How to avoid Djembe Dilemmas and make the most of your Budget
nearly 20 years, collaborating with music hubs and teachers to ensure they work perfectly in the classroom. And we’ve seen those sad cupboards full of broken instruments and drums too small for children’s hands.
To help you make the best possible buying decisions, we’ve distilled our knowledge and experience into this Djembe Buyer’s Guide. We hope you’ll find it useful and that you’ll get in touch if you need any further information or assistance.
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10 Essentials to get right
Don’t throw your budget away by buying djembes that are too small.
They need to have playing heads that are big enough for comfortable two-handed playing. This is so important.
See our blog for detail on choosing the right size, but as a quick rule of thumb, for KS1 you’ll need an 8” overall diameter djembe, for KS2 you’ll need 9” and for KS3 and above you’ll need at least a 10”. Bigger diameters are great, but beware going too big as bigger means more expensive, more storage and heavier drums.
See our blog here.
Head size Weight
Avoid backache and storage hassles: choose djembes that are easy to move and store.
As a rule of thumb 5 to 7kg is as heavy a drum as it’s easy to move around. More than that and you may start dreading setting up and putting away. 3 to 5kg is the sweet spot. Translating this into djembe size, our 8” overall diameter wooden djembes tend to be 2 to 3kg and our 10” diameter djembes will usually be around the 5kg mark. But our djembes are relatively light, thanks to their wide tops and you’ll find that other makers’ wooden drums may be significantly heavier. Synthetic drums are much lighter than wooden ones, so even 12” diameter synthetics will weigh in at less than 5kg.
Skin quality
Great sound and durability: prioritise high quality skins.
A good skin is essential for a good sound, but it’s also a key part of the playing experience, and it’s also generally the weakest part of the djembe, so you need it to be as tough as possible, consistent with sound and ease of playing. This means not bleached or very thin, not very thick and unresponsive, and not damaged. Synthetic skins should be Mylar (a Dupont plastic).
Shell quality
Smooth finish, resonant sound: select djembes with high-quality shells.
The shell is another key determinant of the sound, as well as of the playing experience. You need it to be smooth and well finished inside and out. Small knots and marks won’t make any difference, but avoid cracks or holes that go right through the shell from inside to outside. If you’re buying a synthetic shell, check the thickness and finishing - if it’s too thin it may be too resonant and produce a boomy sound.
Good, stable tuning
Easy maintenance.
You’ll need skins which are well tensioned/tuned and which keep their tension. It’s also a good idea to have skins which can be re-tensioned if needs be, so, as well as choosing djembes which arrive well tuned, other things being equal, go for rope (double knotted rope tuning is the best for holding pitch) or mechanical tuning systems.
Satisfying playing experience
An enjoyable playing experience is key.
Ensure the djembe feels good and encourages playing. For this pretty well everything else needs to be right too: head size, weight, skin and shell quality, and proper tuning. And while natural materials enhance tactility and vibrations, we understand some prefer synthetic options, and fortunately there are some very good synthetics now available.
Ethical considerations
Keep your conscience clear.
You’ll want to be sure that the materials used are sustainable (ask to see the wood certification), and that the production process is ethically managed. If you don’t wish to use animal products and opt for a synthetic skin, make sure it’s top quality Mylar and will have a long life.
Special needs
Those essential extras.
Can your supplier provide djembe stands and slings for players unable to hold the drum between their legs? What about stackable storage bags?
Ongoing support
Expert support every step of the way.
Get the Guidance You Need. We’re here to questions, resolve issues, and provide teaching support for using djembes effectively in the classroom.
The guarantee is your insurance cover in
Last but least, make sure you’ve got a great long term without small print exclusions. You’re making a serious investment and you need to be sure it’s a good one.
5 Pitfalls to Avoid
Confusing overall diameter with playing head diameter
When you’re deciding the drum size you need, keep in mind that suppliers usually advertise the overall drum diameter, and that the “playing head diameter” is generally 1” less than the “overall diameter”. So a djembe advertised as 10” will have a 9” playing head diameter (fine for all ages up to KS3). If you can’t measure the djembe diameter for yourself, take the supplier’s advertised figure and use column 6 of this table to check the age group suitability. Link here for table.
Poor wood quality - splinters, cracks
Cheaper wooden djembes may use soft or poor quality wood and be badly finished. As a result they may have shorter useful lives as well as being a source of splinters.
Very heavy djembes
Hard wood shells are generally lovely and resonant, but can be very dense. As a rule of thumb 5 to 7kg is as heavy a drum as is easy to move around. More than that and you may start dreading setting up and putting away. 3 to 5kg is the sweet spot. Our 9”, 10” and 11” djembes all weight under 5kg.
Over-sized drums
Big playing heads are great (and everybody likes a big drum!), but consider whether you really need drums that are tall - are they worth the extra cost and do you have you got the space to store them? And tall drums may be too tall for smaller children to play comfortably. Drums should be carefully sized for the players. We recommend going for djembes which have wide diameters for their height. Rule of thumb: go for overall diameters that are 50% or more of the drum height. This also makes the drums less expensive and lighter so you’ll win on storage, budget and ease of moving them around.
