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Posted:
Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:27 amby montezuma
I wonder if someone would give mi some information about darabuka. I mean the technic of playing. I'm going to buy a book "Darbuka Method Book/CD Set Behnan Gocmez". Does anyone has this book? Is it worth buying? Could you recomend mi any web pages, links?
Posted:
Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:26 amby mco
Posted:
Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:40 pmby montezuma
Thanks a lot. Does anyone knows how to make this left hand finger roll?
Posted:
Fri Jul 15, 2005 4:32 pmby yoni
Hi Montezuma,
One finger roll I know is done with the index finger of one hand and the index and ring finger of the other hand. Which side you do it from, left or right, is up to you. I call it the "Turkish Twiddle" 'cause I learned it from two Turkish brothers, Ahmet and Levent Misirli, who are champions of this technique and amazing players all around. I noticed a funny thing about that technique - since one hand gives one finger stroke and the other gives two, the arm of the hand giving the two strokes had muscles blown up like a football, while the arm of the other hand looked more normal.
A more "balanced" technique might be the double roll with hands - I do this on darbuka and have not seen or heard anyone else doing it yet. The finger rolls can be faster, but the double roll can be pretty darn fast, too. In fact, most people who see me doing it think I'm using fingers, not hands. Using a heavy darbuka helps with this hand technique, so that the drum doesn't "run away" from you when played sideways.
Another finger roll I use is with three fingers of the left hand and one of the right hand. Still another roll is with all fingers of both hands, as is often done with tonbak or zarb, the wooden "darbuka" used in the northern Mid East where there is more forest and wood for making such drums. And yet another finger roll is with the thumb and index finger of each hand - the thumb is held directly below the index finger. In this position each hand is brought down onto the drum head, one after the other. Only the thumb and the index finger strike the drum head, making a little flam. When it's done relaxedly, just from the wrist, the flams come together to make a nice roll. Seems to me that this technique can be mastered more quickly than some of the others.
There are still more kinds of traditional finger rolls, also with fingernails. Some are discussed more in-depth on darbuka sites such as "The Doumbek Page" and others.
All the best,
Yoni
Posted:
Fri Jul 15, 2005 6:40 pmby zaragemca
Greeting,I like Darbukas,DoumbecksNakers,about two three students of those instruments also,but I don't place them on the side I always play it in front of me,also like more the one with metal shells.Dr.Zaragemca
Posted:
Sat Jul 16, 2005 4:12 pmby yoni
Playing on the side was really strange for me at first, especially after years of congas, bongos and djembe. But now it comes to me naturally. I guess one can get used to anything. Playing with darbuka straight down in front of you can give more volume as there is an echo from the floor. The same effect can be had playing from the side if you sit with a wall behind you. I've seen this done by several darbuka/dahola players and do it myself if there is no mic and if a wall is nearby.
All the best,
Yoni
Posted:
Sat Jul 16, 2005 7:22 pmby zaragemca
Greeting,actually among my students there are two from India,and some times they come to the practice with their Darbukas,there are very open minded to incorporating,Afrocuban,and African percussion patterns.Dr.Zaragemca
Posted:
Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:40 amby yoni
Greetings, Zaragemca,
I think that's great that you have your students playing rhythms on darbuka that are not normally played in traditional darbuka repertoire. I like this, too, playing different styles on drums not typical for those styles...
Many pure traditionalists don't like this idea, but for me the main objective in music is to enjoy...
All the best,
Yoni
Posted:
Thu Jul 21, 2005 3:28 pmby zaragemca
Greeting Yoni,It is all about getting resources,which could be applyed in any genre since percussion and music in general have been evolving in to fusion.Dr Zaragemca