When to Tune a Darbuka
The signs that your darbuka needs tuning or a new skin: it sounds out of tune, the skin has warped or is damaged, or it’s simply old.
Caring for and maintaining your instrument is an essential part of being a musician. When your instrument is in tune, it will sound significantly better and allow you to create a more beautiful sound. For example, have you ever heard a piano out of tune? It sounds terrible! So much so that even someone who is not a musician will quickly understand that something is wrong. A darbuka, being a percussive instrument, allows for a little more leeway. However, it is still essential to keep your darbuka in tune and sounding perfect.
There are several reasons you might need to tune or change a darbuka skin.
The darbuka sounds out of tune #
Often if a darbuka goes out of tune, it’s because of the darbuka skin. Now if it is a plastic darbuka skin, you may not need to change it, you may well be able to retune the darbuka by tightening (or loosening) the bolts at the top of the darbuka with an Allen key (the full tuning process is in How to Tune a Darbuka). It is recommended to always try this before going out and purchasing a new skin.
If it is a clay darbuka (with a natural leather skin) that goes out of tune, you can usually get the roping redone to resolve the problem. However, unless there is an actual problem with the leather skin on the clay darbuka, you will not need to purchase a new skin.
The darbuka skin has warped #
As an extension to the darbuka skin going out of tune, it might warp due to inadequate storage conditions. Note that this only typically applies to plastic skins. The most common cause of this we see is leaving the darbuka exposed to direct sunlight, which causes the plastic in the middle of the darbuka skin to loosen, while the plastic that is around the sides remains tight. There is no coming back from this, and the skin will need to be changed. Another thing that people can overlook is leaving their darbuka in the boot of their car when it’s hot. The boot of an average car can typically get quite warm, and sometimes if it’s 35°C or more, you can have some melting of the plastic darbuka skin which again, will require it to be changed.
There is apparent damage to the darbuka skin #
If you stick a knife through your darbuka skin, you will need to change it. 100%. If you stick any sharp object through your darbuka skin, you will need to change it. There is no coming back from a tear or a hole in the darbuka’s skin. We advise keeping your darbuka safe so that you are not in a position where the skin needs to be changed. It’s best to transport the darbuka using a case at all times, and ensure that when you play, you are not wearing any rings etc.
It has been a long time since you last changed it #
A darbuka skin should easily last for several years. However, if it’s been over, say five years, it might need to be changed. You can assess it by seeing if the darbuka sounds out of tune or not. If it does, and it’s been a long time, change the skin.
As an aside, if your metal darbuka has been sitting out of tune for a long time, it will be harder for you to retune it as the molecules in the plastic skin will have set in an uneven position – it will probably just need to be changed.