Anatomy of a Djembe Variants
SKIN Requirements Tough enough to withstand intensive daily use over many years. Matched to shell so as to produce a warm sound Tactile and pleasant to play.
SHELL Requirements Tough enough to withstand intensive daily use over many years. Resonant and matched to skin Compact - good diameter to height ratio. Manageable weight.
TUNING MECHANISM Requirements
Goatskin - the most widespread traditional skin, comes in various thicknesses, depending on the age and gender of the goat.
Pros Warm sound, natural, tactile. Authentic feel.
Cons Sensitive to temperature and humidity, so best kept in dry environment. An animal product (though goats are not killed for their skins; djembe goatskins generally come from muslim countries, where goats have been killed for religious ceremonies or for food). Plastic, made from oil-based chemicals, not natural Some harder plastics can produce a tinny sound.
Synthetics - a variety of plastics with a range of sounds, from rounded to tinny.
Water-resistant. Easily cleaned. Hypoallergenic.
Hardwoods such as lenke, iroko, mahogany, mango.
Warm sound, natural, tactile. Authentic feel.
Bigger sizes can be heavy.
Softwoods, such as aweneboa, melina.
Lower cost and weight.
Prone to cracking.
Our recommendations We recommend a medium thick goatskin, traditionally treated and not bleached (bleaching weakens the skin). If you prefer a synthetic skin, then “fibreskyn” and others made from mylar (a polyester plastic) are amongst the best.
We recommend a compact hardwood shell with diameter to height ratio of at least 0.5 - this will reduce the weight and minimise storage space requirements. For settings where very lightweight drums are needed, or where animal products are not welcome, go for synthetic drums with PVC shells and mylar heads.
Synthetics - fibreglass, PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride).
Lightweight.
Made from oil-based chemicals, not natural.
Rope and metal rings.
Traditional “authentic” tuning system. Fine tuning is quick and easy. Wide price range.
Significant re-tuning needs some technique. Replacing skins takes time and effort.
Pretuned.
Low price.
No scope for re-tuning.
If budget allows, go for double knotting and non-stretch rope. For tight budgets single knotting is fine, providing the rope is nonstretch.
Relatively expensive Non-traditional.
Some settings prefer mechanically tuned drums, and these are particularly useful in settings where the drum heads get damaged frequently.
Keep pitch/tension. Adjust pitch/tension. Mechanically tuned.
Tuning and replacing skins is simpler than for rope-tuned.