Live group classes in darbuka — the goblet drum at the rhythmic heart of Middle Eastern music — with students from twenty-five countries. Yshai Afterman has been teaching percussion online since 2010, sixteen years of online teaching.
“Online darbuka lessons” here doesn't mean occasional tips or isolated classes. It refers to a structured, long-term process: a comprehensive method for building the language of rhythm itself — layer by layer, over months — guided through weekly live sessions with a small, dedicated group of students from around the world.
The Instrument
The darbuka — also known as the doumbek, tablah, or derbake — is a goblet-shaped, single-headed hand drum that sits at the rhythmic centre of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean music. Its narrow waist and wide head give it a voice of unusual range: a deep, round bass tone (the doum) struck in the centre of the head, and bright, cutting accents (the tek and ka) played at the rim with the fingertips.
What makes the darbuka demanding is also what makes it rewarding: clean, distinct strokes; even, controlled rolls; true independence between the hands; and the ability to ornament a groove without ever losing its pulse. These are exactly the foundations the curriculum builds, in order, from your very first lesson.
The same core skills carry everything — basic strokes, split-hand technique, triplet rolls, and the techniques built on these. With them you go deep into the traditional rhythms of the Arabic, Turkish, Greek, Balkan, and North African worlds — and especially their odd meters — and, in time, into improvising and composing inside them.
The Method
The Conservatory's darbuka program is a complete arc — from foundations to musicianship — unfolding layer by layer, every concept built on the one before, through a body of original compositions written specifically for this method. It rests on three pillars — Time, Language, and Expression — that together form a complete musical understanding.
The Curriculum
More than lessons
Studying the darbuka here means more than a weekly class. You become part of a worldwide community of dedicated students — from twenty-five countries and counting — learning the same goblet-drum language together, with a calendar of shared events running alongside the curriculum.
That calendar includes an ongoing Masterclass Series with guest masters from the global percussion world, and an annual in-person Seminar where students gather to play, eat, and learn side by side.
Inside the portal
Between sessions, every darbuka student works inside the private Conservatory Portal — recorded lessons with notation PDFs, the guest-masterclass library, progress tracking, and an interactive rhythm library and metronome in the Practice Room.
Events feed
Lesson library
Masterclass series
Practice room
When I decided to deepen Middle East percussion — by far, Yshai is the best teacher I have ever had. He talks about the poetry of music and at the same time continuously crafts the tools of expression.
Giovanni Lo Cascio · Italy · Professional musician since 1981
Students
Students who arrive having studied darbuka elsewhere often describe the same thing — that they are, in a real sense, starting again. Not for lack of effort, but because the depth, structure, and personal guidance here take them somewhere they didn't know they could go.
As a beginner of darbuka and an experienced conga player, I joined the Darbuka Group last year. Yshai creates a supportive, joyful, deeply enriching learning environment. His blend of traditional technique, cultural context, and personal warmth makes every lesson an exciting journey into the heart of music.Edgar Weitzel · Germany · Darbuka
Once in a lifetime, you may study with a master. Yshai is that master. His teaching goes far beyond technique — it transforms the way you hear, think about, and relate to music.Tamara Kolton · USA · Lapstyle & Upright Frame Drum
I started studying with Yshai years ago, when my knowledge of darbuka, frame drum and riqq were next to zero. His methods and compositions have allowed me to find my connection with these instruments like never before.Eugene Toh · Singapore · Darbuka, Frame Drum & Riqq
Yshai's system is extremely well structured, and he recognises exactly what each individual student needs — whether you're a beginner or advanced. It really was the best decision I made.Sybille Camenzind · Switzerland · Lapstyle & Darbuka
Questions
More about joining, schedules, and how the groups work is on the classes page.