Music is an indispensable part of our daily life. It is also known by everyone that music has a positive effect on human psychology. Music nourishes the soul. It gives us joy when we are unhappy. When we are tired or emotional, it rests our souls. We can find ourselves in the rhythm, notes or words of the music. Music and musical understanding may vary from region to region, from culture to culture. For example, percussion instruments are more common in the Middle East than other parts of the world. The people of the region invented instruments by utilizing the possibilities of the time.
Music and instrument genres can be divided into many groups. For example, when percussion instruments are mentioned, instruments such as drums, darbuka, and Doumbek come to mind. Percussion instruments are considered as he first invented genre. In ancient times, people started to produce sounds by hitting any object for fun at weddings and holidays. They made musical instruments such as drums, darbukas, and doumbeks by carving trees by using the possibilities of the time. They cover instruments with animal skin. Today, these instruments are made of various materials.
What Is Doumbek?
Doumbek is a very old musical instrument which is classified into the group of percussion instruments. It is mostly still used. In ancient times, its body was made of mud and cooked. Today, it can also be made of copper and wood. Doumbek is bowl-shaped in appearance. Skin is stretched over the doumbek. Doumbek has two bodies, an upper and a lower. Its upper body is wider and its lower body is thinner. Doumbek is very similar to the darbuka from the family of percussion instruments.
There are varieties of Doumbek, but the main factor in the formation of this variety is the materials used in its production. Its upper body is bowl-shaped and the skin is stretched over it. The chest in the Doumbek body can be made of wood, copper, and iron. Today, Doumbek can be covered with leather or plastic. The outer decoration may differ from region to region.
History Of Doumbek
The Doumbek drum is called a percussion instrument used by the Crimean Tatars, in the Middle East and in the Balkans. Doumbek is based on very ancient traditions. Since the sound it made was extremely rhythmic and fast-paced, it was mostly used in palace entertainment, weddings and celebrations. Although it looks like a darbuka in appearance, it has tonal differences. They are the same in appearance, but they are called by different names due to the difference in sound.
Since it is possible to see the Doumbek instrument in every region and nation, it is played even in Europe these days. Doumbek spread to Europe thanks to the Ottoman Empire. Arab countries and Turkish people have made their own doumbek varieties. Doumbeks made by Turkish people can be considered as the older ones. Turkish people have been a source of inspiration for the spread of this musical instrument. It has been valued and continues to be valued as an incredible musical instrument both in the past and today by those who like to have fun.
How To Play The Doumbek?
Playing doumbek is not as easy as it seems. It is played with the help of a stick or with fingers. To get the right sound in doumbek, you need to know where to hit. Each finger needs to be used actively and the place to be struck needs to be calculated. It takes a lot of practice to be a good doumbek player.
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