Beginning Doumbek

Yshka

New member
Cool! I've started drumming recently with Karim Nagi's Rhythms of the Arab World part 1 DVD and am loving it so far. It is harder than I thought though, but I can keep up with the drumming excercises now!
 

atisheh

New member
Cool! I've started drumming recently with Karim Nagi's Rhythms of the Arab World part 1 DVD and am loving it so far. It is harder than I thought though, but I can keep up with the drumming excercises now!

How does he structure the instruction? Are there good drills?
 

seona

New member
hi atisheh

I know you already have a DVD, but the website Home has a great list of most instructionals. I haven't worked with a dvd & I don't have a teacher, I began by using youtube to get a basic idea and just played the (basic) rhythms along to my music. Since I've attended a drumming w/shop which helped so much, I just wish I could get to a live teacher regularly!
I am considering buying a dvd, I quite like the look of Karim Nagis that Yshka mentions, tbh I don't think you could go wrong with that!
Do you have a CD of Arabic rhythms that you can play along with?
Good luck with your drumming Atisheh!
 

atisheh

New member
I know you already have a DVD, but the website Home has a great list of most instructionals. I haven't worked with a dvd & I don't have a teacher, I began by using youtube to get a basic idea and just played the (basic) rhythms along to my music. Since I've attended a drumming w/shop which helped so much, I just wish I could get to a live teacher regularly!
I am considering buying a dvd, I quite like the look of Karim Nagis that Yshka mentions, tbh I don't think you could go wrong with that!
Do you have a CD of Arabic rhythms that you can play along with?
Good luck with your drumming Atisheh!

Seona, that is an amazing resource -- I didn't know about that website, but it really is very comprehensive!

Thanks for reminding me that I actually do have a CD of arabic rhythms... I didn't think to play along with that. When I took the drumming class I used an online metronome, which was quite useful. For CDs of actual rhythms, do you just try to replicate what the drummer is doing?
 

khanjar

New member
I have a doumbek impersonating a table in the corner of my room, and with this thread comes the inspiration to once again try to learn it, so I have been looking about since it started and although not the right drums and not the right rhythms, I am going to join a local African drumming class next week and that for the simple reason to get used to two things; Rhythms and making a noise after which it is hoped I will have rid my inhibitions about making noise and then I will set to annoying my neighbours with doumbek training via video tuition, and I may even be inspired to teach myself my zills as well.
 

atisheh

New member
I have a doumbek impersonating a table in the corner of my room, and with this thread comes the inspiration to once again try to learn it, so I have been looking about since it started and although not the right drums and not the right rhythms, I am going to join a local African drumming class next week and that for the simple reason to get used to two things; Rhythms and making a noise after which it is hoped I will have rid my inhibitions about making noise and then I will set to annoying my neighbours with doumbek training via video tuition, and I may even be inspired to teach myself my zills as well.

Love it! I have a bit of inhibition about making noise too, which I also have to get over!

By the way, you probably know this already, but just in case: you can muffle your doumbek by stuffing a small towel into it. It's a good way to practice.

And I'm delighted if my reviews and posts inspired you to take a real life class! Frankly, I worry about just annoying people with them, but figure there might be *somebody* interested out there!
 

khanjar

New member
Making a noise is something I have always avoided, I tend not to like to draw attention, but here I am learning ME dance with the desire to perform in public, so I got to get over the drawing attention to myself thing at some point. But I have considered places to practice, up on the cliffs might be a good one,but no I had not considered muffling the drum, but I have the zills with socks, but it makes perfect sense so thanks for that.

But something I am trying to work out for the doumbek, is an electronic device that flashes light in response to the drum skin being struck, so light comes out of the drum bowl, something that I thought of whilst talking to the drummer, when he said about his drum picking up atmospheric electricity in the desert, the way the thing glowed when it was struck.
 

seona

New member
Seona, that is an amazing resource -- I didn't know about that website, but it really is very comprehensive!

Thanks for reminding me that I actually do have a CD of arabic rhythms... I didn't think to play along with that. When I took the drumming class I used an online metronome, which was quite useful. For CDs of actual rhythms, do you just try to replicate what the drummer is doing?


This is also a great website (think there's a link from arabicdrum site) check out Khafif Music and Belly Dance and click rhythms.

When using my rhythm CD I started with just following the basic rhythm, not the variations, Now I feel happy with (some) of the basics so I now follow the variations (or is embellishment the correct term?) As I've more of an understanding now ( I hope lol) of the way it's structured. If you find it mind boggling just stick with the 'bare bones' of the rhythm you are playing untill you feel confident/have better understanding of the variations. And of course, just practice, practice & practice! It's also nice to play along with your fav belly dance CD's.
I hope this makes sense to you, I am only a baby drummer myself! I would kill for a real teacher!
 

atisheh

New member
Yeah, that makes sense -- basically it's like being in a drum circle, where one person does the embellishments and the others keep the beat. I'm still pretty slow though -- too slow for actual songs -- but the rhythms CD might work!
 

duskshade

New member
Is the percussive force on a djembe/doumbek enough to loosen the head if you stuff a towel in it?

I wish I had a djembe to practice on. I have a hand-sized doumbek but my hands are huge compared to this little thing.
 

atisheh

New member
Is the percussive force on a djembe/doumbek enough to loosen the head if you stuff a towel in it?

I wish I had a djembe to practice on. I have a hand-sized doumbek but my hands are huge compared to this little thing.

Well, I've never stuffed a towel so big that it really made a tight seal inside the doumbek. It just reduced the sound somewhat, but it was still loose inside the doumbke.

It is harder to practice on a small doumbek -- I had one I left behind me in Berlin -- but you can still do drills and practice basic patterns, no?
 

duskshade

New member
i do practice the basics on it... and I'm getting better. I just need to get my hands on a bigger djembe or something.
 
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