Very thin, very thick or damaged skins
Choose skins with care - too thin and they’ll quickly wear out; too thick and they’ll produce a muffled sound and be very hard on the hands; nicks or holes or other weak spots may quickly develop into tears.
Very thin, very thick or damaged skins GET IN TOUCH Help!
Choose skins with care - too thin and they’ll quickly wear out; too thick and they’ll produce a muffled sound and be very hard on the hands; nicks or holes or other weak spots may quickly develop into tears.
Feeling overwhelmed? Schedule a chat and let us help you cut through the djembe jungle.
6 Expert Tips for Maximising Budget
Consider mixing in hand percussion as a way of getting more pupils involved for less money. Buddy pairs (or trios) sharing a djembe and shakers can make for equally effective learning at a fraction of the cost.
Go for djembes with high diameter to height ratios - this will give you the lowest overall cost and storage requirement without sacrificing quality. As a rule of thumb make sure your djembe diameter is at least half the djembe height. Drums for Schools Wide Top djembes have the best in class diameter to height ratios.
Buy as many djembes at a time as you can, to obtain the maximum discount on price. See what extra discount you can leverage by buying everything you need for a year at a time.
Use our checklist to make sure you choose high quality djembes and that they’re not too small, or too big, for your setting.
Make sure the djembe guarantee is at least 5 years (and preferably 10) and covers skins as well as shells - so that your budget carries on working long term.
Get a drum head protector for each drum (damage to skins usually happens between drumming lessons!). Good quality storage bags will also help to maximise the life of your drums, and you’ll really appreciate them if you need to move the drums around regularly.
Very thin, very thick or damaged skins GET IN TOUCH Help! Feeling overwhelmed? Schedule a chat and let us help you cut through the djembe jungle.
Choose skins with care - too thin and they’ll quickly wear out; too thick and they’ll produce a muffled sound and be very hard on the hands; nicks or holes or other weak spots may quickly develop into tears.
8 key quality indicators
Natural colour, tight, line across centre (or Mylar skin for synthetic djembes)
Non-stretch nylon with extra spare length wrapped around the waist (useful for tuning up the djembe)
Djembe Buyers Worksheet
This 5 Step worksheet will help you to:
1. Clarify your requirement and define the djembe specification that meets it
2. Put together a short list of djembes that meet your spec.
3. Systematically compare your short-listed djembes, checking that they meet your specification and requirement
4. Calculate costs, negotiate price reductions and finalise your order
5. Provide evidence of your buying decision process for ACE.
Using this worksheet will help you make the right djembe decisions, and it will also give you the information you need to negotiate competitive pricing. Last but not least, it will provide you with clear documentation to support your decision-making process.
Once you’ve downloaded the spreadsheet, we recommend you make a copy of the spreadsheet on your local drive and create new spreadsheet tabs for each project. Make sure you keep copies of all the completed worksheets.
Anatomy of a Djembe
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
Keep pitch/tension. Adjust pitch/tension.
Variants
Goatskin - the most widespread traditional skin, comes in various thicknesses, depending on the age and gender of the goat.
Synthetics - a variety of plastics with a range of sounds, from rounded to tinny.
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.
Bigger sizes can be heavy.
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.
Lightweight.
Prone to cracking.
Made from oil-based chemicals, not natural.
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.
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.
Mechanically tuned.
Tuning and replacing skins is simpler than for rope-tuned.
Relatively expensive
Non-traditional.
Some settings prefer mechanically tuned drums, and these are particularly useful in settings where the drum heads get damaged frequently.
Anatomy of a Djembe
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
Keep pitch/tension. Adjust pitch/tension.
Variants
Goatskin - the most widespread traditional skin, comes in various thicknesses, depending on the age and gender of the goat.
What to look for What to avoid
Backbone line across middle of the drum head (this indicates it’s the strongest part of the animal’s hide).
Synthetics - a variety of plastics with a range of sounds, from rounded to tinny.
Hardwoods such as lenke, iroko, mahogany, mango.
Softwoods, such as aweneboa, melina.
Mylar skins.
White, bleached or thin skins, small holes or indents.
Skins that can be easily deformed by finger pressure.
Very thick skins - these can be hard on the hands so best for hardened professionals!
As goatskin above.
Tinny sounds (often from transparent skins).
Smooth finishing (no splinters) inside and out. Rubber base. Certified sustainable.
Smooth finishing (no splinters) inside and out. Rubber base. Certified sustainable.
Cracks that go right through from inside to outside -look inside
Very heavy drums. Cracks and splinters.
Cracks that go right through from inside to outside -look inside
Very heavy drums. Cracks and splinters.
Brittle plastics that may crack.
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.
Rope and metal rings.
Double knotting. Non-stretch rope.
Thick metal rings (won’t bend under tension).
Pretuned. Mechanically tuned.
Quality tuning accessories Standard spanner size.
Thin lower ring, or rope ring - these won’t support long term tuning.
If budget allows, go for double knotting and non-stretch rope. For tight budgets single knotting is fine, providing the rope is nonstretch.
Some settings prefer mechanically tuned drums, and these are particularly useful in settings where the drum heads get damaged frequently.
