Do we have any Doumbek / Darbuka / Tabla players on BDF?

[Sirène]

If there are any Doumbek / Darbuka / Tabla players hereabout, I have a non-dominant hand question: should a beginner focus on making the correct 'ka' sound with a non-dominant hand, or focus on playing in rhythm and just give the non-dominant hand time to build strength?

 

[Dunyah]

You can work on both. A strengthening exercise is to play ka ka dum over and over to practice using the non dominant hand. Strengthening the non dominant hand is one of the most important things you can do if you want to play the dumbek.

 

[Sirène]

I know this will vary by person but what would you say is the average length of time it takes to start making the correct sound with the non-dominant hand? I know there are a lot of factors—physical strength, time spent practicing, etc—but I'm trying to figure out how long I should give this before I 'seek professional help'.