Sina Khosravi - tonbak artist based in Canada... good video of the basic tonbak strokes here. Sina plays both doumbek and tonbak.

Dragon Song Drums - Proprietor Mayra Sonam Paldon is a California based ceramic artist and drum maker making original design doumbeks and Rattles as well as smudge burning bowls for drum circles and events

New GDG member Yonatan Bar Rashi has a long and fascinating history in the music business. watch him play daholla. or read more about him and listen to more sound files at his page at congaplace..

Taaliqa combine tonbak, doumbek and tabla in a unique way good sound files

SommaMusic.com
This SanFransisco based group is blending Persian music with jazz and electronica and so on, in addition to playing classical Persian music. definitely worth a look. Tonbak player Shirzad Sharif is a co-founder of the group

Numan Elyer
DARBUKA & FRAME DRUM - MODERN TURKISH STYLE
The new 'all-finger' style of percussion. Advanced methods of playing darbuka
and frame drum

Jamal Zraika- Sydney Austrailia based [Egyptian] tabla player and teacher

Iqaat.com

The Ethnic musical instruments company, 
Mid East Manufacturing
, has excellent ceramic doumbeks.

Kobi Hagoel - This illustrious member of the Frame Drummer and Goblet Drumming groups now has his own site. Kobi has a fine new book out, and has designed a special darbuka.

http://kobi-hagoel.blogspot.com/

Listen to this piece, Vahdat, a collaboration featuring Shirzad sharif and Mary Ellen Donald, both based in SanFransisco..


Chas Whittaker is a UK based drummer who specializes in goblet & frame drum. his site has reviews of teaching materials and much more: ArabicDrum.co.uk


Shlomo Bar is one of the top drummers and artists in Israel. Here's a link to one of his audio pieces: Batash . There is much more at his site

Here's the website of Mary Ellen Donald

Acoustics of Tonbak
by Shaheen, (a student of Ostad Farhangfar)

Lots of good, easy to hear doumbek, from doumbek master Jamal Mohamed, and the album is streaming FREE at the D'Drum MP3 page

the D'Drum website.

Abdallah Mohamed is an Egyptian drummer living in Italy, specializing in Mazhar, Daf, Doumbek.

Doumbek rhythms are posted here on yousef sharonick's site

Finger cymbal Rhythms are important too. check out this page!

Eric N. Peters has a nice doumbek related site at Geocities..

Here's a South Africa based zarb page.

Note: Also see Peyman's article :
The Skin and Wood of the Tonbak, Ghaval and Daf

alex spurkel, teacher of doumbek in L.A. and student of Sohail Kaspar & Francis Awe..

 

 

The Doumbek Page

Although this page is named 'The doumbek Page', it is devoted to the goblet shaped drums, by any of the many names given to them around the world.

The many names of Goblet drums..
click for a summary.

We love the many goblet shaped drums of the Middle East. Arab, Armenian, Persian, and Turkish music feature them, prominently in bellydance and other musics of the Near and Middle East.

Although we over here in the U.S.A. have mostly seen one type of goblet drum, and most often call these drums 'Doumbek', they are actually different drums, known by a variety of names and spellings, such as tonbak, donbak, Tombak, etc. The combination of deep bass tones and crisp, high tones  give the doumbek it's name.

The image of this beautiful khatam tonbak at left is courtesy of Persian musician Peyman Nasehpour.

Portable, not too loud, the doumbek is perfect for some people. We love our doumbeks tonbaks, and Darabukas. 


Murat Denizkusu's a German musician and a friend of David Kuckermann. Check out his darbuka solo from a recent improvised duo electronic/darbuka gig in a local underground club

Doumbek instructional Resources

Members of the Goblet Drumming Group at Yahoo have recently released resources. Daveed Korup has a textbook with video, Tao Te Drum , and a CD , Rhythm rides for Dumbek, a step by step guide to Middle Eastern rhythms..they are available <HERE>

Kobi Hagoel, percussionist based in ISsrael, also has a new book out, with a great many rhythms charted out..136 pages with 6 CD's..get it here..

Here is a wonderful post by a GDG Group member regarding the difference between certain styles, and how the shape of the drum affects the way it must be approached..

from "From Luxor To Isna" by Musicians of the Nile is a recommended album.

ZarbThe Tonbak (Zarb)

Made from wood, the Persian tombak, also called the Zarb, is an ancient instrument.

Ostad Hosein Tehrani is widely considered the father of modern Zarb playing. For a brief history of Ostad Tehrani & the Tonbak, click here.

This zarb solo is about 5 minutes long. Tehrani begins calmly (click to listen) , and works his way up to a fever pitch with excellent use of the Zarb's pitch bending and scratching capabilities.

Listen to a 28 second sample of Ostad Farhangfar playing tonbak.

Listen to Ostad Hossain Tehrani, father of modern tonbak.

The Zarb is also known as the tombak and tonbak. Hormoz Dilmaghani, has an excellent site on the tombak, called the 
Tombak Network.
check it out!

Peyman Nasehpour on the World Wide Web!!!

His home page is here.

His bio is here.

SEE PEYMAN at YOU TUBE

stu's note: I was fortunate to meet Peyman during the late spring of 2001. He continues to tirelessly promote his music on the World Wide Web, as a moderator of the Goblet Drumming Group and the Indian Tabla group at Yahoo, and an active member of the FrameDrummer group as well...links to his works are at right. Thanks Peyman..Keep it up!

His brother's NEW online drum shop
with
handmade Persian musical instruments

 

GDG member
Jesse Rogers
at Bardic Productions has compiled lists of the manufacturers and retailers of doumbeks abnd other Middle Eastern instruments..

note: we at rhythmweb respect and wish peace to all decent well meaning people, regardless of faith or ethnic background. Hence our use of the Rhythmweb sign, , once used by the HOPI tribe as a symbol for universal brotherhood. May it someday become a reality..

More Doumbek Links

Choosing a doumbek - a handout Jon Gilchrist gives his stufdents

reheading a doumbek - an informative message at the GDG from Jeff Senn

Another and different method of heading a doumbek from Quentin in the /UK

Middle Eastern rhythms at Ghawazee.org

Rony Barrak This strong Middle Eastern Percussionist has a new website..UK based.

Sohail Kaspar - Egyptian-Style Master Percussionist, currently based in L.A., one of the top teachers of this style in the West..

HossamRamzy.com

Kamuran's Doumbek Playing Guide - Notation for 300+ rhythms and variations, difficulty ratings, useful advice articles, reviews of other rhythm sites.

Quick & Dirty Guide to Doumbek Rhythms

Jeff Senn's site has some good stuff too.

The True History of the Dumbek (humor)

Dealing with goatskin dumbek heads

Many thanks to Zenobia of the Goblet Drumming Group at Yahoo for mentioning many of the names you'll find here.

Misirli Ahmet

Sayed Balaha

Rony Barrak

Reda Darwish

R.A. Fish link to CD, reviews

Gamal Goma Link to an available CD

Ziad Islambouli

Uncle Mafufo

Susu Pampanin this links to a bio on susu as a member of Stallamara; send us more if have it..

Hossam Ramzy

Setrak Sarkissian (available recordings)

Jeremiah Soto

We also have great respect for the many players of the Persian goblet drum, the tonbak (zarb). Rather than simply copy an already complete resource, it would be best here to just refer you to a complete list of tonbak players online at the Tombak Network . Hormuz' site is EXCEPTIONAL, a must see for lovers of zarb. (Simply click on 'players' when you get there.

 

 

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