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DJEMBE

Djembe drums originate from West Africa, more specifically from the Mandingo people of the Mali area. They are now played throughout the world, as African teachers have travelled, and players have visited Africa. A central feature of the Djembe is the wide range of pitch that it produces: from a deep resonant Bass, through clear Tones, to the high, almost metallic 'Slap'. These qualities are due to the distictive goblet shape of the drum body, which is carved from the trunk of a tree. Djembe drums are skinned with goat, and the high tension of the drum skin is required to produce the richness of sound quality. Tension is maintained by the rope lattice around the drum body, which requires a particular weaving pattern to apply.

Here are some general suggestions. Choose a Djembe made from dense wood. If a drum shell is fairly thin, but feels heavy, the wood is likely to be dense. Dense wood produces a richer sound. Look for a drum with braided, not twined rope. Twined rope stretches under tension, making tuning difficult.


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	Hands On Rhythm Workshops feature rhythms derived from World Music Traditions. We Play drums originating from different parts of the world, including some that we make ourselves! (see Tribull Drums). This page tells you about the kinds of drums that suit music from each region of the world, as featured in Hands On Handbooks. Enjoy!
		DJEMBE Djembe drums originate from West Africa, more specifically from the Mandingo people of the Mali area. They are now played throughout the world, as African teachers have travelled, and players have visited Africa. A central feature of the Djembe is the wide range of pitch that it produces: from a deep resonant Bass, through clear Tones, to the high, almost metallic 'Slap'. These qualities are due to the distictive goblet shape of the drum body, which is carved from the trunk of a tree. Djembe drums are skinned with goat, and the high tension of the drum skin is required to produce the richness of sound quality. Tension is maintained by the rope lattice around the drum body, which requires a particular weaving pattern to apply. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A DJEMBE: Here are some general suggestions. Choose a Djembe made from dense wood. If a drum shell is fairly thin, but feels heavy, the wood is likely to be dense. Dense wood produces a richer sound. Look for a drum with braided, not twined rope. Twined rope stretches under tension, making tuning difficult.
		CONGA Conga drums are found in drum traditions of the Caribbean, in countries such as Cuba and Haiti. They are commonly are found with a wood or fibreglass body and a relatively thick skin of cow or donkey hide. The Conga Family of drums includes the deep Tumba, the medium size Conga, and the high-pitched Quinto. Caribbean rhythms often feature these three drums playing together. Conga drums have a mellow, reverberant sound, which suits the rolling nature of the rhythms played on them. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A CONGA DRUM: The generally good quality of a conga drum is discovered by the richness of it's tone. This is produced by a thick skin and correct dimensions of body. There are several reputable brands of conga manufacturers such as Meinyl, who produce a consistent product.

		DARABUKA OR DUMBECK These drums originate in the 'Middle East': a region extending from Turkey to Saudi Arabia, from Egypt to Iran. These drums appear in various forms, their distinguishing feature being their distictive hourglass shape. This shape varies from area to area, along with the sound and playing technique used on each drum. These drums are often seen made from cast aluminium, with a plastic 'skin', tensioned with a key/bolt system. Other forms of this drum include: clay or beaten metal body, goat or fish skin, rope tensioning system, skin glued o drum body. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A DARABUKA: Generally these drums are found in NZ mass-manufactured and imported. This tends to make these drums a little characterless in sound, but cheap and accessible! the great benefit of a metal-and-plastic darabuka is that it is more resilient and less vulnerable to rain, being dropped, and other damage. The sound of these drums varies considerably according to construction materials and shape.