The Darbuka’s Relatives: Tombak, Riq, Djembe and Frame Drums
How the darbuka relates to the tombak, the riq, the djembe, frame drums like the bendir and daf, and the kudüm.
6 questions answered
HIS-047 What’s the difference between a darbuka and a tombak (zarb)? #
The tombak (also tonbak or zarb) is the main percussion instrument of Persian classical music. It’s normally carved or turned from a single block of wood, with walnut, ash and mulberry commonly cited, and a goat- or sheepskin head glued or tacked on. A darbuka is usually metal or clay. The tombak is played with a looser wrist and a huge vocabulary of subtle finger strokes and rolls, and it sounds softer and warmer. The darbuka is brighter and more cutting, and everything is built on the strong dum/tek contrast. Related members of the goblet family, then, but not interchangeable.
HIS-048 Who made the tombak a solo instrument? #
Hossein Tehrani (1912–1974). He’s credited with turning the tombak from a background accompaniment drum into a virtuoso solo instrument from the 1950s onward. Later masters such as Nasser Farhangfar and Madjid Khaladj took it further.
HIS-049 Is the djembe related to the darbuka? #
Only in shape. Both are goblet drums, but the djembe belongs to the Mande peoples of West Africa: Guinea, Mali and their neighbours. It’s carved from a single piece of hardwood, rope-tuned, with a goatskin head, and it’s much larger and heavier, with a booming bass and a loud slap. The darbuka comes from a separate Middle Eastern and North African lineage, is smaller, and sounds sharper and more delicate. Different cultures, different techniques.
HIS-050 What’s the difference between a darbuka and a riq? #
The riq (riqq) is a small frame drum with pairs of metal jingles, essentially a refined Arabic tambourine. The darbuka is a goblet drum. The classical Arabic takht ensemble uses both, and the riq is often treated as the leading percussion instrument, setting the tempo and marking phrases almost like a conductor, while the darbuka brings the depth and the drive.
HIS-051 What’s the difference between a darbuka and a frame drum (bendir, daf, tar)? #
Frame drums are shallow, wide drums with a skin stretched over a wooden hoop, played with the hand. They’re among the oldest documented drums anywhere, and they dominate a lot of religious and Sufi music and many processions. The darbuka is a deep, narrow-waisted goblet drum with a strong bass resonance. Plenty of ensembles use both, and plenty of darbuka players pick up a frame drum too; I play the riq alongside the darbuka.
HIS-052 What about the kudüm or naqqara? #
They’re small kettle-shaped drums, usually played in pairs with sticks. The Turkish kudüm belongs to Ottoman classical and Mevlevi Sufi music. They’re not goblet drums, though they do sometimes sit in the same ensemble as a darbuka.