Dumbek rhythms are a collection of rhythms that are usually played with hand drums such as the dumbek. These rhythms are various combinations of these three basic sounds:
Contents
Notation
In a simple notation, these three sounds are represented by three letters: D, T, and K. When capitalized, the beat is emphasized, and when lower-case, it is played less emphatically. These basic sounds can be combined with other sounds:
This is the simple dumbek rhythm notation for the 2/4 rhythm known as ayyoub:
1-&-2-&-
D--kD-T-
Rhythms
There are many traditional rhythms. Some are much more popular than others. The "big six" Middle Eastern rhythms are ayyoub, beledi, chiftitelli, maqsoum, masmoudi and saidi.
References
Dumbek rhythms Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA