EnSoul MID-EAST MD08D User manual

D
Accessories
Caring for your
MD08D
Beginner Middle Eastern
Rhythms Series Beginner
LDRSB
Doumbek
Case - NC08
When tuning a tunable doumbek, DO NOT
OVERTIGHTEN the drum as this could
damage it.
If the head is a natural skin, it will react to
humidity; high humidity can loosen the
natural skin head. Low humidity will tighten
the natural skin head.
For natural heads, avoid extreme heat, cold,
and humidity. Do not store your doumbek in
a car.
Avoid placing any objects on top of your
doumbek.
Clean the doumbek using a so damp cloth
or spray it with a water bottle and then lightly
wipe it down.
If you have a small hole in a natural skin head
and you are afraid it will tear, just close it up
with super or white glue; apply a little glue to
both the inside and outside of the drum head
around the hole to close it up. ere are also
some commercial patch kits available. In a
pinch, strong tape will hold temporarily.
Doumbeks can also be re-headed and natural
skin heads can usually be put on drums with
yellow wood glue, a hose clamp, and masking
tape. Mid-East will re-head ceramic and
wooden drums with natural skins and also
sell natural skins.
Never use beaters or mallets on your
doumbek, doing so will likely result in
damage to the head.
Due to the nature of the materials used to construct a doumbek, it
is recommended that you keep your
doumbek in a case when transporting
or when you have it in storage. Mid-East
sells a variety of doumbek cases which
are also displayed on our website. If you
want to learn more about how to play the
doumbek, check out Mid-East’s doumbek
instructional materials on our website.
– Owner’s Guide –
Accessories
Doumbeks and accessories are
available at www.ensoulmusic.com
Doumbek
Doumbek
www.ensoulmusic.com
© Copyright 2017. Mid-East Mfg. Inc.
Doumbek

Remove all rings and bracelets to protect your drum before playing.
When seated, you can place the head of
the doumbek between your knees, with the
base of the drum resting on your crossed
ankles. You can also lay the doumbek on its
side, across the hip. e drum head will be
positioned just o center, in front of your
body. For stability, rest your forearm over
the bowl of the drum. For a right handed
person, the body of the doumbek is level
on the le hip with the le arm parallel to
it. Strike the doumbek using wrist action,
not arm action. Stroking around rim of a
doumbek creates a high treble sound, but
stroking the middle portion will make a
low bass sound.
How to Play
About Tuning a Tunable Doumbek
If you have a tunable doumbek with bolts connecting the head to the collar, you
can loosen the bolts to loosen drum head
or tighten bolts to make drum head tighter.
Make sure not to tighten collar so much
that there is no gap between the collar
and body. If your drum head has hooks
with nuts and bolts, you can tighten drum
head by tightening bolts or loosen bolts to
remove tension in head.
Tuning a Fixed Head Doumbek
A
xed head doumbek cannot be manually
tuned. If the head is loosened on a
natural skin drum head due to humidity, one
can tighten the head with a damp cloth placed
on the playing surface for about 15 minutes.
en let the head dry naturally and tighten. It
is important to make sure water does not get
into the glue joint. Also, applying heat from a
hair dryer or other heat source will tighten the
head. But be careful not to allow the glue joint
to get too warm. Tightening the drum head
will make the drum have a higher pitch.
For a lower pitch, you will have to loosen the
drum head. To temporarily loosen the head
of a xed doumbek, you can try a little bit
of water, rubbed evenly into the head with a
cloth. is is not a method we recommend
you rely on repeatedly. If the head of a xed
head doumbek is synthetic, it should hold
tune indenitely.
The doumbek is a goblet shaped drum consisting of a thin single head membra-
nophone. It is played with a light touch and
varying nger techniques, the drum produc-
es both a bass note, or “doum” and a higher
“tek,” or “ka” sound. e doumbek is gener-
ally associated with Middle Eastern music.
e thin drumhead creates a crisp sound
when struck and the chalice cavity generates
a bass resonance.
MAST-RD
Doumbek Doumbek
Doumbek
Doumbek