of-pearl darbukas are made:

1. Designers work with expert craftsmen in Egypt to render stunning designs that can then be overlaid on a darbuka body.
2. The workshop’s master darbuka craftsmen review each design and confirm that it can indeed be recreated on the darbuka body.
3. The craftsmen then get to work. Taking a plain aluminium shell, a craftsman sketches the design over the aluminium body to provide a guideline to work with.
4. The Mother of Pearl pieces are then cut to size and attached to the darbuka body by hand, piece by piece, creating the design that was initially sketched on to the darbuka.
5. Then any finishing touches and paint overlays are applied, and the design on the darbuka is checked to make sure it matches the expected design.
6. Finally, the design is sealed to the darbuka by applying a gloss layer over the darbuka body, creating the beautiful finish you find on all good quality darbukas!

As you can tell, it’s a relatively long process. Typically, a craftsman can make maybe 2–4 Mother of Pearl darbukas per week. In contrast, multiple low-quality darbukas can be made per day. So much extra time is given to making sure that the Mother of Pearl darbukas are made perfectly, and this reflects in the quality of the finished product. The most elaborate artisan Sombaty designs can take a craftsman almost two weeks to make.