Greetings and welcome to Fingers of Fury. With this online school and community you can learn everything about the darbuka including its many names: Darbuka, doumbek, dumbek, derbeke, toubeleki etc. This goblet shaped drum is played in many different regions hence it's multiple names.
I have spent much of my time traveling and focusing on the Turkish style of playing so tend to favour darbuka over other names. In Turkish language the 'R' is rolled once which has resulted in some confusion and mispronunciation of darbuka and this is whence darabuka has evolved.
For those of you just getting started, you will need a decent but not overly expensive drum to learn on and some clear and inspiring tutorials.
Begin with playing just 15 minutes a day and be sure never to overplay and cause yourself an injury. Remember, longevity is key.
Begin by learning the basic tones and practicing until you can produce a clear tone. From there you can start building up a vocabulary of rhythms to play. Start with rhythms in a count of 2 beats such as Ayub and karatchi, then move to four beat rhythms such as Maqsum, Baladi and Saiidi.
There are many videos available for both Fingers of Fury and Drum Dojo members. Log in, grab your drum and enjoy yourself.