Basic Doumbek African Drum Strikes: The Caa

Video Transcript

"Hi. This is Alex Spurkel of Naked Rhythm and Universal Drumming on behalf of Expert Village. In this clip, we're going to talk about how to play a proper ka strike on the doumbek. The ka is played with you're weaker hand. That means if you're right handed you're playing it with your left, and vice versa. It's the same sound as the tek which we learned in the previous clip. Except for it's played with the hand that's on top of the drum. Like that. This is the strike that gives beginners the most amount of problems so be patient with yourself in learning it. It takes a little bit of time. But with a little practice you'll get it. Let's start by looking at how the hand it shaped. It looks like this, so you're straight at the back of the wrist. You have a ninety degree bend on your knuckle, and your thumb and first finger are touching near the tip. You're going to be moving with your ring finger. Your ring finger is your striking finger, okay? So if there's three components to the strike. One, your ring finger moves up and down, two, your hand moves up and down, and three, your hand twists from outward to inward. Make sure to not move your wrist, your wrist stays straight. So in slow motion, the way the strike works is, you lift up, twist out, you raise that finger, and then you drop down and throw the finger back down on the drum. Like that. Remember to have looseness in your fingers. It's very important for these fingers to be loose, otherwise it's not going to work. So, remember your basic form, your three components. Finger, lifting, and twisting, and with a little practice, you'll get it."